Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

On Wednesday, BLM rangeland management specialist Ryan Schroeder texted that he had been reinstated at his job at Tres Rios Field Office in Dolores, Colorado!!!!!!

On Friday, rallies to support public lands and federal employees were held at Tres Rios Field Office (also known as Dolores Public Lands Office; BLM and U.S. Forest Service), Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum (national monument), and at Mesa Verde National Park. Those rallies were followed by a combined rally at the intersection of U.S. Highway 160 and Colorado Highway 184 in Mancos.

I’d call that excellent timing. 🙂

Folks gathering and collecting their signs in the parking lot of TRFO/DPLO.

A law-enforcement ranger pulling in, greeted by a crowd of supporters. I believe this was a Forest Service ranger, but I’d like to give a shout out to our BLM law-enforcement rangers, who are absolutely the best. I’ve worked with a handful of different rangers, and absolutely every one of them has been stellar. At least one of them was just in Disappointment Valley this past week. Two BLM rangers have an enormous chunk of ground to cover – all of Southwest Colorado, something like five or six counties? – and they have told me they make it a point to patrol through Spring Creek Basin and Disappointment Valley as often as possible. Hats off to those guys!

Supporters crowded both sides of the entrance to the DPLO/TRFO, as well as across Highway 184. Lots of folks honked and waved in support of the public lands in Southwest Colorado and elsewhere. I don’t know the percentages, but this region IS public lands! Agriculture (cattle and sheep grazing), timber, oil and gas, hunting and fishing, wild horses, recreation – hiking, mountain biking, camping, backpacking, horseback riding, birding, kayaking, rafting, etc., etc. – all depend on BLM, Forest Service, national monument and national park lands. Jobs aren’t limited to federal employees; they are interconnected among a wide variety of livelihoods. And those folks are our friends, our neighbors; they are part of our communities.

I would hazard a guess that at least (at LEAST!) 95 percent of the people who drove by – whether they honked/waved in support or not – use public lands. We saw vehicles with mountain bikes on racks, sprinter vans, trucks hauling campers and stock trailers, dump trucks, utility trucks, big rigs (one driver from Los Angeles actually pulled his rig to the shoulder and asked what was going on … then gave the supporter who talked to him a bottle of Gatorade!). Vehicles with Colorado plates, Texas plates, California plates, New Mexico plates, Wyoming plates. To say we all use our public lands in these vast reaches of the West – let alone Southwest Colorado – is super simplification. We all have our own uses, and we all should value these lands set aside for us to enjoy and treasure.

Bonnie Candelaria (right) and friends Joy and Lisa (?) were supporters at the event. Bonnie runs the store and cabin rentals at Groundhog Reservoir between Disappointment Valley and Dolores. Every single person she talks to there is using public lands: San Juan National Forest (at least), which surrounds Groundhog.

It was wonderful to see such a great and HAPPY turnout of support for our public lands and federal lands employees. Ryan is the only one I know personally, but the Forest Service side at the Dolores Public Lands Office lost some employees to the rash of terminations, too. I hope those folks also get reinstated ASAP.

We counted at least 65 people – including some youngsters! – at this rally. Simultaneous rallies were being held yesterday morning at both Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center and Museum and at Mesa Verde National Park. Then, at noon, folks converged at the highway intersection in Mancos (it’s literally a one-stoplight town :)), and Ryan (who was at CANM for the morning rally) texted me later that an estimated 150 to 200 people were there to show their support!

Huge appreciation to the organizers (I’m not entirely sure if there was a main group, but I think League of Women Voters of Montezuma County, Great Old Broads for Wilderness and Dolores River Boating Advocates, at least, had a hand in it). It was fantastic to join like-minded people in our appreciation of the amazing treasure that is our public lands.