The HCN profile of Stewart and Mo
Udall is an excellent account of their heroic achievements to
protect and to save the resources of the West (HCN, 10/11/04: The
First Family of Western Conservation). Perhaps Mark and Tom Udall,
with the genes and the same determination, will continue the legacy
of the fathers. But, as with the fathers, they will require help.
Our parks, forests, wildlife refuges and other public
lands are under assault. There is a concerted effort by the
Department of Interior to privatize the management of these
treasures.
How many people are aware the National Bison
Range in Montana is now being threatened by an agreement which
would turn over management and funds to a private entity (the
Salish and Kootenai tribes)? The agreement exceeds any authority
that resides within the office of the secretary of the Interior.
But Secretary Norton has arbitrarily identified more than 30
refuges and 30 parks in the West, including all refuges and all
parks in Alaska except Denali National Park, as potential
candidates for such funding agreements.
Yes, the West is
a different place than it was two decades ago. And yes, there are
more people and more challenges. But it doesn’t mean we
should stand by and allow all the gains made by Mo and Stewart
Udall and their supporters to be lost. Let’s leave the West
and its treasures of wildlands, wildlife and wild beauty as we know
it, as a legacy for future generations.
Don Redfearn
Tucson, Arizona
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Wanted: Environmental Leaders.
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