Dear Supporter of Public Lands,

As I write this, National Park Service Superintendent Darla Sidles has given you and the rest of the American people just 53 days to provide feedback on its plan for permanent restrictions in Rocky Mountain National Park. They’ve had two webinars, attended by maybe (at most) several hundred people. And then that’s it—a whole process begins to make the temporary restrictions permanent.

It defies common sense. It's not necessary. It's not democratic. And it's not fair. The more people who learn about it, the more our numbers grow. I’ll get back to that in a moment and how you can help (it’s good news). But first…

You can leave feedback on the webinars at the link below. This is important. Dozens of people have commented on the petition. And we’ve passed your comments on Congressman Joe Neguse and members of the local media. But if you want the NPS to hear what YOU have to say, you need to tell them directly.

Here’s the link: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=112392

Watching the presentations, it’s clear the Park is understaffed. It's dedicated Rangers, employees, and volunteers feel under siege as a result. This is a good reminder to thank them when you see them this summer. It's been a tough year. They deserve our sincere thanks.

The Park's leadership is another matter. The answer to a 16% decline in staffing numbers is for our elected officials to find more resources to the Park's can fulfill their mission to the American people. You don’t punish the American people with restricted access to public lands—permanently—because of a staffing problem.

I’ve reached out Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, along with Congressman Joe Neguse for their help on this. I hope they can nudge the NPS to comply with our Freedom of Information Act Request. It’s not fair to expect people to comment on a system they have been given very little information on.

I didn’t see anything in the Superintendent’s presentation that convinced me restrictions are necessary now. The Park has created a problem and designed a solution for it. People solve the problem of crowds on their own by making their own plans and adapting. It’s a problem that solves itself. How else do you explain 20 million visits to RMNP between 2015 and 2019 without a reservation system?

You might be wondering what else we can do to change things. Keep sharing the petition. More signatures gets more media attention. And more media attention gets more political attention.

You can also share some of the relevant facts with your local media wherever you are. They might be interested in the story. I’ve included some of those facts below. Feel free to share widely.

In the meantime, there IS some good news, possibly. Yesterday morning I took a short hike to Macgregor Falls. I asked the volunteers if, come Friday, I’d need a reservation to ride my bike into Lumpy Ridge and hike. Get this…

They said no reservations would be required in Lumpy Ridge this summer. I asked again. They said the same thing, confidently. I was dumfounded.

Maybe it’s true and we’ll learn about it in the coming days. Or maybe it’s just another example of the poor communication coming from the Park’s leadership. I don’t know. I don't want to share information that is not correct. But we'll see.

What I DO know is that the small Lumpy Ridge Loop trail is the Second-best kept secret in RMNP. Here's why.

Round trip, it’s only 1.6 miles. You can hike the loop in either direction, heading to Gem Lake first and forking off to the left after 0.4 miles. Or, you can head clockwise through the green gate on your left at the trailhead and head west for 0.6 miles on the Black Canyon trail, making a right turn back towards Gem.

This hike has great views. I took the picture at the top 15 minutes into the hike. It has a few moderately strenuous sections. But I see children and retirees on it all the time.

If you’re turned away from the Bear Lake corridor, or if your bringing up visitors who are not experienced hikers (many people hike it in tennis shoes or sneakers), or if you just want a beautiful hike you can do in under two hours (easily, with stops for water and pictures) this is the one.

There. The secret is out. Don’t tell anyone I told you.

And if you prefer your hikes with water, try Macgregor Falls from the same trailhead. It’s a bit longer (between seven and eight miles round trip). And the trail is not well maintained when it forks off from the Black Canyon trail. But if you can’t get to Alberta or Ouzel Falls, it’s a good alternative. And the hike through Macgregor Ranch has spectacular views of Longs Peek and Meeker.

You won’t hear from me again unless there’s news to report regarding our FOIA request, an announcement of changes to the system from the Park (like no reservations required at Lumpy), or if we get help from Congressman Neguse or our Senators.

And if none of THAT works, we plan to apply for a permit to exercise our first amendment rights on July 4th—two weeks before the public comment deadline, and present our petition in person. You need a permit if more than 25 people plan to attend. I hope we'll have more than 25 people.

I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, thanks for your support, your passion, and your attention. Keep sharing, especially the information below if you think it will help get the world out.

Dan

https://www.change.org/parksforthepeople

• 2,296 signatures in 39 days by word of mouth, social media, and limited exposure on the Front Range
• Signatures from 49 States, the District of Columbia (c’mon West Virginia...if you know someone there, ask them to sign)
• 902 signatures (39.28%) from Colorado
• Signatures from 14 communities in Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District: Allenspark, Broomfield, Boulder, Estes Park, Fort Collins, Granby, Grand Lake, Jamestown Louisville, Lafayette, Longmont, Lyons, Nederland, and Steamboat Springs
• Signatures from 7 countries (Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Ireland, and Germany)

"Serious inequities exist in this country. We cannot continue with business as normal. We must tackle these issues and build a country where race doesn’t determine access to opportunity, justice, and accountability. We must continue to promote equity, diversity, accessibility, and inclusion at the agency. That means making space for staff to feel heard and safe, lifting up the voices of those who have been underrepresented, and centering those perspectives in the decisions and policies we implement as part of a broader commitment to environmental justice. Only then, can we thrive together."

                               Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland

THREE REASONS the NEPA PROCESS SHOULD BE DELAYED OR HALTED

1.    The NPS plan and process is not aligned with the Department of Interior’s public commitment to equity and racial justice. The timed-entry reservation discriminates against low-income, working class citizens on the Front Range. Further time is needed to study the effects of restrictions on our communities underprivileged.

2.    The public deserves more time.  As an equal stakeholder in the stewardship of RMNP, the American public needs more time to be informed of the Park’s long-term plans and evaluate this year’s pilot restrictions. Only 75 days will have passed between the announcement of the first NEPA meeting and the deadline for final public feedback. How can the public give feedback without knowing the effect of proposed changes? Those changes will be permanent.

3.    The public deserves an equal voice. Any long-term change to how public lands are accessed should have the broad support of the American public. The two goals of conservation and fair access to our Parks for our physical, spiritual, and mental health are not mutually exclusive. But the public interest is not well-served by a process where the decision has been made before public input.

Media enquiries: dan.denning@gmail.com