Drawn to Utah | The Salt Lake Tribune

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

I first visited Utah because of Indian Creek, a world-class climbing area just outside Canyonlands National Park. The majesty of its canyons and allure of those perfectly climbable cracks had been calling me for years.

After my week in the greater Canyonlands area, and realizing Utah's public lands are like no other place in the world, I made Utah my home. I now live in Salt Lake City because of the access to the diverse landscapes all across our state.

While I work full-time and go to school, I also continually feed the recreation industry that boosts Utah's economy by $5.8 billion each year.

I applaud Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City, for working to protect our public lands for future generations by introducing SJR10 ("Utah Democrats call for Greater Canyonlands protections" (Tribune, Feb. 6).

By protecting the area, we guarantee access for recreation users and preserve the sanctity of these areas. Failure to do so makes them vulnerable to polluting extractive industries and short-term profiteers, locking out public access.

Let's protect Utah's heritage and our identity, and provide our children the opportunity to enjoy our public lands.

Cara H. Dolan

Salt Lake City