And here’s my submission

The first time I heard the name Wyss, it was during a staff meeting discussing grant proposals. I was fresh into my new role as Membership Director for a statewide conservation group here in Arizona, and we were reviewing our existing funding sources. The Wyss Foundation figured prominently in our revenue spreadsheets—as it does for many, many public lands groups across the West.

A year later, I found myself working for the Sierra Club on a special project to help defend five recently-designated national monuments that now found themselves under threat from the Bush Administration. While I was already well into my national parks quest, which included nearly all of the existing national monuments, I wasn’t very familiar with the new ones I was charged with advocating for.

That’s because these were managed by the Bureau of Land Management instead of the National Park Service. The BLM, as it’s more commonly known, manages more public lands than any other federal agency—nearly 1/7 of the land mass of the United States. But unfortunately, due to both history and politics and even policy, the BLM doesn’t have a strong tradition of conservation. In fact, the BLM was often jokingly referred to as the Bureau of Livestock and Mining.

Our National Conservation Lands

Bruce Babbitt, a fellow Arizonan and the Secretary of the Interior under President Clinton, had a strategy to change that. When Clinton designated a number of national monuments during his term—starting with the amazing Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument—Babbitt broke with tradition and kept the BLM in charge instead of transferring management to the National Park Service.

If you want BLM to do good things, you have to give them good things to do.

– Bruce Babbitt—countless times—on his strategy to instill a stronger conservation ethic into the BLM

That act began what’s now known as the National Conservation Lands, which comprises about 10% of BLM’s public lands and might be our nation’s last great system of protected public lands. The idea was that if you could help create even incremental change in BLM’s culture, you could have a huge effect on land management across the country.

The Wyss Foundation played a major role in securing and establishing the National Conservation Lands after its establishment. It funded the entirety of my own position, plus those of many of my fellow colleagues in other conservation groups. In my work, I helped launch and develop several local Friends groups for these national monuments. And who funded these small, grassroots groups? You guessed it.

Conservation Lands Foundation

Eventually, this ballooning and historic effort needed a new home, and the Conservation Lands Foundation was born. The Wyss Foundation was instrumental in establishing and funding the group, which boasted an incredible board of directors, including Bruce Babbitt, Stewart Udall, and the heads of many heralded public lands groups. Not long after its launch, I was lucky enough to serve as its Southwest Field Director for a number of years.

The Conservation Lands Foundation, working with a number of other partners, worked to establish critically important policy directives for the Conservation Lands, develop a vibrant network of grassroots advocates and stewards across the West, defend our public lands when necessary, spearhead new national monument designations, and educate policymakers and recreationists on the vision for this new system.

While important and pressing work still remains, it’s hard not to see a bright future for our National Conservation Lands.

Our National Conservation Lands are pretty awesome, and often under-appreciated. I’ve had an excellent time on my quest to visit each of the major areas of the system.

Wyss Campaign for Nature

Not satisfied with this historic conservation success, however, the Wyss Foundation has recently embarked on an incredibly bold new campaign to protect 30% of the world’s land and waters by 2030.

Yes, you read that right: 30% by 2030.

And to help make that happen, the Wyss Foundation is committing to donating $1 billion towards the effort. Yes, you also read that right: one billion dollars.

Hansjörg Wyss

And all of that finally leads me to Hansjörg Wyss.

A Swiss native, he fell in love with America’s public lands while working a summer job as a highway surveyor in Colorado while studying at Harvard. He went on to make gobs and gobs of money producing medical devices, before selling is company for more than $20 billion.

Since that time, he’s quietly become one of the most generous philanthropists in the world. While he supports a number of causes, public lands—and what they represent—remain a meaningful part of his life and efforts.

Each investment we make in conservation is an enduring investment in democracy.

Hansjörg Wyss

Through his philanthropy to date, the Wyss Foundation has helped to protect more than 27 million acres across the US. It’s spearheaded countless projects that have resulted in tangible conservation wins. It’s helped to chart a new vision for the nation’s largest land manager, and worked hard to expand the lands included in the National Conservation Lands system. It’s invested in meaningful grassroots organizing, intended to build a network of local advocates and stewards for our public lands.

