As a Forest Protection Officer, I am responsible for enforcing regulations that protect wilderness character and wilderness as a resource. Furthermore, as a crew leader I must model the behavior I expect from my crew members and interns. Every week, my crew would remove an average of 30 pounds of trash from the wilderness. No micro-trash was left behind under my hawk eye.

This winter I have spent most of my walking life at my desk. For the first time in years, I feel that I have exercised my brain as a muscle almost as much as I exercise my legs as a Wilderness Ranger. While working on lands special uses projects, there were several instances where private parties were proposing to encroach on roadless areas in order to complete their projects. Because these projects were so close to National Forest System Lands where roads and development is permitted, they seemed to think, “what’s the big deal?”

Rather than explain why we have NEPA—which is executed by people with varying interests—I encourage my peers to contemplate why we seem to carry a different set of values while in the “wilderness” compared to when we’re in the “developed” world. As the impacts of climate change become more severe, I feel that it is of tantamount importance that we renew our values just as we hope to renew our resources. Consider your daily practices, rituals, routines. How does your lifestyle reflect your values? How do you practice a joy for cultural diversity, environmental justice, and love of freedom? If we truly delve into our values, then we can begin the fight against a culture of domination, prevent unnecessary development, and provide justice for all.

Agency: U.S Forest Service

Program: Resource Assistant Program (RAP)

Location: Leadville Ranger District