What if you had to pay to see Mt. Hood?

[marmar]

Imagine you wake up and look out of your window where you normally have a great view of Mt. Hood -- but this time -- no mountain. No, not because of clouds! Imagine that you had to pay to see it. Like someone blocked it off and you had to pay....

Commoners work together to preserve and revitalize the commons.

The commons are forms of wealth we share that must be actively protected and managed for the common good and for future generations. Our commonwealth includes things that are not owned by anyone, such as clean air and water, the internet, scientific knowledge and cultural legacies; instead, they are shared by all.

Oregon Commons is working to inspire appreciation, stewardship and advocacy of our Oregon commons—the gifts of nature and civilization we share across generations.

[HereSince1628]

1. I would need to pay a lot to see Mt Hood before tomorrow eve

Hood sits far beyond the horizon available to me where I currently sit. That's the way things are in a really BIG country.

To SEE it, in first person, would cost me a pretty penny. But, honestly I DO NOT NEED to see it tomorrow.

What I NEED is to know is that IT IS THERE, supporting ecosystems on it's slopes, and doing it's part to make things 'right' with the world.

Granted, there are some who need to see, touch or otherwise FEEL a thing to value it. I suspect they are towards Gifford Pinchot end of the conservation spectrum.

Yet, sitting here in Wisconsin, not too far from where John Muir kicked the dirt of farm fields, I am not among them. I've never seen Mt Hood. I very probably never will. That doesn't mean I cannot connect with it or that it doesn't enrich my life.

I am glad that many of those who CAN see Mt Hood do appreciate it. And those of you how can see it on a daily basis should know that there are many people beyond your horizons who are comforted knowing it is there. Our lives are better because it exists, a landscape we may never see.

We trust you to watch over it and protect it.

[Quantess]

2. You'd like it.

I'm not sure why you're so doubtful that you will ever see it. Maybe you're not the traveling kind? People in Oregon are really nice, like people in Wisconsin are really nice. (I've spent quite a bit of time in both states). It's worth the visit.