Through his continued philanthropy, the Wyss Campaign for Nature builds upon the successes and lessons learned of its previous efforts, turning its attention to the rest of the World.

For someone that few have ever heard of, that’s one helluva legacy.

Thank you, Mr. Wyss, for all that you have done for our public lands.

Check out my other posts for the #NatureWritingChallenge

Photo courtesy of Wyss Campaign For Nature.

The post A little known hero in public lands conservation appeared first on rscottjones.

To be honest, it didn’t look very promising, at least not yet.

“Yep, it’s up ahead a few more miles,” I responded, in a tone that likely overstated my own confidence.

We had already driven an hour from Phoenix to Gila Bend, then another hour west along Interstate 8, then turned off at an exit to seemingly nowhere, jogged back east a mile along the access road, then turned north on an unremarkable dirt road impossibly named Avenue 76½ E. Along this rough-at-times road, we had passed two desert squatter communities, an out-of-place boat shipwrecked on the top of a small hill, and miles of seemingly barren desert.

Some skepticism was probably to be expected. After all, I hadn’t exactly explained where we were going; I had just said that we’d find some rock art when we got there.

As it turns out, we were indeed on the correct road. A few miles further ahead was the Sears Point petroglyph site, an array of prehistoric and historic petroglyphs carved into a basalt ridge overlooking the floodplain of the once mighty Gila River. This is BLM land, a site well known by those who hunt rock art, but not a destination where you’ll find many tourists.

Finally, the road crested a small ridge, dipped towards the dry riverbed in the distance, and we could see our destination ahead. Ribbons of sandy driving routes spiderwebbed around tamarisk and mesquite clumps that dotted the lowland. I was glad to have my Subaru as we sloshed through deep pockets of sand and gravel, maintaining enough speed around the corners to avoid getting stuck. And just like that, we arrived at a patch of dirt sporting two informational kiosks and some carsonite signs indicating the road’s end. We parked, stepped out of the subie, and immediately scanned the butte for the first sign of rock art.

“There’s some over there,” I said, nearly in code, and pointed towards a prominent panel gazing down upon us.

We grabbed some cold water from the cooler, donned our daypacks, and scrambled up towards the first panel with cameras in hand. And so began our rather impromptu visit to Sears Point.

The Sears Point petroglyph site

Archaeologists consider Sears Point to be one of the most significant rock art sites in the Southwest. In addition to more than 2,000 rock art panels incorporating nearly 10,000 petroglyph elements, the area contains a number of geoglyphs and other archaeological and historical features.

Simply put, there’s a lot to see out here. And you’ll need to do some exploring to see it.

Sears Point is just one of several other similar sites along the Gila River, including Quail Point, Hummingbird Point, and Oatman Point just a bit upstream. The only site signed from the interstate is Painted Rock, a now-defunct state park that’s since reverted to BLM management. I won’t get into what you’ll find at each of these sites, how to get to them, or what makes them special, but a quick google search will answer most questions one would have.

It’s important to note that while Sears Point is a named archaeological district, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is managed as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern by BLM, sadly none of these adds sufficient protection for this site or its neighboring ones.

The campaign to protect the Great Bend of the Gila

As a result, several organizations—led by Archaeology Southwest and the National Trust for Historic Preservation—have been campaigning to protect Sears Point and other important archaeological and historical sites upstream as the Great Bend of the Gila National Monument. It’s a good idea and the cultural resources here are definitely worthy of such a designation.

The short video below explains a bit more about the cultural heritage this campaign seeks to protect.

