{"id":47556,"date":"2017-07-04T04:26:23","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T10:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=47556"},"modified":"2026-04-16T06:10:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T11:10:30","slug":"our-public-lands-our-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/07\/04\/our-public-lands-our-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Public Lands – Our Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ColorfulColorful Sunset on Our Public Lands – Red Rock lakes NWR<\/span><\/p>\n

This 4th of July weekend thousands upon thousands of people have made their way to our publicly owned and maintained lands to celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our nation.<\/p>\n

Some have made their way to our public lands to camp, to feel closer to nature, have family reunions, view wildlife, to hike, bike, run, mountaineer, see wildflowers, watch birds, swim, float down rivers, fish or to photograph the wonders found on our public lands.<\/p>\n

Today our public lands are under attack by the current administration and are at risk of being sold off and destroyed all for the sake of “growth” which is really a way of saying that rich corporations will get richer.<\/p>\n

\u201cGrowth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell<\/em>.\u201d
\n\u2015 Edward Abbey<\/p>\n

\"Private<\/p>\n

The people who will lose are the people who love the lands, value it and know our public lands are a legacy for all.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere is your country. Cherish these natural wonders, cherish the natural resources, cherish the history and romance as a sacred heritage, for your children and your children’s children. Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.<\/em>\u201d
\n\u2015 Theodore Roosevelt<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The people who will lose are the people who love the lands, value it and know our public lands are a legacy for all. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":175005,"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":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1513,223,12,608],"tags":[4877],"class_list":["post-47556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-centennial-valley","category-montana","category-red-rock-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge","tag-public-lands"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/red-rock-lakes-nwr-sunset-mia-mcpherson-8217.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-cn2","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34743,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/01\/08\/sunset-at-red-rock-lakes-national-wildlife-refuge\/","url_meta":{"origin":47556,"position":0},"title":"Sunset at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 8, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This image shows a sunset at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge from September 9, 2015 but every sunrise and sunset on our national lands is a treasure.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Sunset at Red Rock Lakes NWR, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/red-rock-lakes-sun-set-mia-mcpherson-8216.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/red-rock-lakes-sun-set-mia-mcpherson-8216.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/red-rock-lakes-sun-set-mia-mcpherson-8216.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/red-rock-lakes-sun-set-mia-mcpherson-8216.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":49715,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/12\/07\/public-lands-under-fire-just-think-about-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":47556,"position":1},"title":"Public Lands Under Fire – Just Think About It","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 7, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Like to fish? Hunt? Watch wildlife? Recreate on public lands? Then think real hard at what the reduction of existing national monuments mean and the precedent that might be set.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Morning light on Flaming Gorge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flaming-gorge-reservoir-mia-mcpherson-4891.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flaming-gorge-reservoir-mia-mcpherson-4891.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flaming-gorge-reservoir-mia-mcpherson-4891.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/flaming-gorge-reservoir-mia-mcpherson-4891.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39964,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/06\/11\/lake-mist-at-the-lower-lake-of-red-rock-lakes-nwr\/","url_meta":{"origin":47556,"position":2},"title":"Lake Mist at the Lower Lake of Red Rock Lakes NWR","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 11, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Waking up and seeing the lake mist at the Lower Lake and an ephemeral pond near it with birds in the air, on the lake and feeding in the pond is amazing.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Morning mist at the Lower Lake of Red Rock Lakes NWR, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-rock-lakes-nwr-sunrise-mist-mia-mcpherson-9575.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-rock-lakes-nwr-sunrise-mist-mia-mcpherson-9575.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-rock-lakes-nwr-sunrise-mist-mia-mcpherson-9575.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/red-rock-lakes-nwr-sunrise-mist-mia-mcpherson-9575.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44657,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/01\/30\/progress-versus-growth\/","url_meta":{"origin":47556,"position":3},"title":"Progress versus Growth","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 30, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"There are some that say the state can better care for those lands. I'd call them fools but we humans are all distant cousins so I'll tame that down a bit and call them misled instead. Intentionally and deliberately misled.","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":"Stormy weather, mountains and golden grasses at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/red-rock-lakes-edward-abbey-mia-mcpherson-5656.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/red-rock-lakes-edward-abbey-mia-mcpherson-5656.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/red-rock-lakes-edward-abbey-mia-mcpherson-5656.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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