I have been an environmentalist for most of my life. I have marched, held signs, written letters and spoken to my Congressman. I have built trails and removed invasive species in National Parks. I have educated friends on climate change and donated to a dozen different groups. Countless others have done all these same things for decades in defense of our wilderness and a livable future.
It hasn’t worked. Even with a new administration, we are not on track for a livable future. This has been made clear by James Hanson, Bill McKibben, Al Gore and many others. The legitimate pathways to power have not provided us with the ability to defend the survival of our civilization. Yesterday I decided that the crisis facing us requires more critical action than has been taken in the past. When faced with the opportunity to seriously disrupt the auction of some of our most beautiful lands in Utah to oil and gas developers, I could not ethically turn my back on that opportunity. By making bids for land that was supposed to be protected for the interests of all Americans, I tried to resist the Bush administration’s attempt to defraud the American people.
At this point it appears that I was successful in my attempts to disrupt this fraudulent auction. The federal officials who took me into custody said that I cost the oil companies in the room hundreds of thousands of dollars and prevented 22,500 acres of land from being sold for fossil fuel development. I had a very open conversation with the federal agents about my motivations and values. They were friendly, respectful, and somewhat sympathetic.
What I did no doubt puts me at significant risk, including prison. But my future was already at significant risk. As we get closer and closer to the point of too late, we have less and less to lose from resisting. Accepting the true depth of the climate crisis is extremely scary, but the purpose of fear is to motivate us to action. Many of us have sat around countless times saying how much we needed someone to do something. If I am not willing to take a stand for my generation, then who will? This year I have come to terms with the idea that I might be my own best hope to defend my future. Hopefully all of us will realize that we are the ones we have been waiting for.
States have been using...
#1 by Al - January 12th, 2009 at 12:10
Tim your courage is inspiring. Thank you.
#2 by Gabriel Caplett - January 12th, 2009 at 13:58
Tim,
I was very impressed with your act of peaceful civil disobedience.
I live in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Lake Superior) and are fighting a company that is very near to your university - Kennecott Minerals. They are trying to open a metallic sulfide mine on public land that is within ceded tribal territory. They’ve submitted a fraudulent mine application that was approved by our state government.
Our representative, in the Governor’s office, recently resigned to work as a lobbyist for the company.
All very corrupt and disheartening, and in such a beautiful, wild area with clean water.
Anyway, we started our Protect the Earth summits last year. In the 1980s the Indian tribes and citizens in Wisconsin had them because of the treaty issues surrounding the harvesting of walleye. They evolved to encompass the anti-sulfide mining struggle there (also Kennecott).
We have learned a lot from our neighbors in Wisconsin.
I would like to invite you, as a speaker, to our Protect the Earth summit, later this year. You would be very inspirational to residents here as we continue fighting this mining operation and preventing it from happening.
I hope you receive this blog post.
Take care,
Gabriel C.
#3 by Rebecca - January 12th, 2009 at 18:39
Thank you Tim! Best of luck.
#4 by Louise Radcliffe - January 13th, 2009 at 13:24
Tim,
Thank you so much for what you’ve done for all of us. I admire your great courage and love for our precious Earth. I’ve enlarged the pensive Salt Lake Tribune photograph of you right after you were escorted out of the BLM bidding. I’ve saved it as the background on my computer at work. What a tremendous moment! I may have it put on a few T-shirts.
I will be donating to your legal fund.
The Best To You Always,
Louise
#5 by kathy merletti - January 14th, 2009 at 20:07
Thank you for your courageous and brilliant tactics! You frickin’ rock!
#6 by jennah ferrara - January 14th, 2009 at 20:08
i’m kathy’s best friend–and what she said!
#7 by Utahn - January 14th, 2009 at 21:58
Have fun in prison!
#8 by Gene Hanners - January 17th, 2009 at 20:20
Tim,
If money be the root of all evil, then I’m a saint … but I’m in agreement with another that left a comment here, and if you find that a few thousand partners will help you pay for that land, count me in for a few bucks …
and btw … Thank You bidding
#9 by Jaclyn DeSantis - January 18th, 2009 at 12:07
Tim-
I just read about your actions in the LA Times and it made me cry! Thank god for you!
Despite how blatantly bad things are concerning sacred land falling into the hands of hungry oil and coal (and palm…etc) developers,I don’t think a lot of people (including myself) are aware that stuff like this is even happening or CAN happen for that matter- I assume that a lot of these places are protected.
I only wish that I had heard about your plight sooner
I’m so inspired by what you did and would love to help in any way possible- I would surely put in as many bucks as I can scrounge up toward that land
in gratitude
jaclyn
#10 by Dave Tinham - January 19th, 2009 at 01:48
Respect to you for your wise, brave and prescient action. It’s a shame our politicians and business leaders do not display similar qualities when it comes to our shared issues concerning the environment.
#11 by Kim - January 19th, 2009 at 09:06
Sending support from MA- just read an article about you in the Boston Globe. Great job! Keep the story in the media, the more people know about you, the more support you will get!
