Endangered Spaces — Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Boulder, Utah. Population 250. Sitting in the heart of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, this small town of ranchers and settled-down dirtbags prides itself on staying out of the spotlight. It’s the right amount of quiet here. The ranchers ranch. A few small businesses cater to hikers and wanderers. Visitors come and go. Boulder was thrust into the spotlight in 1996 when President Clinton declared the monument. And in 2017, Boulder again found itself at the center of the debate when President Trump issued an order to cut the size of the monument by nearly half. For this installment of Endangered Spaces, we traveled to Boulder to capture a snapshot of a community thrust into a fight they did not choose. A fight they may have little influence over. And a fight about how to protect public lands and who decides. The outcome of that fight will have lasting implications not just for Boulder, but to all communities who rely on public lands.
For a population of 250, Boulder had a lot to say.
Case Status: Wilderness Society et al. v. Trump et al.
NRDC summary
Washington Post article about GSENM
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Land Legs by Andy G. Cohen • Manly Nunn Steps Out by Doctor Turtle • Hillbilly Hayduke by Jason Tyler Burton • To the Rise by Jason Tyler Burton • Belly of the Whale by Jason Tyler Burton • Primary Colors by Ken Christianson
Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
The Shorts– Fistful Of Hearts
“We biked through wind, rain, and snow. If lightning struck, we kept going. We only stopped if it got too close. We outran tornadoes in Oklahoma. We waited out a storm in an old horse barn in Montana, huddled like penguins, our bikes cast carelessly aside in the mud,” writes John Flynn. After John lost his mom to cancer, he biked with a group of friends from Texas to Alaska to try to find her again– in the mountains, the rivers, and the solitude of the open road.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Snowy Daze by Ketsa • Behind Your Window by Kai Engel • The Return by nisei23 • Waves by Sergey Cheremisinov • North Coast Jug Band by John Berry Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
The Dreamer
“I’ve spent my entire life going on adventures, but I wasn’t ever really the creator of these adventures,” says Kathy Holcombe. “My role is as the dream maker. And, I have a lot of pride in that role.” Exist in a relationship long enough and we fall into roles. Life is busy. It doesn’t make sense to double up on work. Cultural gender dynamics come into play. One partner excels at certain things. But what happens when we step out of our role? In the fall of 2017, Kathy Holcombe stepped out of her role in the family, and embarked on a year of adventures that challenged her in ways she never expected, and profoundly changed her view of herself.
You can follow Kathy and her family’s adventures on their blog at www.Famagogo.com
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Low Horizon by Kai Engel • Freaks by Bradley Carter • October Morning by Bradley Carter • The Very Beginning by Bradley Carter • The Rent is Late by Publish the Quest • Manly Nunn Steps Out by Doctor Turtle • Blowback Blues by Canyon Kids • Lau by Richard Smith • Carried Away by Jason Tyler Burton Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
Flip Of A Coin
Last spring, Andy and Katherine Wyatt set up basecamp on the Powell Glacier in Alaska’s Chugach Mountains. After years of individual rad mountain accomplishments in climbing and skiing, they realized they’d never taken a large trip together. The trip started perfectly and then it all went wrong. At full volume, the power of the natural world is terrifying and the limitations of our physical forms so evident. Survival stories are powerful. To the listener, they pose a question. What would you do? Would you make it? What would run through your mind? It’s all theoretical — until it’s not.
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Labrynth by Sergey Cheremisinov • Crystal Echoes by Sergey Cheremisinov • Closer to You by Sergey Cheremisinov • Your Pulse by Little Glass Men Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
The Shorts — Restless for Roots
Carmen Kuntz has lived a dirtbag life for over a decade. She’s moved every year since graduating high school, and has explored some of the world’s most remote places in her kayak and hiking boots. But with all the moving around, Carmen began to wonder if she was missing out on something. Specifically, a home — and the connections to the community and landscape that come with it. Does home have to be a place, or can it be a feeling?
Music: If Walls Could Talk by Jacob Bain & Nis Kotto • Cloud Launching by Little Glass Men • Kelp Grooves by Little Glass Men • Snowy Daze by Ketsa • Moon Shimmers by John Berry • Tracks provided by Free Music Archive or with permission from the artists.
