Retiring Marine going the distance for public lands

.Maggie Seymour 

As I ran across New Mexico (literally) in August, I thought about the marathon I once completed near the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. It was called the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon, and we trudged across the White Sands Missile Range. Finishing that marathon, commemorating such horror, amidst such beauty, shaking survivors’ hands was incredibly humbling.

I continue to be humbled every day, as I continue my epic run from the West Coast to the East Coast. I am able to put one running shoe in front of the other thanks to the support I have received from military families, both along the trail this summer and during my time as a leader overseas in the U.S. Marine Corps.

...Public lands democratize our country. They tell our citizens that the beauty and awe of nature, our land, is open to them and protected by their government.

Or so we thought they were protected.

 ...Unfortunately, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended that President Trump remove protections for national monuments created by Democratic and Republican presidents alike. I fail to see the wisdom or logic in this recommendation.

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If you haven't already, you should acquaint yourself with the Vet Voice Foundation. They are a nonprofit corporation devoted to "organizing veterans" with a mission to, among other things, "help build a larger progressive infrastructure in this country, to address our nation’s social and economic problems."

One of their projects is the Conservation Campaign , part of which is to join with Senators Heinrich, Udall and others to oppose the review of national monuments. The vets are trained to use social media for this campaign, along with traditional media such as the piece above.