Lake Bonneville<\/span><\/a> at its highest level or the flooding that it caused when it broke through Red Rock Pass.<\/p>\nOr the Colorado River carving out what we know today as the Grand Canyon.<\/p>\n
When my mind snaps back to the present I think about the future of the wilderness, the rivers that flow through it, and of the birds and wildlife I see and photograph.<\/p>\n
Not for me as much as my grandchildren’s grandchildren long after I have permanently laid my gear down and I have concerns about what will be left of the wilderness when they are born.<\/p>\n
With increasing temperatures that are already damaging the oceans, the soil we stand on, and forests that create the oxygen that we breathe can wilderness still survive?<\/p>\n
Will the wolves and apex predators survive the ignorance of the people who want them permanently exterminated without even considering that those same predators are critical for natural balance?<\/p>\n
To be truthful I don’t have time to write each and every one of my concerns for the future of the wilderness areas I love and enjoy here on my blog.<\/p>\n
But…<\/p>\n
Every day scientists, conservationists and nature lovers are speaking up. Our numbers are growing and we are an increasing force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n
We make our concerns heard and if we do that long enough and loud enough there is hope that there will be wilderness in the future.<\/p>\n
Some of the actions taken today are monumental for the survival of the wilderness for instance blocking the Keystone XL Pipeline which has the potential for causing environmental destruction far beyond the physical area where they want to lay that pipe down.<\/p>\n
Every voice matters.<\/p>\n
For the future of our wilderness and this planet.<\/p>\n
Mia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Every day scientists, conservationists and nature lovers are speaking up. Our numbers are growing and we are an increasing force to be reckoned with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":173882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,2152,26],"tags":[2654,4101,988,3981,4069,4035,4050,4475],"class_list":["post-16776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-conservation","category-utah","tag-aldo-leopold","tag-clouds","tag-conservation","tag-davis-county","tag-mountains","tag-nature-photography","tag-snow","tag-wilderness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-leopold-mia-mcpherson-6408.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-4mA","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16051,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/10\/06\/conservation-is-a-state-of-harmony\/","url_meta":{"origin":16776,"position":0},"title":"Conservation Is A State Of Harmony","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I would love to say that while I am wandering around exploring the natural wonders we have been gifted with that I can forget about the assaults on the land and the creatures that live there but I can't.","rel":"","context":"In "Conservation"","block_context":{"text":"Conservation","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/conservation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Utah Juniper - Dead Horse Point, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/utah-juniper-dead-horse-point-mia-mcpherson-1556.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/utah-juniper-dead-horse-point-mia-mcpherson-1556.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/utah-juniper-dead-horse-point-mia-mcpherson-1556.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/utah-juniper-dead-horse-point-mia-mcpherson-1556.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20806,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/03\/01\/i-cant-understand\/","url_meta":{"origin":16776,"position":1},"title":"I Can’t Understand…","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm a nature lover and a photographer who sees the natural world not just from behind my camera but with every breath and step that I take.","rel":"","context":"In "Florida"","block_context":{"text":"Florida","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/florida\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Young mangrove in early morning light, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Florida","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mangrove-florida-mia-mcpherson-1200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mangrove-florida-mia-mcpherson-1200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mangrove-florida-mia-mcpherson-1200.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mangrove-florida-mia-mcpherson-1200.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15739,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/08\/31\/the-land-is-one-organism\/","url_meta":{"origin":16776,"position":2},"title":"The Land Is One Organism","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 31, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Harmony with land is like harmony with a friend; you cannot cherish his right hand and chop off his left.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"That is to say, you cannot love game and hate predators..., Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-quote-leopold-mia-mcpherson-4935.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-quote-leopold-mia-mcpherson-4935.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-quote-leopold-mia-mcpherson-4935.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/coyote-quote-leopold-mia-mcpherson-4935.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17168,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/11\/20\/the-idea-of-wilderness-needs-no-defense\/","url_meta":{"origin":16776,"position":3},"title":"The Idea Of Wilderness Needs No Defense","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This past Saturday I watched the movie \"Wrenched\" with two dear friends so it seemed only fitting to share a quote from Edward Abbey some time this week.","rel":"","context":"In "Conservation"","block_context":{"text":"Conservation","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/conservation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The road to the San Rafael Swell","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/san-rafael-swell-ed-abbey-mia-mcpherson-1909.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/san-rafael-swell-ed-abbey-mia-mcpherson-1909.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/san-rafael-swell-ed-abbey-mia-mcpherson-1909.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/san-rafael-swell-ed-abbey-mia-mcpherson-1909.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20332,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/02\/21\/the-love-of-wilderness\/","url_meta":{"origin":16776,"position":4},"title":"The Love of Wilderness","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I have traveled all my life and seen the most amazing cities and towns but it is nature and the wilderness that I find the most satisfying.","rel":"","context":"In "Capitol Reef National Park"","block_context":{"text":"Capitol Reef National Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/capitol-reef-national-park-utah\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Capitol Reef NP on a clear day, Capitol Reef National Park, Wayne County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/capitol-reef-national-park-abbey-mia-mcpherson-8636.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/capitol-reef-national-park-abbey-mia-mcpherson-8636.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/capitol-reef-national-park-abbey-mia-mcpherson-8636.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/capitol-reef-national-park-abbey-mia-mcpherson-8636.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10831,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/11\/19\/good-news-on-the-san-rafael-swell\/","url_meta":{"origin":16776,"position":5},"title":"Good News On The San Rafael Swell","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Last Friday Juan Palma; the BLM state director, yanked most of the federal acreage within the San Rafael area that was slated to be on the auction block for oil and gas leases.","rel":"","context":"In "Conservation"","block_context":{"text":"Conservation","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/conservation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"San Rafael Swell campground, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5165.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5165.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5165.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5165.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16776","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16776"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16776\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16776"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16776"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16776"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Snow](\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-leopold-mia-mcpherson-6408.jpg\" "\\"Snow")
<\/p>\n