Oil drilling in Utah threatens Spiral Jetty

In the last couple of years, oil drilling has been authorized in proximity to the national parks in Utah, despite fears that the drilling may disturb fragile desert ecosystems in the parks. Recently, plans have been made to drill in the Great Salt Lake region, which is a big problem for migrating birds, many of which stop in that region (read Terry Tempest Williams’ Refuge for a gorgeous description of that ecosystem).

I recently found out that that drilling threatens a human treasure as well as the natural riches of

the region: sculptor Robert Smithson’s great giant earthworks project, Spiral Jetty. (See picture.) Although Smithson might find the destruction of the Jetty through oil drilling disturbances to be somehow acceptable - he was always into the concept that the Jetty would submerge and reemerge with the natural movements of the lake - there are plenty of other folks who would be really sad to see it go.

Visit this link to see what the DIA Foundation has done to attempt to protect Smithson’s piece.

Via CleanTechnica

[Source] Rebecca Onion

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