Enjoy

www.ecoflight.info
Enjoy

A few minutes after being in the air from leaving Moab, the radio feed became silent. This was odd. Every minute spent up in the Eco Flight planes were filled with conversation. On that final flight, there was hardly any at all. I believe it was a deliberate action the Eco Flight crew decided to do. It was dull without something to listen to but looking out the window made everything vibrant and interesting again. It was a great time to reflect on what I got to see over the past few days. I began with the beginning of the trip…

Upon leaving Aspen, we passed through one of the most incredibly beautiful wilderness areas the Maroon Bells. We got to see the San Juan Mountain range and it’s legendary features that are so iconic for being in Colorado. We also got to see the most ancient pieces of art known to exist: the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Canyonlands National Parks. Within all this beauty, we were surrounded by ecological destruction caused by human negligence. The amount of Uranium mines, coal mines, natural gas mines and power plants that were numerously spider-webbed in between these beautiful natural wonders was staggering. I realized that most humans don’t have the luxury to see the land they inhabit from an aerial perspective. This makes the destruction we cause more blurred when seeing it from the ground. But from the air, it’s a different story.

After being up in a plane for a total of 10 hours observing this stuff, I realized how the smallest disturbances on an environment have extreme effects. Even backpacking trails, some of the most leave no trace environments in the world have seen degrading effects because of the human presence. A simple 1 footed trail used for backpacking digs a permanent obstruction in the earth and even trails can be seen from a plane. The few people that stray off trail create an even larger impact on the vegetation that is near the trail. From above, this combined impact on the land is clearly seen even to an untrained eye. If backpacking trials with minimal impact have this type of effect on the land, just imagine the impact coal mine, power plant or human civilization has on the land.

On that final flight, I could see how everything on this planet is all connected. These extremely impacted sites are not far from where I live at all. They are extremely close actually. I developed an even more intimate appreciation for the land that I live on especially since that land makes up life here. As a citizen of this planet, I realized how the decisions humans have been making lately are not acceptable. Our choice to irresponsibly extract natural resources is destroying our ways of life without us even knowing it. Some of the most iconic national parks are being crippled before our feet and we don’t even know it.

“We as Eco Flight members don’t think natural resource extraction is bad, we just believe it can be done responsibly” Said Bruce Gordon President of Eco Flight. This trip wasn’t to bash a destructive method for extracting our important resources. Instead, it was a trip to expose us to the modern sites where this occurs and think critically of what it has become. When we arrived in Aspen, I stepped of that plane a different person. I had more anxiety for all the problems my generation will have to face but I also saw extreme opportunity out there because of it. I think it’s time we stop putting time and effort in shenanigan that only deteriorate life on earth. Lets begin devoting effort in the betterment of the planet.

Going on the Eco Flight Flight Across America trip showed me that our planet is a beautiful place and keeping it in a healthy state is more rewarding than ever. Humans can achieve more if they simultaneously work toward making the earth a better place. If we can do that, we perpetually set ourselves up for endless growth in the future because  progress has no limits. I walked off that plane with the desire to help inspire even the most pessimistic people out there. There’s no reason to think negatively about the world when there is so much that can be done to make it better.

Please check out  www.ecoflight.info/

After breakfast, we rendezvoused at the Valle airport. The Sun was just coming up at this point and we packed the Ecoflight planes with all our gear. Although we had only been in Valle for several hours, our visit to this side of the Grand Canyon was soon to be over; After the Grand Canyon over flight, Bryce Canyon airport would be our next stop. At 8:00 sharp, our plane was in the air heading towards the brim of the Grand Canyon. Soon enough, the massive canyon was beneath us and the radio feed became silent. Everybody was awestruck by the beauty of the canyon it put us in a state of empowerment that this beautiful landscape resides in our country. Teddy Roosevelt our past president said “The Grand Canyon is a natural wonder which a great wonder of nature. I hope you will not have any building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is.”

