Whether you viewed November’s election results with delight, disinterest or dismay, most of us find ourselves suffering from political fatigue right now. We’re shutting off the TV, avoiding the web and trying to ignore the news. But as tempting as it might be to hide under the covers, so many important issues need our attention, and we simply can’t shut out the world just yet. Take the environment, for instance. Like everything else in politics, all signs are pointing to division and disagreement over whether to protect our natural resources: clean air, water, wildlife and public lands. And, if people do agree, they might disagree on how to do it.
If you’re like me and my friends at the Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA), you’re gearing up for four bumpy years. The next U.S. president’s pick to head the Environmental Protection Agency has promised to eliminate environmental regulations that have proven inconvenient for the fossil fuel industry. Trump has also promised to halt the Inflation Reduction Act, which will mean a lot less funding for clean air. And Project 2025 has a local component directed at abandoning the lease withdrawal recently obtained for the Thompson Divide, along with a bunch of other important environmental safeguards.
Environmentalists are reading the signs and burning the midnight oil, encouraging President Biden to designate more national monuments (including the Dolores Canyon), and developing endangered species protections at the state level prior to Jan. 20. In Utah, the Southwestern Utah Wilderness Alliance took significant action by suing the state for its attempt to seize 18 million acres of public land.
There’s tension in the air, uncertainty and stress. And we could all do with a little hope.
Like the rest of the country, not everyone in the greater Roaring Fork Valley agrees on everything, or ever could. Our life experiences, circumstances and core beliefs bring us to different conclusions. But I can’t help but wonder if we’re ignoring an opportunity to unite that’s right in front of us. That there’s something we stare in the face every single day. Something that really needs us to unite around it to survive. It’s this beautiful place where we live.
Proximity may not equal love, but that people want to be here is evident every time we head out to work. We travel between different towns, different counties and even different mountain ranges just to reach our jobs. We endure housing challenges, high taxes, transportation nightmares and limited family or “me” time for the sake of being here.
Why do we put up with it? For some, it’s that family is here. For others, treasured memories of childhood vacations have brought us back to settle and raise families. Some might be answering the call of the slopes or streams or other recreational opportunities. Some value our clean air or proximity to wildlife. There are probably some who put up with it just for the money. But I believe that most deal with the struggles because we love this place.
Indications of how the environment might be treated over the next four years should remind us that the things we value come at a cost. Protecting this place requires us to engage. Luckily, political action is nothing new for residents of the Roaring Fork, Frying Pan and Crystal Valleys.
Take CVEPA’s start: a handful of folks who stopped a ski area from turning Marble into a town the size of Grand Junction. And we’re now celebrating our 52nd year. Then there’s the advocacy group that grew out of concerns over wildlife-vehicle collisions: Roaring Fork Safe Passages.
Countless people advocated for years for the protection of Thompson Divide. In April they celebrated a major victory: a federal mineral lease withdrawal for 20 years.
Currently, dozens have committed to be part of the process to determine the best way to protect the Crystal River from dams and diversions. CVEPA believes the best option is to designate the Crystal River as Wild and Scenic.
The ways we choose to help may be different, but taking some kind of action is the goal. Even if you don’t consider yourself a “greenie” you can still make a difference. Not sure about climate change? Then how about advocating for keeping the public lands where you and your kids hike public by donating to CVEPA, Colorado Wild Public Lands or Wilderness Workshop.
Do the words “drill, baby, drill” make you want to celebrate? Perhaps consider throwing your hat in the ring for clean water, and working to protect the quality and quantity of what we drink or where we recreate. Roaring Fork Conservancy might be just the organization for you.
Care about mining history? Support efforts to preserve historic sites. Check out Aspen Valley Land Trust, or the Redstone Historical Society.
If you want a better handle on the issues facing the area, the nonprofit news organization Aspen Journalism provides excellent in-depth coverage of environmental issues within our watershed.
The point is to write a letter, join a protest or just support an organization committed to protecting our environment. A common purpose can unites us.