A recent Herald Poll asked readers about drilling for oil near Nine Mile Canyon. Among the responses:

My name is Arlene Wimmer Hill. I was born in Nine Mile Canyon on my folks ranch. I grew up there. I have since lived in other states, and now reside in Boulder, Colorado. I saw the petroglyphs and old Indian dwellings from the time I was a little girl. I love them; however, I do not think the government should stop the drilling for gas in that area. I think it would be good to use some of the money to pave the road to prevent huge clouds of dust on the petroglyphs, trees, etc.

•Arlene Wimmer Hill,

Boulder, Colo.

This is an atrocious editorial, unworthy of any newspaper. It not only displays crucial errors of reasoning, but betrays an amazing ignorance of Native American Rock Art and is an embarrassment to the town of Provo and the state of Utah.

First, this implies that not allowing Bill Barrett Corp. (BBC) to proceed forthwith with full field development under few or no constraints will result in the demise of our civilization. One word recommends itself as the best description of this incredible non-sequitur: Stupid! It is astonishing that any high school graduate, let alone a newspaper reporter or editor, would make such a glaring mistake in reasoning. If there is one single threat to our nation's survival it is arguably our wasteful use of natural resources to feed our extravagant lifestyles. We all know this, but many continue to deny it.

Second, as several experts can attest, it is false that the rock art is not being placed in jeopardy by the ongoing industrialization of the canyon. No evidence is offered for the dubious contradictory claim other than the fact that the images have already withstood the elements for centuries and (in some cases) millenia. No consideration is given to the effects of the hydrophilic "dust suppressant" magnesium chloride on rock surfaces (there is an omnipresent dust cloud in the canyon despite the suppressant and it contains the compound), nor the vibrations of 40-ton trucks traveling the road at the rate of one every five minutes for 30 years (even more often under full field development). Perhaps the authors were not aware of these issues; but then they should have done some research before offering an opinion.

Third, the claim that the rock art could be the doodlings of children or the scribblings of a banished criminal, etc., only betrays complete ignorance of rock art itself. No one who has studied ancient cultures and rock art, and few who have experienced the images, would agree with this claim. The assiduous care in the planning and execution of many panels is truly remarkable. We will perhaps never know their full meaning (as though there is such a thing as their "full meaning"), but there is no doubt that there is something to be learned from them - not to mention the sheer esthetic enjoyment that many people derive from them.

The truth is, feasible measures for mitigating the damage to archaeological and wildlife resources that gas production will cause in and near Nine Mile Canyon have been proposed by conservation organizations but have been ignored by the BLM, probably in violation of federal law.

Rather than the contrived opposition of "national survival vs. protection of rock scribblings," a far more accurate one would be "a small reduction in expected corporate profits for BBC vs. protection of fragile, fascinating, beautiful ancient art." This uninformed editorial is irresponsible and incompetent.

•Kirk C Robinson,

Salt Lake City

Thanks for the open minded article concerning the BBC and West Tavaputs Plateau Drilling Project. Too bad that JUST LIKE the anti-everything crowd, you can't seem to get it straight concerning the location of the drilling. The drilling IS NOT WITHIN Nine Mile Canyon. The ROAD is within Nine Nile Canyon, the drilling is proposed upon the top of the West Tavaputs Plateau. You've fallen into the mis-information trap laid out by the anti-everything crowd and now you have mixed that INACCURACY into your otherwise positive article .

Also, the title of "Petroglyths vs. Energy" is also misleading. Your title makes it sound like a forgone conclusion that we must choose one or the other. That simply isn't correct. We can maintain our quality of living, develop resources for the future and protect our past......all at the same time. We've been doing just that for many years. The Nine Mile Canyon AREA has developed gas wells and gas pipelines that have been in place for over 50 years. We don't have to invent the wheel in Nine Mile Canyon.....the wheel has been rolling along for years. The anti-everything groups tell half-truths and give half of the facts. I don't consider that to be honesty, I consider that to be manipulation.

I encourage you to contact Bill Barrett Corporation and ask for a tour of the canyon. Go see for yourself and then report those FACTS in the paper.

Thanks for the open-minded write up on the project. Your willingness to admit that WE need domestic energy is refreshing and appreciated. Please don't stop in your quest for the truth. Please contact Bill Barrett Corporation and visit the canyon ASAP.

•Alan J. Peterson,

Helper

Go for it! When the question is cost in today's economy/having our own in-country resources vs high cost/dependence on overseas, I vote for the real us every time. If the petrolglyphs are in danger from the traffic, discover a way to preserve them and get the gas, oil, coal etc. out and working for us too. It's not all or nothing. We should all be environmentalists, it's the extremists who are telling us what and where. Take America's natural resources back and use them all for their purpose: humans, in conservation mode! Can't we all just get along?

•Belva Parr,

Lindon

I completely agree with the premise of your article and I think that it should also be applied to drilling for oil in Anwar (Alaska), Mining coal from the Kapariwitz Plateau (in Clinton's quarter of Utah), drilling for oil off the coast of Florida (the Cuban's are doing it, for goodness sake!). It should also be applied to the roadblocks for fuel refineries and to the roadblocks for nuclear power plants. (How long has it been since a new one was built in US?) And while we are at it, how about a reasonably priced Plug-in electric car?

•Dave Hopper,

Salt Lake City