Uranium mine, less than a mile away from the Grand Canyon

The beauty of the grand canyon that Mr. Roosevelt spoke of didn’t last very long. Within minutes of being on the brim of the Grand Canyon, we approached our first uranium site. It was an abandoned uranium mine and boy was it something to see. From the road leading up to it, the destroyed vegetation around it to the beauty of the Grand Canyon behind it. All these integral aspects of the scene were very strange to see all in one place. We were on a tight schedule so we continued on our way. As we moved deeper into the Canyon, the magnificent Colorado river came into view. It was breathtaking seeing the Colorado. Its crazy to think that the Colorado river services 30 million Americans for their water needs. At the same time, several uranium mines are positioned extremely close to the river.

As we continued on through the beautiful landscape, we approached another unpleasant view. This time it was because of the Alton Strip Coal Mine. Just another resource extraction site right on the brim of our countries most beautiful national park. There it was, sticking out like a sore thumb; gobbling up the beautiful landscape around it. It was really bizarre to be flying through beautiful country such as the Grand Canyon to only be dumbfounded by all the human infrastructure destroying the beautiful landscape. I kept pondering the true intelligence of the human. I kept wondering how we could do such an injustice to such a beautiful place. As we continued on, uranium mine after uranium mine passed beneath us as if we were flying in circles. I knew we weren’t flying around aimlessly because eventually Bryce Canyon airport came into view. We landed the planes and jumped in the vans for a needed pilgrimage to Bryce Canyon.

After spending most of the day seeing canyons from above, it was time to be on the ground again. We went to visit Bryce Canyon on the ground so we could get the on ground perspective of the beauty of these canyons. Whether it was from the air or from the ground, these places were magnificent no matter how I saw them. I was blown away by the divine design I was surrounded by. We spent a good two hours inside Bryce before we had to go. It was a necessary two hours and it really made me appreciate these canyons from a more natural holistic viewpoint. After visiting Bryce Canyon from the ground, it was time to have some fun and see it from the air. We rendezvoused at the Bryce Canyon airport and took flight to the skies once again.

Our next stop was Moab Utah however we weren’t going there so soon. We did a few more over flights of several uranium and coal mines in the area. Slowly but surely we were moving toward our destination Utah. On our way there, we passed by one of the biggest eye sores on a natural environment I have ever seen. It was a giant potash mine. The untrained eye would think the potash mine was a giant swimming pool or a really blue lake. This potash mine was nothing close to water for potash is pretty much a vat of potassium based compounds that are not so nice on the environment. These giant vats of potash are used for many different purposes but the most common use of the potash is for fertilizer. While the beautiful yet damaging potash mine diminished in the background, we approached Moab Utah, one of the biggest capitals for outdoor recreation that exists in our country. The airport came into view and we landed. After flying all day it was nice to get back on the ground for the rest of the day.

We checked into our hotel and went for a little drive around Moab. We got to see the the horrible uranium tailings clean up site right by the road. 11 years ago, a uranium mine was decommissioned by the government and it was issued to be cleaned up. For the past 10 years, major efforts and tons of energy has been put into cleaning up this site. It is 100 feet from the road and probably 200 feet from the precious colorado river. It was that moment when it became clear to me how naive our species has become. Why spend so much time and effort mining a material that requires over a decade of cleaning up once it’s done? The site in Moab and the numerous sites in the Grand Canyon are only a fraction of the abandoned uranium mines across the world. Something needs to be done about this for it’s honestly a disgrace to our species and a disgrace to our planet to let such mines continue to exist.

After strolling around Moab, we got ready for the final evening dinner. 3 days went by so quickly it all seemed like a blur. We met at a nice Sushi restaurant where we had the pleasure to dine with Matthew Gross the media director of SUWA (Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance). Matt gave us a breakdown of all the issues surrounding the Utah wilderness areas. We talked about his conservation efforts and his SUWA’s big push to get the greater Canyonlands opened up. Hearing all the positive things humans are doing for our wild country really gave me inspiration to do something about the wild country in my neck of the woods here in Steamboat. We sat around for a long time talking. Matt really was fun to talk to and he really knew his stuff. Bruce asked Matt if he would be interested in flying with us the next day and he gladly accepted. We broke off dinner and went back to the hotel. It was another extremely long day. I wanted to compile all the photos and video I shot but I was so tired I barely had enough energy to get into bed. Luckily for me, I pulled it off and fell into a deep sleep awaiting my final day for the Ecoflight Flight Across America.

