Chime in: National Monuments Public Review
 

so you might like scuba diving and coral reefs?
or maybe you're into anthropology

background: earlier in the year Trump executively ordered a review on 27 protected areas, mostly in the continental US but stretches as far as marine refuge in the Western Pacific.

the Dept. of the Interior (USDOI) is looking into either shrinking these areas or abolishing their conservation status to make way for industries like mining/grazing.

sites like:

https://wilderness.org/sites/default...0921_03-X4.jpg
https://wilderness.org/sites/default...%2C-flickr.jpg
https://wilderness.org/sites/default...2_424-1-X4.jpg

here's one I got to experience last year:



that's 200M year-old sandstone. home to golden eagles. with dinosaur tracks nearby. with ancient petroglyphs in the area like the 3rd pic above

silver lining: they're allowing public input until next Monday (already at 1.2M comments)

it takes a minute. you dont' need to be a US citizen or even have your name displayed to the public.

https://www.regulations.gov/document...2017-0002-0001

Cheers

pic sauce Trump aims attack at national monuments: 27 at risk | Wilderness.org

inb4 someone tells me to post this in a common thread in the corner of RS's dusty servers SwiftRageFailFish

more Trump shit. why don't you be a Canadian and be active in Canadian issues?

dude those photos look amazing! where is that last picture? looks like some place in alberta with those sandstone formations.

you're like that guy who whines about helping the less fortunate in other parts when DTES is a mess

more Assad shit. ?Why are there people taking up humantarian efforts in Syria to save children from chemical attacks though?

amidoinitrite?

please share with us your contribution to Canadian issues.

and If there are ways to help, create a separate thread and I'll think about it.

Otherwise, don't shit here.

Last pic, that's the Wave in AZ right? How did you manage to get one of the limited passes to visit it?

^ yes, it's a lottery system. I went to the visitor centre a day before to draw.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave,_Arizona

Hey so partially based on your post, I went ahead and put my name in the draw for one of these permits online. Just checked today and to my surprise, I won! I heard only 20 people are allowed to vist per day so I'm pretty stoked! I'm had to apply in July for a permit in November, so I suppose I should start booking my flight to Utah/AZ now.

Any tips for the hike? I hear it's pretty unsigned and easy to get lost on the way back. How long was the hike and how difficult was it? Were you and your party alone most of the time or did you see others? I'm used to doing hikes on crowded North Shore trails but not much experience in desert conditions. I'll be going alone, so any tips for a solo hiker would be great!

you're given a bunch of checkpoint photos. It's not well-marked but it's relatively straightforward. Maybe 1.5-2h each way, not too difficult at all. The hike is an open desert...I also went in November which is a great time but you should still pack ample amount of water. Not common enough to be a problem but still watch your step for gila monsters (venomous lizards). Ask BLM to connect you with another group that day because they discourage solo'ing it. I believe they can also refer you to local guides.

as you get close you'll start seeing some Mars-like geo formations The biggest surprise is that the actual 'wave' formation is tiny. It's a short corridor slot canyon with the middle that's opens up like a stage. Still nothing else like it, so absolutely worthwhile. Most people go in the morning and are out by early afternoon. I caught the late afternoon which imo had the nicer lighting if you're doing photos but cut too close to sundown. You might see other permit holders out in the distance but it wont be an intimate hike. Good thing is your voice can carry really far once you're near the geo formations as sound bounces off them.

PM me if you have more questions.

Looks like the comment section is closed for that link. I would have signed. It could have been anywhere in the world, I would have signed anyways. Nature like that doesn't have borders or countries.

So I made it to the Wave this month - what a magnificent sight to behold. Made even more special by the fact I was one of the lucky 20 people per day allowed to see it. Other than my fellow hiking group I encountered practically no one on the hike there.

https://i.imgur.com/50ziKvf.jpg

If there was any doubt on my part as to these being some of the most treasured parts of the world, they were dashed on this trip.

For those of you curious HERE are some of my other photos I posted in the travel forum :D

photos don't do it justice...it's like saying you've been to Mars

since the thread was created, Trump has earmarked two Utah monuments for redevelopment.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-u...-idUSKBN1CW2PY

What a crock of shit. However, I learned that Grand Staircase NM has been controversial ever since it was formed by Pres. Clinton back in the 90s. A lot of people were pissed their former land they could do whatever with suddenly became "protected".

Well, sign all the petitions you want. I did, but the only real change will occur if and when Americans come to their senses in 2020.

bears ears reduced by 80% and grand staircase-escalante cut by 45%...the largest land reform in US history

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/04/u...ears-ears.html

visualization by Patagonia

https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/CxHSpgOy7jY...25e5ecfa6b.png

Vancouver firm the first to mine in former land of GSENM

https://www.npr.org/2018/06/21/62212...ional-monument

making this retarded comment even more ironic: