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The Wild WestThe western United States, with its vast deserts, rugged mountains, and majestic forests and wilderness, is home to some of the best known, wildest, and most stunning examples of God's handiwork. It is a region deeply rooted in the land ecologically, economically, and culturally. It is also a region where more than half of all land is held in the public trust and managed by the federal government. In states like Nevada, this number can be as high as 86% (or over 60 million acres!). These western public lands nurture life by providing habitat, food, migration routes, and wintering areas for wildlife. They also provide the basis of human communities, offering opportunities for recreation, grazing and agriculture, spiritual and cultural activities, and extraction of resources like water and minerals. As part of our duty to be stewards of creation and care for one another, people of faith are called to become active participants in the management and protection of these lands-and the wildlife and communities they support. Faithful ManagementThe book of Leviticus reminds us that "the land shall not be sold in perpetuity" for the land is the Lord's. We are "but aliens and tenants" with a responsibility to "provide for the redemption of the land" (25:23-24, NRSV). In the West this responsibility falls largely to federal agencies such as the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Even in areas where land is locally owned, the federal government may control resources under the surface such as oil, natural gas, minerals, and water. Thankfully, the process federal agencies use to make decisions about public lands and their constituent resources is just that-public, often with opportunities for input through written comments or hearings. This public process gives us an opportunity for faithful engagement and care for the lands we To learn more about the agencies responsible for managing public
lands, resources, and wildlife in the West, visit: Threats to Western Public LandsWendell Berry once said, "Daily we break the body and shed the blood of creation. When we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament. When we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration." This statement rings very true in the western U.S. where people's livelihoods are often closely tied to the land. Government agencies have a mandate to manage public lands for multiple uses and to balance these uses so that the lands benefit society as a whole. But multiple use means that our public lands are under a pressure to sustain and absorb abuse from an array of activities, ranging from low-impact recreation like hiking, hunting and fishing to highly disruptive oil and gas drilling. All of these activities can take a toll on the land, wildlife, and nearby communities, and it is up to us to ensure that we balance these uses to maintain harmony within God's creation. Focus On: Oil and Gas DrillingWestern states, especially those in the Rocky Mountain region such as Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, are rich in open spaces, wildlife, and oil and natural gas reserves. The recent drilling boom in the West has brought an influx of jobs to many western communities but also a spider web of roads, drilling pads and pipelines. Indeed, energy development on western lands has emerged as a contentious issue, and a major threat to the health of public lands in the West. Read more…
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