This is the zoo

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

"This is the Place" once was a monument dedicated to those who visited and settled this valley — natives, mountain men, the Donner Party and Mormon pioneers. It offered an unobstructed view of Great Salt Lake and the ranges beyond and gave a sense of what was witnessed and felt by those who first entered this special place.

It also hosted hundreds of acres of native plants and animals — moose, elk, deer, cougar, coyote, bobcat, fox — in their natural environment.

It is now a taxpayer-subsidized parking lot for Hogle Zoo, which educates our children about "wild" life ("Zoo to get more parking at This is the Place park," Tribune, Sept. 7).

There is no better example of why the State of Utah should not manage our public lands.

Kirk Thomas

Salt Lake City