This is a copy of an e-mail I sent to Richard Bryan. I would urge all the "silent majority" like myself who use and enjoy our public lands to make their feelings known to our elected officials. There is a very vocal minority that would lock up all public land, and they are the ones being heard.
Dear Sen. Bryan:
Speaking as a constituent, I urge you to reconsider your proposed bill that would establish a National Conservation Area in the Black Rock desert. Most of your constituents do not support this bill.
I have been using and enjoying this region for over 30 years, and during that time I have seen absolutely no damage done by vehicles using this area. It is so remote that if you succeed in closing it, the only people who will get to see it are those rich enough to own horses. There are isolated areas within the canyon that should be protected, such as the wagon ruts just past the mouth of Mahogany Canyon and the writings on the cliff face and in the adjacent cave. This can be done without locking up the whole area. As far as the Black Rock playa itself, any tracks heal themselves over the winter, and in the spring the area looks just like it did a thousand years ago.
There is a large number of law-abiding citizens like myself who use and enjoy the public lands without causing any harm. We are growing very weary of government agencies like the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management attempting to lock us out of our own land. Existing laws need to be enforced, but we do not need any more land closures. Please attempt to bring some common sense back into our government. Thank you for listening.
