The story "UVU enters WAC era with pride and a few predicaments"(Tribune, June 3) reports that Utah Valley University athletic director Michael Jacobsen, "on the verge of retirement, can look out over what was once swampland and enjoy the fruits of his labor, an effort that has extended Utah Valley University's athletic program."
Those weren't just worthless "swamplands." They were valuable wetlands, now forever gone. If they had been saved, they could have been an invaluable teaching and research asset for UVU students and scientists for years to come.
Important wetlands species grew there. Wetlands host critical ecosystems, and they are among our most threatened habitats. What few remaining wetlands that we have along the Wasatch Front should be preserved, not bulldozed.
The purpose of a university is, after all, to educate. So it is more than a little inappropriate to have simply thought of this destruction as glorious football triumphing over some lowly swamplands.
Tony Frates Conservation co-chair Utah Native Plant Society
Salt Lake City