Dear neighbors,
We must stand in the way of the Weber County Inland Port which would pave nearly 9,000 acres of wetlands and wildlife habitat adjacent to Great Salt Lake. The life of the lake is inseparable from our own and includes the vitality of wetlands. We cannot thrive or survive here without honoring our interdependence. It’s time to defend all the lives at stake, human and beyond.
Last April, I participated in the shoreline bird count. I spent a morning surveying the Harold Crane Wildlife area which is directly adjacent to this planned port.
My team counted a total of 1,679 shorebirds: 844 American avocets; 260 black-necked stilts; 36 greater and lesser yellowlegs; 27 killdeer; 14 long-billed curlews; 125 dowitchers; 317 marbled godwits; 55 willets; 1 peep.
Additionally, there were abundant flocks of ibises, pelicans, and blackbirds, and dozens of herons. We watched birds alight on the shining water; we observed the air around us rich with midges. Everything surrounding us was sentient, singing, and alive.
If we don’t respond with urgency, this Eden will soon be obliterated and millions of birds will be exiled. We’ll forfeit the last of our breathable air. Breathing is an inherent right and so is beauty. We must not allow our birthrights to be sold for a mess of pavement.
Time is of the essence. The Utah Inland Port Authority has been speeding towards destruction. Act now by directly contacting the board of the Utah Inland Port Authority. Write to your lawmakers, including our governor. If you live in Weber County, write a comment to your county commissioners. Let the record show we object!
Let us stand for our home on behalf of our human and beyond human kin. Not one of the planned ports is acceptable. We must defend our sacred and irreplaceable wetlands until they are permanently protected.
With reverence and tenderness for life,
Nan Seymour, Salt Lake City