Preserve and protect | 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This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

This past week I ran my first half marathon in the San Rafael Swell, where the Bureau of Land Management recently announced its intention to sell 50 oil and gas leases covering more than 79,000 acres of proposed wilderness. My wife, her parents and all but one of her siblings were running.

The eight of us ranged in age from 31 to 75, all wearing shirts proclaiming "Don't Drill the San Rafael!" Ever since my wife and her family introduced me to this beautiful place 20 years ago, I have relished every chance to visit this scenically spectacular wilderness which draws tourists from around the world.

I drive a car. I have no expectation that we will not leave a mark on our planet. But I do hope we will not in arrogance trade her places of beauty for shortsighted convenience or a momentary joyride in the history of humanity. The BLM should cancel its plan to lease lands in the San Rafael for oil and gas development.

If you share my concern, attend the rally outside the BLM office in Salt Lake City at noon on Monday, Sept. 16.

Peter Danzig

Salt Lake City