We need a new manifest destiny

Opinion by Stef Frenzl

Earlier this month I flipped open the January-February 2002 issue of Trail & Timberline and suddenly grew nauseous from reading the majority of the articles. This issue featured “The 14er Files,” “Beyond the 14ers,” and “Beyond the 13ers.” I became queasy over the mindless determination to continue the aged and defunct dream of Manifest Destiny. But instead of just “conquering” the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the vision is to conquer and claim victory over every mountain, knoll, butte, bluff, upland, dune, and mound in the entire state! Once these are subdued, what’s next? Build highways to each of these places and put a sign for tourists reading “highest point in 500 feet!”?

Historically, the CMC has been a powerful organization uniting the energy and knowledge of explorers and lovers of the Colorado mountains while working to encourage the preservation of Colorado’s forests, flowers, fauna, and natural scenery. I joined the CMC almost a year and a half ago because I believe in the CMC’s mission statement. However, after reading the January-February issue, I now have the strong notion that a number of CMC members could care less about what I believe to be the most important and influential aspect of CMC’s mission: preserving Colorado’s wild places from the onslaught of growth and development. By protecting our wild treasures, we’ll all be able to enjoy these beautiful places for generations to come.

Sadly, after reading the last T&T issue, I came to believe that a very large number of CMC members feel they have nothing better to do with their time than finding new places to conquer. I’ve worked a number of times with the CMC’s Denver Group Conservation Committee to help protect a few of Colorado’s wild places. Unfortunately, even in the largest CMC group, only a handful of highly dedicated and passionate members strive to protect the places that the rest of the CMC members eagerly enjoy year after year. These few inspiring members work endlessly to conserve Colorado’s greatest places, but because the pressure of urban sprawl is so extensive, many efforts to protect these great places are abandoned because there aren’t enough people to help. I would love to see those of you who squander your time trekking to every mound and knoll become active members in the CMC conservation committees. Believe me, your time will not be wasted working to protect Colorado’s natural treasures. The conservation committees desperately need your help.

I propose that the members of CMC initiate a New Manifest Destiny. This new dream would foresee a time when treasured lands remained the greatest importance in a society; a time when all people would work together to ensure the protection of scenic and biological treasures for current and future generations to enjoy. I believe that this New Manifest Destiny can become a reality, but it has to start with you.

Please contact Vera Smith, CMC Conservation Director, if you’d like to join the efforts to protect Colorado’s treasures.

Stef Frenzl is a Denver Group Member.