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08/23/2010: "Doing The Bunny Hop With The Park Rangers"

( L to R: Paul Arroyo, Bryn Barnard, NPS Rory Westberg, & Rep. Moran ) It took two days of

( L to R: Paul Arroyo, Bryn Barnard, NPS Rory Westberg, & Rep. Moran )

It took two days of hopping back and forth between American and English Camp, and dealing with countless stonewalling statements by park staff, but late Sunday afternoon it paid off.

Standing around English Camp wondering when and if the congressmen would show up, and then the chairman of the Appropriations Committee; the chair of the Appropriations subcommittee for Interior & Environment; the Deputy Regional Director of the NPS (National Parks Service), and a number of support staff came slowly walking out of the woods of English Camp, and so at long last it was possible to talk to them.

While it had been impossible to have phone calls returned from the SJI parks staff, or any straight answers to questions from them about when and where the congressmen would show up, once they were finally tracked down, both the NPS Deputy Director and Congressman Jim Moran seemed surprised to learn there had been a coordinated and effective effort to keep their location and movements as they toured the parks a secret.

NPS Deputy Director Rory Westberg indicated that while they had wanted to keep things low key, it seemed the local parks staff may had taken it a little too far. That was an understatement. A couple of representatives from Save Our Bunnies (SOB) had planned to give Congressman Dave Obey a letter explaining some of their concerns about a proposal to kill off the rabbits at American Camp, but while waiting at English Camp in hopes of talking to Rep. Obey, they were approached by a park volunteer who ordered them to hide a small stuffed bunny because it was a “political display” which is only allowed in the parking lot, which he said is the area of the park designated as the “First Amendment area.”

Not to be deterred by the potential of arrest from one of the pistol packing park rangers, Rep. James Moran had noticed the stuffed bunny being held by SOB member Paul Arroyo, (Left: N. DeVaux photo) and wandered over to ask about it, and as a result heard what the SOB group had to say. He then proceeded to ask questions about the rabbits, and if it was possible to fence them out of protected areas, instead of killing them.

Turns out the congressman was the right person to talk to, and it may come as a surprise to the NPS that he is a champion of animal rights , and is on record as believing “the federal government has an important role to play in protecting animals against cruelty and abuse.” If “cruelty and abuse” covers shooting and gassing of rabbits, the little bunnies may have just found a powerful friend in Moran.

He also seemed less than happy to learn of the stonewalling by park officials to keep the public and press away, and congratulated the SOB members and the press for their diligence in making contact with him, adding that direct communication with elected officials is the way it is suppose to work.

Moran said he and the others had in fact been to American Camp, and had also looked at the road that is in danger of being washed away, and noted that is was obvious why people love the San Juans, that to fully appreciate it, you only have to come from somewhere else.