Arriving at the airport, we drove our cars right up to the Eco Flight aircrafts. Upon seeing these beautiful machines, I was blown away by their size. They were so small! It then became clear to me as to why we were instructed to pack light for these aircrafts had less cargo space than a two door sedan. We squished our small packs into the tiny trunk of these Cessnas and everybody finagled their way inside the planes. After seating myself and buckling in, we went for the end of the runway. Takeoff was underway. Bruce Gordon (President and Pilot of Eco Flight) flipped the fuel over to lean, confirmed takeoff and punched the throttle. Racing down the runway I could feel the plane battling the eternal force of gravity under my feet. Eventually, the bumpiness of the ride became incredibly smooth and I felt my stomach drop. Everything below me began to get smaller while I heard Bruce mention over the radio, “First stop, Farmington New Mexico!”

As we got out of the Aspen Valley, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the Maroon Bells from 12,000 Feet. A place that I have been to many times had a completely different view from a plane. It was so majestic flying through the mountains I was stunned. As we got out of the Maroon Bells, the beauty of the natural world was put on an abrupt hold when I started seeing natural gas rigs below. The destruction they caused to the environment could be clearly be seen and I began to think about Steamboat. I knew Routt County had natural gas rigs but I had no idea how destructive natural gas was to the visual aesthetic of an ecosystem. My mood was slightly tainted by this but as the San Juan Mountain Range rapidly approached, I forgot about natural gas.

As we got out of the San Juans, I saw a dark haze in the distance. We were getting close to Farmington. Out my left window, I saw the hazy and dark skied town of Farmington. Out my right Window, I saw the beautiful pristine and clear skies of the San Juans. As we approached Farmington, I wasn’t looking forward to stepping out into the polluted air. When we landed in the Farmington airport, Mike Eisenfeld (San Juan Citizens Alliance), Robyn Jackson, Sierra Frank -Ignacio and Adella Begaye (Dine Care), Quinn Mentoya (Young Activist) and some Navajo Youth members were eagerly waiting our arrival. We made quick acquaintances and we as the now bigger group all piled into the Cessnas to see the coal plants from up above.

As soon as our plane got in the air, it became immediately apparent as to where the smog was coming from. Out in the distance I saw two coal fired power plants spewing pollution into the air. Down wind was Farmington and all the material coming from the Coal plant was being deposited over in Farmington. As we got closer to the plants, the smog worsened. Vee Newton, a Navajo community member of the Burnham Chapter area pointed out a spot not too far from the coal plant and he said “look, that’s where my grandmother lives.” He didn’t look too delighted and I felt sick to my stomach upon seeing how close his grandmother lived to the plant. I thought about Steamboat and the coal plant that lives just 20 miles out of town. I began to worry for I didn’t want Steamboat to become this polluted. After circling the plants several times, it was time to bail and get out of there. When we landed, we rendezvoused at the airport restaurant to discuss what we had just seen.

While our lunches were being prepared, we engaged in a very emotional conversation about the Farmington coal plants. Vee Newton began to tell us his story and his relationship with the coal plant. Before he could finish, his eyes began to tear and he couldn’t handle it anymore. He apologized and had to leave the room. The room was silent for everybody could feel his pain. Time began to creep up on us and once again we had to continue with the Flight Across America. We said our goodbyes and shortly after we were up in the air again en rout to our next stop, The Grand Canyon.

We pulled into the Valle Airport right outside the Grand Canyon. Immediately after landing, we went to the hotel to check in our things. We were on a tight schedule so we only had a few minutes to relax because at 6:30 we were scheduled to eat dinner with some important people regarding some of the sites we saw and were about to see.

