Simultaneous rallies Friday morning will demonstrate support of federal public lands and employees in Montezuma County.
They’ll be at Mesa Verde National Park, the Dolores Public Lands Office and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument Visitor Center & Museum from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
It’s a rally in support of public lands – not a protest – according to organizers.
“For that reason, signs for participants will be provided by Four Corners Broadband and Great Old Broads for Wilderness,” a news release said.
At 11:30 a.m., when the rallies conclude, participants will meet at the intersection of Highways 160 and 184 in Mancos.
“These folks are our neighbors, our friends, and our families,” said Jarret Childers, spokesperson for Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. “We want to let them and the public know that we empathize with them by rallying around our public lands.”
Public lands mean a lot to this area.
Childers emphasized how they “play a vital role in helping to sustain the county’s economic health.”
The more than 550,000 visitors Mesa Verde National Park attracted in 2018, for instance, “spent approximately $58.5 million in nearby communities, supporting 828 local jobs that contributed another $72.4 million to the local economy,” the news release said.
Don Hoffheins, a chairperson for the Mancos Trails Group, said that public lands are why people choose to live in the southwest corner of Colorado.
Hoffheins called public lands “opportunities for outdoor exploration” and thanked BLM and Forest Service workers for maintaining them, keeping them accessible.
With these sentiments in mind, “the citizens expected to attend the rallies will offer their support and appreciation for public lands and the federal employees who maintain these resources for the public good, now into the future,” the press release said.
