LIFE - Robert Redford and the Fragile West

Robert Redford on the Beautiful, Fragile West

Sun, 01 Feb 1970 03:00:00 EST

In 1970, the year that Earth Day was first celebrated, Robert Redford stands in a wintry landscape with the snowy mountains of Utah, the state he now calls home, as his backdrop. Since that time, Redford has been a tireless supporter of environmental causes, fighting to preserve America's natural beauty and resources. As Earth Day rolls around again (April 22), LIFE asked the filmmaker and activist to choose his favorite photos of Western landscapes, and to explain why it's so important we take steps now to protect them.

Monument Valley, Utah

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 02:13:31 EDT

Monument Valley, with its sweeping vistas and dramatic mesas, was made famous by John Ford westerns. On the horizon lies Utah's canyon country, where I and my friends at the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance recently blocked an energy industry land-grab that would have destroyed this irreplaceable wilderness. (Learn how you can become an NRDC member.)

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Thu, 16 Feb 2006 20:03:34 EST

As I explore the West, I'm always amazed to see arid landscapes formed by water that vanished long ago. Here, ancient rivers carried sediments from the Rockies and piled them in these beautiful, bizarrely shaped, fossil-filled badlands.

Paradise Valley, Montana

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 18:13:39 EDT

This valley really is paradise for anglers; it's one of the most gorgeous places I've ever been. It's also where NRDC and local ranchers work together to make sure that efforts to protect grizzlies and develop energy also respect the people who live off the land.

Arch Rock, Utah

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 09:39:21 EDT

One of the things I love about Southern Utah is the monumental scale of canyon country. People have a place within these redrock walls, but it should be a respectful one.

The Tetons, Snake River

Wed, 01 Jan 1941 03:00:00 EST

On my travels through Wyoming, I've seen many awe-inspiring landscapes like this one, but Wyoming is also home to vast supplies of coal, oil, and natural gas. The challenge is to direct energy development--including clean wind, soloar, and geothermal--away from sensitive areas so they remain wild for future generations.

Zion National Park, Utah

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 03:00:00 EST

To survive, cats like this need distance from humans. NRDC is trying to preserve Utah wilderness so mountain lions can migrate and mate far from towns and oil and gas development.

McDonald Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

Wed, 01 Jan 1941 03:00:00 EST

This still, deep lake was carved by glaciers. But now another force is shaping the park: global warming. By 2020, all of the park's glaciers will melt away because of climate change.

Fajada Butte, New Mexico

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 13:41:57 EDT

This park preserves cultural remains left by the ancestors of the Hopi and Pueblo tribes. But many other ruins -- complete with cliff houses and pottery shards -- lie unprotected from oil and gas drilling.

Spider Rock in Canyon de Chelly, New Mexico

Mon, 01 Apr 1946 03:00:00 EST

These sculpted rock walls seem otherworldly to me, yet at the bottom of this ancient canyon, modern Navajos grow peaches, herd sheep, and juggle old ways with contemporary life. A place like this exceeds the imagination.

Otero Mesa, New Mexico

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 09:26:22 EDT

This Chihuanhuan desert grassland is home to mountain lion, pronghorn antelope, and falcons, but the Bush administration opened it to oil and gas drilling. Local ranchers and NRDC are fighting to protect the mesa and its freshwater aquifier, a fight I support.

Slot Canyon, Arizona

Fri, 02 Sep 2005 05:24:52 EDT

I have seen slot canyons like this across the Colorado Plateau, and each one reminds me of the extraordinary power of wind, water, and time to create some of the world's most stunning sculptures. Slot Canyon, the Badlands, and the other wild, stunning spots I've mentioned here are truly worth protecting. I hope you'll join me in supporting NRDC in doing just that.