From September 1st to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4th, Christians are invited to pray and respond to the cry of creation to protect our common home. The celebration of the Season of Creation began in 1989 in the Easter Orthodox Churches and was embraced by Pope Francis in 2015. The Season of Creation is now promoted by dozens of Christian church leadership groups, environmental non-profits and other non-governmental organizations.

Last September I traveled to Utah to visit the five National Parks – Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches. Each was a unique treasure and had something memorable to offer. However, something I learned at Canyonlands speaks to me in this Season of Creation.

The principle features of Canyonlands are the canyons and vistas created by the Colorado and Green Rivers as they come together in the Utah wilderness. These canyons are part of a vast ecosystem that supports a variety of plant life, dozens of species of mammals, hundreds of species of birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. Members of more than two dozen distinct groups of Native Americans have called this land home for more than 10,000 years.

In the early 1960’s, Bureau of Reclamation Chief Dominy had plans to build the next great dam just below the junction of these two rivers. A dam would have destroyed this treasure and changed it into a vast reservoir, just as the Bureau had already done with several other dams built downriver from Canyonlands.

Stewart Udall, the Secretary of the Interior at the same time, had a much different vision for the land however. Udall believed in and fought for the preservation of the wilderness and the environment. Canyonlands was one of four National Parks created under his tenure, along with many nationally designated seashores, lakeshores, wildlife refuges and recreation areas. His leadership was also responsible for the enactment of a lot of federal legislation including the Clear Air, Water Quality and Clean Water Restoration Acts and Amendments, the Wilderness Act, the Endangered Species Preservation Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the Land and Water Conservation Act.

Udall had the wisdom and vision to recognize that “Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife, are in fact plans to protect man.” It is true that all of our protected public lands, whether national, state or local, are examples of our efforts to protect wilderness and, to some extent, wildlife. Unfortunately, we have not done as well protecting our air and water. In the decades since Udall’s tenure we seem to have struggled with finding the balance between the need to protect air, water and wildlife, and the drive to promote jobs and commercial endeavors, not only here in America but worldwide. We may have forgotten that efforts to protect the environment are indeed efforts to protect humanity.

I can’t help but think, what if Udall didn’t act? What if he did not succeed in his efforts to preserve this treasure and many other natural treasures? Would I even know what I missed? And that is the tragedy. So much has already happened to our Sister Mother Earth that cannot be undone. How much has been lost that we don’t even know is gone? How much more will we lose before we decide to get serious about protecting our common home?

The theme for the 2024 Season of Creation is “to hope and act with Creation.” We may not have the power to create a national park or enact federal legislation, but we can all act in our own small ways to respond to the cry of creation. In the days and weeks ahead, during this Season of Creation and beyond, can you, will you find ways to not only pray and hope, but also ways to act to protect our common home? How will you treasure this gift of creation God has given us?

-Marge Lindell

P.S. If you don’t know where to begin, the United Nations has a list of ten actions we can all take for a healthier planet. The NPR Network also has an article that a lot of resources for things you can do to help combat climate change.