When 6:30 rolled around, Roger Clark (Grand Canyon Trust), Cristina Gonzales-Maddux (Graduate Student, Northern Arizona University), Carletta Tilousi (Havasupai Tribal Council) and Hertha Woody (Navajo Leader) were waiting to greet us. It was a big dinner and we were tired but excited to hear what these remarkable people had to say. Roger Clark talked about the issues surrounding the Grand Canyon area and how some of the uranium mines around the Grand Canyon area. “In 2006, the price of uranium started climbing exponentially. All of a sudden in 2 years, 10,000 uranium claims were placed in the area around the Grand Canyon area.” Cristina Gonzales-Maddux talked about her research as a graduate student in how toxins transport in and out of Uranium mining sites. Hertha Woody spoke about how her Navajo community members are on the verge of destruction due to the uranium mines. The dinner was filled with intellectual conversation and I learned a lot about how uranium is taking over the Grand Canyon region.

After dinner it was time for me to call it a day. Starting in Aspen before the sun came up to then travel all the way to the Grand Canyon when the sun went down was plenty of events for me to handle in one day. My neck raw from my camera strap finally was removed for the first time all day and I was too tired to do anything else. The next day was only hours away.

Check out the Gallery of Day 2

When I arrived in Aspen, I was then instructed by the map to follow this pleasant and subtle mountain road that took me a bit out of town. On this road, there was a wonderful golden color in the forests created by the Aspen trees. I continued onto what became a dirt road that switch backed up into the nook of a mountain range. I had arrived. Indeed this place backed up to the Maroon Bells for you could see the humbling Maroon Bells right in the backyard. That’s when it became clear to me. The people who make up Eco Flight truly love and appreciate the wild country. Words cannot describe the beauty of this location.

I proceeded to ring the doorbell and Bruce Gordon, president of Eco Flight welcomed me in with open arms. It was there where I met the other students that I would be joining on this trip. One CMC Glenwood Student Jenna Wirtz, and 2 CU Boulder students Ashley Basta and Xavier Rojas.  We also met Jane Pargiter (Vice President), Krysia Carter-Giez (Outreach Director), Jonathan Kloberdanz (Video Journalist), and Chris Council (Reporter for Aspen Daily Times). After the quick acquaintance, we got right to business.

First on the Adgenda was a Skype conference call with staff from the NPCA (National Parks Conservation Association) to get a large landscape overview of the issues in the National parks we would be visiting. David Nimkin (Senior Regional Director of NPCA) answered the phone. He was accompanied by Meghan Trubee (Colorado River Senior Campaign Manager) and Kevin Dahl (Southwest Regional Program Manager). We got right into the action which was chock full of info regarding the issues we would be covering. We talked about the Colorado River and how it supplies river to 9 national parks and 30 million Americans. We talked about there being 395 National Park units in the USA and 74 of them being concentrated in just the four corners region. We talked about impacts of invasive species such as the Tamaris and Pine beetle. We even talked about several important acts, the Organic Act and the Wilderness Act. If any of this interests you more, I have the whole phone call uploaded for your listening pleasure.

After the phone conference, we as a group talked about the itinerary. The next few days would include over flights of Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde and Bryce Canyon National parks. During the flights, we would survey the impacts of coal mines, coal fired power plants, natural gas drilling sites and even uranium mines near these parks. The thought of the Hayden coal plant popped into my head. I was looking forward to seeing more coal plants for I wanted to learn as much about them as possible. It had been a long day of driving and learning for me. I was tired for the next day would start at 6:30 a.m.  We as a group called it a day and went to sleep.

Check out
www.ecoflight.info/

If you want to learn more about sustainable events going on in Steamboat, check out these cool links.

http://www.steamboattoday.com/events/2011/sep/07/11774/

http://steamboatsprings.net/stories/2010/08/2nd_annual_smartwool_bike_in_movie

Since I am enrolled in the 4 year degree in Sustainability, I will be your first resource for any information you may need about the program. Stay tuned, this year is going to be a great one!

Cheers