#12 by Ann in Somerville, MA - January 25th, 2009 at 05:16
I was just in red rock country with my eight-year-old and husband last August, and I want to thank you for saving the land for all future generations.
#13 by Clay - January 29th, 2009 at 06:15
Before your supporters come to an opposing Web site that sees what you do as a criminal act, you should let them know they should read the entire blog and comprehend it before responding. Their responses show their ignorance and should be an embarrassment to you. If they had any kahoneys, they would leave a name and not sign their responses as anonymous.
#14 by Jennifer - January 29th, 2009 at 11:44
hmmm… that’s funny, Clay- I see a name before every single response
#15 by Danny Berry - February 13th, 2009 at 19:27
Dude
I’ve loved and camped in the Island in the Sky area for more than 15 years now and love it with all my heart. I live in NYC, and for me the Island is the solution to how hard it can be to live in New York.
I put $200 in your coffers when I first heard about the campaign and am glad for it to continue in your hands for your legal case–should one materialize.
Meanwhile, three buddies of mine who have never been to Utah and I are going camping in the Island next week from the 21st to the 28th. If you’re, by chance, going to be in Moab during that time, it would be great–an honor really–to get to meet you.
If not, all the best for everything you do, mean, stand for.
Danny
#16 by Danny Berry - February 13th, 2009 at 19:28
feel free to write to me if you catch this message and are around next week in Moab–the 21st-28th
dannyb510@yahoo.com
#17 by Vicotria - March 24th, 2009 at 17:08
I just want you to know that because of the dishonest act you did, and the tangling up of the schedule my husband had for work we are about to lose our home. Did you think that your act could affect honest people trying to make a living? Well, it has, and I’m sure that my three children thank you also. Oh, did I tell you that I am going through surgeries and treatment for cancer? Which one should I put off because I dont have the money now? You have made a ripple effect on so many others, that you will probably never know. There is a way to provode for ourselves and still be environmentally friendly. Figure that out instead of making more hardwhip on others. If you never fill up your car with gas, or heat your home, and pick up the garbage on the mountain behind my house, then I will believe you actually have a true heart about what you did.
#18 by anon - March 24th, 2009 at 17:38
Vicotria, maybe your husband should find a more honest and less destructive line of work. you sound selfish and parasitic.
#19 by Anonymous - March 24th, 2009 at 17:54
“Vicotria, maybe your husband should find a more honest and less destructive line of work. you sound selfish and parasitic”.
Aren’t we all to greater or lessor degree I say. Where is your dividing line anon?
Say anon, do you use any gas in your life?
Sit in building heated or cooled by it? Use electricity? It nice to know that the truly selfish and parasitic always seem to have a way of moralizing their own responsibility away.
#20 by Cliff Lyon - March 24th, 2009 at 18:26
Vicotria,
Pass me your info. I may be able to help.
Cliff 801.274.0882
cliff;at;manyone.net
#21 by anon - March 24th, 2009 at 18:34
and you, Anonymous/Vicotria, to the greater not lessor [sic] degree I say.
#22 by Bart - March 24th, 2009 at 20:17
Victoria’s argument appears pitiful and saccharine, for those who may find her remarks honest. Regardless, our champion’s efforts reign supreme during a time of Bush/Cheney repression and corruption at the highest levels.
Natural resource extraction in the Wild Wild West has always been a gambler’s game!
#23 by Amy Seeds - April 2nd, 2009 at 23:22
Tim,
We spoke at Power Shift. I’m in the San Francisco GOT, working with Greenpeace this semester. I’m still so thankful you did what you did.
I just read of the indictments. Please let me know what the next steps are, besides writing our congressmen. Can we call and tell someone (federal courts) that we demand the charges dropped?
In solidarity.
Amy Seeds
akseeds@bama.ua.edu
#24 by Ashley - April 7th, 2009 at 22:17
what you did is amazing. thank you for being such an inspiration.
#25 by kevin tennant - May 28th, 2009 at 09:05
Your idealism is good but your methods and justifications are immoral. The rule of law, plus our country’s need for energy independence trump your pathetic ego. I sincerely hope you spend a long difficult time in prison. I also expect you to be bankrupted by fines and compensation payments.
#26 by Bart - May 28th, 2009 at 11:56
Kevin, you are absolutely wrong. That Boston Tea Party occurred when the Brits screwed us. Timothy, on behalf of us all not as courageous, leveraged his stand for a most sacred and selfless reasons, so I consider him markedly more patriotic than your finger waggling self.
#27 by Uncle Rico - May 28th, 2009 at 14:27
Really Kev? Immoral? In what respect were Tim’s actions immoral? And what about the rule of law that you hold so sacrosanct? If my memory serves me correctly, the lease auction that Tim disrupted was halted by the Federal Courts because of the failure of the DOI to follow the “rule of law.” So Tim disrupted an illegal lease auction and your view is that he acted immorally? Interesting.