Fear and Loathing in San Juan County
Help With Rose and Mark's Legal Defense Fund
Colorado Conservationist Faces Criminal Charges for Recreating on Public Lands in San Juan County, Utah
I am a conservationist who cares about, and has made it my life’s work to protect public lands and wild places. I live in Durango, Colorado with my husband of 29 years, Mark, a biologist and interpretive specialist who owns a small graphic design business. I am a former National Park Service ranger, and for the past 15 years was associate director of a small but effective national organization, Great Old Broads for Wilderness (Broads). This grassroots organization of conservation advocates is led by older women who fiercely protect our beloved wild public lands through work based in education, advocacy, and stewardship---with a healthy dose of humor. I have worked within the systems our nation has in place to ensure future generations have protected wild places, clean air, clean water and a livable climate. I also am a founding board member of Bluff, Utah based Friends of Cedar Mesa that has successfully worked to gain permanent protection for the cultural and natural resources of San Juan County, Utah.
Now we need help.
My work as a conservationist with Broads, especially in southern Utah, has drawn ire over the years from ranchers, ATV enthusiasts, county commissioners and others who oppose wilderness and national monument designations. Angry about conservation successes in recent years, they have sought to take it out on Broads (High County News article: Fear and Loathing in San Juan County).
I am not an extremist. I do not believe in violence or rudeness and I certainly do not “mess with others.” I believe we can accomplish more by finding common ground, civil dialogue, and focusing more on what we are FOR rather than what we are against. I have participated effectively in a number of collaborative and consulting processes regarding public lands grazing management. I have never participated in actions of civil disobedience. I have been effective in campaigns and efforts at winning greater protections for our shared environment, stopping bad proposals on our public lands, and standing up for public lands.
In early April of 2017, my husband and I camped in the Valley of the Gods in San Juan County, UT. We explored and hiked in this amazing landscape. On our final day, as we were leaving the area a group of ranchers blocked our vehicle as we were driving on a county road. They accused us of closing a gate that prevented their livestock’s access to water at a corral structure. The Sheriff’s deputy who responded spoke to my husband and the ranchers. The deputy indicated that no crime had been committed and we were allowed to leave.
A week and a half later, criminal charges were filed against me and my husband. We are charged with multiple misdemeanor and felony criminal charges alleging trespass on State Institutional Trust Lands and that we took actions to deprive livestock of water (Attempted Wanton Destruction of Livestock).
At no time did either of us do anything to harass or endanger livestock and livestock had full access to water at all times. We are nature lovers who would never hurt a living creature. We are innocent of these charges that smack of retaliation for my years of successful conservation work in Utah. Neither of us has any prior arrests nor criminal record. The San Juan County attorney has filed these unfounded, politically motivated, criminal charges against me and my husband and now we are forced to defend ourselves.
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PLEASE SHARE THIS CROWD FUNDING APPEAL
My husband and I are working with great counsel who will help us make our case in court. I believe that if the law prevails then we will. The facts of the situation will be revealed showing our innocence.
But defending ourselves against these frivolous and false charges will be time consuming and very expensive, and so we turn to the “crowd.” Your contribution of any amount is most appreciated. A win for us is a win for activism and free speech.
ABOUT YOUR CONTRIBUTION
Please contribute what you can to this defense fund to make sure that San Juan County and the ranching community do not prevail in their efforts to bully and intimidate a conservation advocate. Please consider sharing our case with your social networks.
Funds will be deposited in a dedicated account and used to offset costs associated with defending against the criminal charges. After final disposition of the case, any remaining funds will be donated to nonprofits working to protect southern Utah public lands.
PLEASE SHARE THIS CROWD FUNDING APPEAL
https://www.generosity.com/community-fundraising/help-with-rose-and-mark-s-legal-defense-fund
I'm sharing much of this message (beyond the standard four paragraphs) at the request of the source, and hoping the DU community will help out a little, as they can, since the local population in the Four Corners is small.
