In regards to your recent “Uncommon Westerners”
article, I find little uncommon about Mike Noel, Utah state
representative, other than that his favorite food is sushi
(HCN, 5/28/07). Mike exemplifies many Westerners
that are gung ho on keeping all public lands open to off-road
vehicles, mining, logging and ranching.
He also shows
that a lot of folks confuse myths with facts. Mike comments that
“if everything is wilderness, if everything is locked up, you can’t
even hardly go down into a wilderness area with a Scout troop.” I
just saw two different Scout groups in a wilderness area while I
was out for a hike, so this is a false statement, unless of course
the Scout troop wants to take a Hummer or tank into the area. The
term “locking up” in regards to designated wilderness is
ridiculous. It is open to hunting, hiking, fishing and horseback
riding, and even grazing is allowed to continue if already present.
Sure, Mike can’t drive his jeep into wilderness areas,
but with only about 5 percent of the land in America designated as
wilderness, he has plenty of options. Let’s keep a slice of the pie
for folks who want some solitude, home for wildlife, and for our
future generations to come.
Nick
Dobric
Las Vegas, Nevada
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Not so uncommon.
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