"This is the Place" once was a monument dedicated to those who visited and settled this valley natives, mountain men, the Donner Party and Mormon pioneers. It offered an unobstructed view of Great Salt Lake and the ranges beyond and gave a sense of what was witnessed and felt by those who first entered this special place.
It also hosted hundreds of acres of native plants and animals moose, elk, deer, cougar, coyote, bobcat, fox in their natural environment.
It is now a taxpayer-subsidized parking lot for Hogle Zoo, which educates our children about "wild" life ("Zoo to get more parking at This is the Place park," Tribune, Sept. 7).
There is no better example of why the State of Utah should not manage our public lands.
Kirk Thomas
Salt Lake City