I still remember my first trip to the San Rafael Swell. I found myself immersed in the immensity of cliff and canyon, calmed by her quiet, and swimming in the beauty of a sea of stars. My gracious guides taught me to tread lightly because it can take 100 years to repair the damage even footsteps can do to this fragile desert landscape.
Unfortunately, the “Emery County Public Land Management Act,” introduced by Sen. Hatch and Rep. Curtis, utterly fails to show such respect for the San Rafael Swell. The bill only protects about one third of the 1.5 million acres that deserve wilderness designation in Emery County, and riddles the lands it does designate with roads.
This is simply not good enough. We owe more to those who come after us. Where will our children go to absorb the soothing rhythms of the desert or gaze out in wonder at the universe if we don’t do more to protect the last remaining stretches of uninterrupted wilderness? The San Rafael is a sanctuary for the soul that deserves maximum protection. Sen. Hatch and Rep. Curtis have a responsibility to better protect the San Rafael for the generations that come after us.
Peter Danzig; Salt Lake City