Guest Post

This is from my spiritual twin, Anne Littlewolf. I've posted a number of her paintings.

HI friends---

I know I hate mass mailings as much as you do, but something has come to our attention and we wanted to get the word out to as many as possible to act as quickly as possible:

Our area has a unique chance to create more wilderness areas in our mountains. This is a very special and good thing. Allow me to explain:

All National Forest areas are accessible to all citizens for all different types of recreation, you can camp, take you ATV, your mountain bike, motorcycles, etc. and have a grand old time. Ok, I'm good with that, even though there are lots of areas that are currently pretty stressed out from being "loved to death" by visitors.

Wilderness designated areas are more special yet. They are areas bounded by laws that prohibit ANY motorized vehicle (incl. bicycles and paragliders, etc) into these areas. The only thing that can go into a wilderness area is something with a heartbeat. Hence, hikers, dogs, and HORSES can go there. These are some of the most beautiful and rugged areas around. They also are a sort of last sanctuary for the wild creatures who live there. Their homes are reasonably protected from human invasion.

Around here we have a chance to both create and add to existing WILDERNESS areas--and both Deryl and I are all for it. We need to keep motorized anything (incl bicycles--which can really be obnoxious on the trail) OUT of the wilderness. This will protect our wild brothers and sisters, but it also protects some of the last areas where we horse lovers can ride freely, honoring the mountains with our reverent silence when we ride, and with our love.

PLEASE, Please, please check out this website: www.whiteriverwild.org and sign their petition, write a letter to Congressmen, whatever you can do, whatever you feel is right to help save our land. The bikers (both kinds) have plenty of roads, trails and freedoms to go lots of places, and (horse people, you especially know) there have been plenty of arguments about NOT letting horses go places (they poop, you know---creates an environmental disaster--kind of like cows farting--will someone explain to me how that's worse than humans farting??? I don't get it?!). The wilderness is a "last bastion" of equine freedom as well as wildlife freedom.

The proponents of this action are trying to move quickly to save the wilderness and create more. The site mentioned above has some wonderful maps/photos/etc. to show you where they want to add on to existing wilderness and create some new sites. We both think this is an important opportunity to do something VERY proactive for our Mother Earth and our brother/sister animals. Everyone talks green, now we have a chance to do something genuinely GREEN!

Thanks for hearing me out, sure appreciate all the support you can give, not necessary to donate, but it would be great if we could get some more signatures and some more real interest going in this grand effort.

Anne and Deryl

(yeah, even Baby, Sky, Korky and Deuce said to say thanks too. Macy (the dog) thinks it's pretty cool too since she goes with us on all the trails and she says she needs some new places to run and chase the squirrels! The cats have an opinion too, they're in favor of anything that gets us AND the dog out of the house.)

ps: this is also known as the Hidden Gems Project---I know most of these places from being on the trails with the horses and yeah, they are real gems, the kind only a wonderous Creator could make.