Some tips if you plan on visiting

• You’ll want an AWD or 4WD vehicle to drive to the parking area, though don’t attempt it if it’s rained recently. You could probably make the drive with a 2WD high clearance vehicle if you stopped short of the deepest sand, which starts around here, roughly a mile from the main petroglyph panels. Either way, be prepared to extricate yourself if you get stuck no matter what you’re driving.
• Don’t go in the summer heat, and be prepared with water and shade. You’ll spend your entire visit scrambling over rocks while the sun beats relentlessly down on you, so please act accordingly. If it’s warm out, you might want to consider gloves to protect your hands from hot rocks.
• If you don’t have much time, check out the rock art panels near the top of the butte to the right. The largest panels and most easily accessible glyphs are found in that area, which will require some scrambling to get up to the faint trail that connects them. If you can, spend some time exploring the entire area, including the tops of the basalt mesas—there are thousands of petroglyphs, geoglyphs, rock alignments, and other artifacts in walking distance of your car. Stay alert to your surroundings and bring a gps to help you find your way back.
• Photographing sometimes faint petroglyphs on shiny basalt in the glaring sun can be a challenge, so keep this in mind as you plan your arrival and departure times. A circular polarizing filter can also be helpful in reducing shine and helping the rock art stand out better. An umbrella can both help keep you cool and shade smaller glyphs for better photographs. I wish I had considered these things before my visit.
• Practice Leave No Trace principles, and don’t touch the petroglyphs or do anything else that might impact the site. Once damaged, we can never get these resources back.
• Want to learn more about lesser-known archaeological sites the public hasn’t ever heard of? Here’s the very best way to do that.
• Do some research before you go, especially on other nearby sites, if you’d like to make a longer day out of it. There are many accessible places to explore in the surrounding area and within the Great Bend of the Gila proposal area.

How to get there

From Gila Bend, Arizona, drive west on I-8 towards Yuma for roughly 30 mins to exit 78, Spot Road. At the end of the off ramp, turn north and then right on the frontage road. Head back east for about 1 mile to Avenue 76½E, then go north along the dirt road for about 7 miles. When you hit the sandy wash, stay on the most used route and aim for the low buttes to the west. You’ll find a small dirt parking area and two kiosks; park here and explore the area on foot.

The post Exploring the Sears Point petroglyph site appeared first on rscottjones.

But BLM’s National Conservation Lands are among the least heralded and most underappreciated protected landscapes in the country. Many even rival the national parks we love so much.

The newest system of protected public lands

BLM (occasionally referred to by its full name, the Bureau of Land Management) traditionally wasn’t known as a federal public lands manager with a strong commitment to conservation. But after the establishment of the National Landscape Conservation System—what we now call the National Conservation Lands—in 2001, that’s starting to change.

More than 36 million acres, or about 10% of BLM’s vast holdings, are now part of the system. That includes 27 national monuments and 22 national conservation areas (or similar designations), plus hundreds of BLM-managed wilderness and wilderness study areas. The system also includes the BLM-managed stretches of wild and scenic rivers and national scenic and historic trails. Needless to say, there’s something for everyone in the National Conservation Lands.

If you’re not familiar with the system, don’t worry. I’ll be writing about the National Conservation Lands here quite a bit.

A different kind of experience

Most areas in the National Conservation Lands offer a far different experience than the national parks. The vast majority have no visitor center in the unit, nor the regular ranger-led tours or programs. There aren’t many visitor services to be found, and often not much interpretation either.

This lack of development allows for a much different visitor experience. Instead of being led down the path, visitors are forced to rely on their own preparation. That means you get to interact with the lands in a more intimate way. Instead of staying on the gravel trail and behind the fence, you can walk right on up to the pueblo ruin. You can pick up (and put down!) the pottery sherds, inspect the rock art up close (but don’t touch it!), and generally experience the place on your own terms. Well, as long as you plan head at least.

Add these places to your bucket list

For now, you should immediately include these places in your to-visit list. Seriously, do it now. Right now.

• Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (UT)
• Gold Butte National Monument (NV)
• Agua Fria National Monument (AZ)
• Vermilion Cliffs National Monument (AZ)
• Rio Grande del Norte National Monument (NM)
• Bears Ears National Monument (UT)
• Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (NV)
• King Range National Conservation Area (CA)
• Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CO)
• Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (NV)

As you travel the country in search of our nation’s most important natural and cultural resources, make sure that you include the National Conservation Lands.

If you’d like to support the National Conservation Lands, please check out the Conservation Lands Foundation, and as well as the local groups in their network. The Wilderness Society also plays an important role nationally in defending the system.

The post National Conservation Lands: a series of underappreciated destinations appeared first on rscottjones.