Utah Wilderness News, April 13, 2010

Torn up soil in Utah’s redrock also slashes Colorado’s ski season

“The red dust blanketing area mountains and virtually every surface in
Aspen is a result of oil and gas development and off-road vehicle
activity in southeastern Utah, according to David Garbett, staff
attorney with Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

He informed the Aspen City Council on Monday of the effects the dust has on the community.

The
snow stained by dust melts faster because it absorbs more solar energy,
which affects the snowpack in Aspen and surrounding areas.

Garbett
said that in 2005 and 2006, dusty snow melted 18 to 35 days earlier in
Colorado’s San Juan Mountains. Last year, dust-covered snow melted 48
days earlier in the same area…” Read more–The Aspen Times 

How great thou art: Faithful congregating outdoors to connect with a higher power

“The eminent naturalist John Muir, a key figure in the
establishment of the national parks system, was a tireless advocate
of the spiritually transformative power of wild places. In his book
“Travels in Alaska,” Muir writes, “Every particle of rock or water
or air has God by its side leading it the way it should go; the
clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.”

It’s that kind of thinking about man and nature that sparked the
creation of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance’s Faith and the
Land project, an ongoing effort begun last year to get people of
faith in Utah talking about the spiritual importance of
wilderness.” Read more–The Provo Daily Herald