We would like to thank Tom Miller (Herald, March 22) for describing in vivid detail the serious threat to our beloved local mountain range – a threat that has been flying under the radar for years.
He accurately described the current exploration and future perils. We would add that whatever you think of exploration, as it ultimately leads to mining itself, our objection should be based on that worst case.
Let’s be clear about what this mining operation would mean. Silence and solitude? Refuge? Nope. Dynamite and roaring diesel ore trucks night and day.
Camping in La Plata Canyon? More likely the complete loss of several campgrounds – no one will want to camp there. Access to the whole upper end of the range will have to pass through this mess.
Observing wildlife? We’re pretty sure the wildlife will be on the run from the start. Enjoying the river? We’re still trying to recover from the last round, and that was decades ago.
We should be guardians of this wilderness for future generations and for all the wild things that inhabit this sacred place.
Thomas H. Ward and Debra Van Winegarden
Durango