PHOTO: LIGHTPHOTO2©-ADOBESTOCK.COM 6 RYDERWALKER.COM  |  888.586.8365 S ome of my earliest memories of my parents are of hiking with them across the barren landscapes of southern Utah and Colorado. These mountains, bluffs, and mesas have been my home for my entire life, and represent both the soul of our family and that of the Ryder Walker company. It can be said of almost every member of the Ryder Walker family that we live in this landscape, and that we love its delicate beauty. The designation of the Bear’s Ears National Monument on December 8, 2016 preserved the 1,359,849 acres of land surrounding the pair of buttes in southeastern Utah, aptly named the Bear’s Ears for their distinctive shape on the skyline. The designation of the national monument was immensely joyous for us at Ryder Walker; here was an event that reflected the ideals that we all held so strongly of protecting, respecting, and appreciating the natural world. I, my mother (Karen Walker) and my father (Peter Walker) all traveled out in excitement to attend a celebration for the Bear’s Ears, where the leaders of the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Mountain Ute, and Uintah/Ouray Ute tribes spoke about their coalition that had led to the naming of the monument. These leaders, appropriately skeptical of land deals offered by the United States government, reflected that the designation of this monument was truly a moment of coalition and community action to protect an immensely precarious landscape. This sense of public lands being the product of both protecting the rare and fragile and the coalition of a community spoke to what we at Ryder Walker know of a very different culture and land, the Alps. The high alpine regions of the Alps and the desert surrounding Bear’s Ears share the qualities of the rarity of their beauty and the fragility of their ecosystems; it is the combination of these qualities that makes the protection of both regions so incredibly important. After all, there’s no reason to have a land dispute or preservation movement over land nobody cares about! While national monuments in this style are an American tradition, how do alpine countries protect their most precious landscapes? Switzerland in particular stands as an example of sophisticated forestry traditions and land preservation techniques; however, many of the systems outlined below are also used by other alpine countries. The tradition of forestry is one that is endemic to Switzerland, with the first regulations regarding the exploitation and deforestation of Swiss forests being passed as early as 1298, a year which, for reference, was also the one that Marco Polo dictated his travels in prison. Talk about getting ahead on the ecology movement! The reason for this precedence is the critical role that forests play in protecting the people that live in Switzerland’s alpine regions. For example, alpine forests create a degree of protection from avalanches for those that live in the valleys below that is incredibly complex to replicate if the health of a forest is not maintained. Similarly, for many Native Americans, including some of those living in the desert southwest, the protection and nurturing of desert waterways is of importance, not only for sustenance but for religious reasons. It’s easy to imagine the protection of the environment as superfluous, yet when faced with an avalanche or physical or spiritual starvation, perhaps it appears more important. Another aspect of the land debate surrounding Bear’s Ears is the question of traditional use of the land. And no, mining rights are not considered a traditional usage. For many natives living in the area, gathering cedar is a traditional use that they would not sacrifice in the formation of the monument. Fortunately, gathering deadwood is not about to cause an environmental collapse. Yet, many ranchers in the area argue that raising sheep and cattle on this land is of equal tradition and importance, even though it is also responsible for much greater environmental damage. The Swiss tradition of high alpine ranching provides an interesting parallel. Not only do the high alpine pastures in Switzerland get subsidies that reflect the cultural and aesthetic importance of these alpine environs, but Swiss farmers have also developed a system of high alpine co-ops. The Swiss-German term “Gemeinwerk” refers to the group operation and caring for an alp (or meadow) that is being used for grazing livestock. In this system the minimum share is one “hoof” or “Klaue,” which is a unit of a person’s cow right, or “Kuhrecht.” In this system both the maintenance of the alp environment and the care for the livestock on it is a communal concern. This isn’t to suggest that the Swiss system is an easy fix for the dispute over the grazing rights in the Bear’s Ears national monument, but to show that the concerns of grazing rights and tradition and the protection of public lands are not necessarily opposed. It is a time when the protection of these fragile landscapes is of the utmost importance and also a time when their preservation is at the forefront of national dialogues. To truly understand the value and the challenges of maintaining these spectacular places, come and explore the Swiss Alps and American Southwest with us: for these lands are all of ours to travel and all of ours to care for. BY BRANFORD WALKER PROTECTING AND PRESERVING OUR PRECIOUS LANDSCAPES