Utah's Nine Mile Canyon is at Risk

[oetje64]

I love this canyon. Although being from the Netherlands I visited it 2 times. in 1999 and 2005 It was shocking to see how during the 6 years there was a lot of damage done to the Pictographs/petroglyphs. I hope we can save them for generations coming after us. I don;t fully understand why the truck drive through the canyon as I thought most of the wells where on the north side so they could drive that way. But then again I do not know the canyon that good after only 2 visits.

[speakeasycafe]

RE: if those large trucks didnt start using that canyon, you wouldnt have a road to travel on.

Answer: Nine Mile Road was constructed through the canyon in 1886 by the Buffalo Soldiers of the U.S. 9th Cavalry, linking Fort Duchesne to the railroad through the city of Price. This was the main transportation route well into the 20th century; most of the stagecoach, mail, freight wagon, & telegraph traffic into the Basin passed through Nine Mile. (It wont let me give links to the info)

[speakeasycafe]

Nine Mile Canyon in Utah is a historical 40 mile canyon showcasing over 1000 panels and 10,000 images of petroglyphs and pictographs. Petroglyphs are carved or chipped into the sandstone. Pictographs are painted onto stone. The history of rock art in this canyon is attributed mostly to the Fremont Native American cultures. The Fremont Native Americans inhabited Nine Mile Canyon around 300 A.D. to 1250 A.D.

[speakeasycafe]

The resources taken from this place are just a drop in the bucket. I can drive a car and still appreciate the importance of preserving history. It is not a choice of drive or kill a canyon. It is the fact that we have to work smart to do both. Tell me how this will ever be replaced? Tell me it does not have value? This was a small road built for ranching, not trucks. All this time both have existed with no problem. Till now. Read, and educate yourselves. There is so much to loose here!

[speakeasycafe]

So many panels are RIGHT next to the road, you can reach out your window and touch them. Paving would not solve the problem, only make it worse. The vibration of the trucks passing would cause even more destruction when not at least absorbed by the dirt road. These are delicate and have been so well preserved because the canyon's natural construction protects them. The outer layers can be simply flaked off. Can you imagine what a parade of loaded semi trucks would do every day?

[speakeasycafe]

There are enough natural resources in other places that this does not need to be disturbed. It has nothing to do with hugging trees.

It is to stand in a place so untouched by time that a breath is the only thing you need to take you back a thousand years. Once it's gone, it's gone. How can someone not see the value of this. I spent so much time exploring here, if I could take you by the hand, show you what I have seen, you would understand.

[speakeasycafe]

They just need to leave this place the hell alone!!

[Sumanster]

I think DonQuijote below makes the best suggestion: just pave the road. The video mentioned a "recent study" linking traffic dust to glyph deterioration, but didn't list a citation to let people review it themselves. I went to the site mentioned at the end, and they were simply asking people to write the BLM to *evaluate alternate routes* (the comment deadline was May 1, 2008). These particular preservationists are NOT asking to end oil and gas development in the canyon.

[slamb83]

HA HA HA HA HA oh my god that makes me laugh. I wish you tree huggers or rock huggers in this case had something better do to with your life then screw with people trying to make an honest living. And im sure when you shot this video you didn't ride your peddle bike down to 9 mile. Im sure it was your gas powered vehicle. Oh do you happen to have a furnace in your home or apartment? If you do you are probably using the gas that comes out of this area. Just so ya know.

[TheCT57]

Maybe I'm a little biased, since I took a hot shower, cooked breakfast, and drove to work this morning because of the fossil fuels that we are still dependent on.

I've been to the canyon several times and have seen more damage done by the "admirers" climbing all over to get a better view than by traffic kicking up dust. This is pathetic.

[glyphhunter]

I took my family to Nine Mile Canyon last summer while on vacation. Trucks rumbled by every couple of minutes, kicking up huge dust clouds, and we would have to scramble to cover our equipment so it wouldn't be ruined by the dust.

I personally felt all that traffic ruined my visit to Nine Mile Canyon.

[smurfrm2501]

What a joke. Get a life, how did you drive down there? In your "Gas Powered Vehicle". I wonder where in the world that comes from. It must just magically appear at the gas pump. Tonight when you turn on your heater at your house thind about where that heat and electricity is coming from. The drilling and production activity that is going on in the canyon and on the mesas have had only positive effects on that canyon and the surrounding communities. You people discust me.

[goldrushexpedinc]

the traffic has been there for 30 plus years. the large trucks use it all the time. Plus, if those large trucks didnt start using that canyon, you wouldnt have a road to travel on. This didnt start as a state sponsored area, it was opened by ranchers, cowboys and miners. And is doing just fine without assistance.

[DonQuijote]

I was just up there a few weeks ago. It was beautiful. There were A LOT of large trucks driving down the bumpy dirt roads there. Maybe if they would just pave the roads it would cut down on a lot of the dust!

[KalmarKriszti]

fucking traffic we have to do something !