This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

On June 8, members of SITLA held a generously agreed-upon public comment session ahead of a proposed land sale in the Bluff area. The proposal involves the sale of a parcel of State Trust land that includes a portion of Comb Ridge where Highway 191 cuts through. There is only one bidder at present, the Hole-in-the-Rock Foundation (HIRF). They joined SITLA onstage, presenting the spectacle of a suspiciously unified front.

Speeches were given by SITLA and HIRF personnel, with the former very matter-of-factly stating their position and mission objectives (this isn't public land to begin with, all proceeds go to Utah schools, etc.), and the latter giving short, eloquent soliloquies about "venue for education" and "feeling the history" of the area.

(Note: Anglo pioneers crossed the Comb in this area in the late 1880s. Once. Evidently.)

Public questions and comments then ensued.

Highlights included several people leveling the charge that there is no practical reason to own a place if all you're going to do there is lead kids on educational strolls, other than the obvious one of inserting private ownership into a small but crucial (re: highway) segment of the proposed Bears Ears National Monument.

Responses from Stewart Matheson of HIRF added to a spectacular example of politico-linguistics: "We love this place just as much as you do. When we came here ... we got red dirt in our shoes, and red dirt in our hearts." Smug, conspiratorial smile, and scene.

You could practically hear him winding up to throw that well-oiled pitch all evening long. What you didn't hear — from any of them — was a straightforward answer about why HIRF needs to own the land in order to do nothing but teach their children about a very narrow slice of its history.

Moab resident and published adventurer Greg Child stymied them again with a concise inquiry about restriction access. To paraphrase Greg: "Will we be able to hike there?" The response: "There are provisions regarding existing roads blah vehicles blah roads blah blah ... " Greg again: "But will we be able to hike there?" Crickets.

The summary statement for the evening's proceedings is that the locals, despite their contention, conducted themselves with admirable civility. The SITLA and HIRF contingent, despite not actually needing to listen to public opinions, very respectfully listened nonetheless.

But then why wouldn't they? The cat with a canary in its mouth is always free to lend a reverential ear to the canary's song. It's not like it matters anyway. At least the canaries in Bluff remain un-fooled by the cats' mesmerizing loquacities.

R.E. Burrillo is an archaeologist and author who lives in Monticello.