Russell Hartill's Blog
February 20, 2016
36 years ago today
Desert Fever was submitted to the BLM in order to document and advise the government agency of the historic mining resources and values within the California Desert Conservation Area. I was honored to be a part of a process that promised our voices would be heard in preserving and dynamically interpreting the mining history of Inyo, Imperial, Kern, San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
Today, much of the land we wrote about is now locked inside the East Mojave National Park. Mojave Trails National Monument, Castle Mountains National Monument and other withdrawals.
The promise of having our voices heard has not weathered the test of time. I advocated the dynamic interpretation and presentation of Western American mining history and recommended several showcase mining sites that should have be promoted and elevated to living history demonstration areas. The recommendations were not acted upon. In fact, they were largely ignored.
Desert Fever was BOTH a history and a call to action, the action being a cry to start preserving and interpreting mining history. The recommendations I made can be found in Preserving Our Mining Heritage:the California Desert
Scribd link to Preserving Our Mining Heritage
To add insult to injury, the BLM today now uses our text to placate and ameliorate their neglect of mining history on a page that actually encourages the public to fear and ignore our mining heritage, without mentioning our recommendations to dynamically interpret mining history.
BLM Seal A Shaft site
Our efforts to document and disseminate the rich history of mining in the California Desert should be read side by side with our recommendations mentioned above. Together they represent a record and the story of American exceptionalism as it unfolded in the Desert West.
Desert Fever
Preserving Our Mining Heritage
We found our voices 36 years ago, and they have not remained silent. We invite you to find your voice, and flex it.
Today, much of the land we wrote about is now locked inside the East Mojave National Park. Mojave Trails National Monument, Castle Mountains National Monument and other withdrawals.
The promise of having our voices heard has not weathered the test of time. I advocated the dynamic interpretation and presentation of Western American mining history and recommended several showcase mining sites that should have be promoted and elevated to living history demonstration areas. The recommendations were not acted upon. In fact, they were largely ignored.
Desert Fever was BOTH a history and a call to action, the action being a cry to start preserving and interpreting mining history. The recommendations I made can be found in Preserving Our Mining Heritage:the California Desert
Scribd link to Preserving Our Mining Heritage
To add insult to injury, the BLM today now uses our text to placate and ameliorate their neglect of mining history on a page that actually encourages the public to fear and ignore our mining heritage, without mentioning our recommendations to dynamically interpret mining history.
BLM Seal A Shaft site
Our efforts to document and disseminate the rich history of mining in the California Desert should be read side by side with our recommendations mentioned above. Together they represent a record and the story of American exceptionalism as it unfolded in the Desert West.
Desert Fever
Preserving Our Mining Heritage
We found our voices 36 years ago, and they have not remained silent. We invite you to find your voice, and flex it.
