This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Nine Mile Canyon has been nicknamed "the world's largest art gallery" because of its over 10,000 individual petroglyphs and pictographs made primarily by the Fremont and Ute Indian cultures.
Nine Mile Canyon also has an abundant supply of natural gas lying beneath it. The Bill Barrett Corp. wants to drill 800 oil wells on the plateau above the canyon. The trucks and machinery that would invade the canyon would completely destroy its beauty and archaeology. The tourism experience of Nine Mile Canyon would also be destroyed by the semi-trucks that would systematically drive through the canyon.
Utah is home to some of the most important natural and historical sites, and I find it appalling that our nation's greed for oil will ruin one of these.
Adriane Berenson
Salt Lake City
