Preservation: Petroglyphs in Peril
Categories: Preservation: You Can Help
By: Mark Boardman 08/01/2008
Petroglyphs in Peril
First off, Nine Mile Canyon in eastern Utah is misnamed. It’s actually about 40 miles long.
But it’s accurate to say that the place holds the largest collection of rock art in the world. Members of the Ute and Fremont tribes carved into the walls some 10,000 petroglyph images of people and animals, many more than 1,000 years old. Now, the art is in danger.
A dirt road goes through the canyon, carrying hundreds of cars and trucks every day. Workers deposit magnesium chloride on the road to keep the dust down. Local preservationists—many from the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition—say the dust and the chemical are now damaging the petroglyphs. Yet the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which oversees the site, is considering a plan to build more than 800 natural gas wells in the area, which would increase traffic even more. Folks at the National Trust for Historic Preservation believe that will only increase the damage to the rock art.
A final decision is expected in December. In the meantime, the coalition is urging supporters to contact the BLM to make their feelings known.
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