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Show A6 Monday * March 16, 2009 Could we have a little respect please Outdoor recreation areas should be nurtured, protected, and enjoyed by all Opinions writer History means a lot to me and my fellow wannabe Historians. It is difficult to imagine the collective impact of the countless lives of those who have contributed to who we are today. So when I went to the historical cemetery near Camp Floyd in Fillmore and found beer cans and trash on the ground by the monument, I was a mite peeved. I recently trekked through national parks and monuments, and everywhere I went, there was litter on the ground, graffiti on the markers, and people disregarding the pleas of the conservationists to please not destroy hundreds or thousands of years of geological and an- Loraine GholdstonAJVU Review Graffiti defaces one of Utah's historical monuments thropological history. An example of this is the cryptobiotic soil that grows in deserts and keeps erosion from destroying the landscape in places like Arches National Park. Everywhere there are signs informing people that one foot print on this soil destroys at least two him-" dred years of growth, and to please not step on it. And every which way, there are footpaths right through it. I don't understand why some people get a thrill out of writing their name on a historical monument. Some people seem to genuinely feel much more special than they actually are. and apparently care less about posterity and more about their own abilities with a sharpie or can of spray paint. And so they deface and ruin things Loraine Gholdston/UVU Review, that belong to all of us. Cryptobiotic soil found in southern Utah, is formed by living organisms, takes generations Sadly, people all too often to form and is extremely fragile. drop litter all over. I had to at Hovenweep, or go off African proverb says, "If and so others like you can hike for miles off the beaten the trails at Arches—even you think you're too small to enjoy them for many years path —being very careful not though people constantly do make a difference, try slee- to come. The conservation to step on any cryptobiotic it anyway. We are trying to ing in a closed room with a of these places preserves the condition of our state. We're soil—to find a place with- preserve what we have so it mosquito." out litter. I'm sure everyone can stay the way it is now. The next time you visit proud enough of them to who drops a candy wrapper Scientists and others noticed a national monument, park, have an arch on our car liis thinking, "One little thing with alarm how quickly our or historic site, please be cense plates, and unless the won't make a difference." treasured and ancient land- respectful. You can go one image of empty chip packets But it does. My husband and scape is being destroyed by step further and pick up and some illegible graffiti I picked up litter all over well-meaning tourists-—and some trash. If nothing else, seems like a more appealing three national parks. by tourists who just don't try to remember that our tax license plate, please do your There's a reason people .care. Maybe they think that dollars go to the preservation part to respect our national are no longer allowed to just one person can't do that of these places so that they parks and monuments. explore the interior ruins much damage. But as the do not fall into disrepair, check us out on line at www.uvureview.com 3 bedrooms • 2Vi baths $902.92 ~ Oversized garage • 9' ceilings why rent? Granite Countertops and Travertine Tile 'loan amount based on $164,900. 3Qyr fixed rate. 5%rate, S.28%APR. Clubhouse • Pool /Hot Tub 10420 West SR-73 • Saratoga Springs Fitness Center • Sport Court 801-437-1360 Children's Play Area www.thecoveatjordanriver.com Dedicated Park and Walking Trails |