Saving Desert Environment

As a life-long lover of our unique Mojave desert environment, I resented state Sen. H.L. Richardson’s (R-Glendora) claim (Part I, Dec. 16, “Video Will Dramatize Foe’s Attack on Bill to Preserve Desert Areas”) about the supporters of Sen. Alan Cranston’s (D-Calif.) desert protection bill that “outside of the Sierra Club, you could put most of them in a big phone booth.” It is utterly untrue.

I have not belonged to the Sierra Club or the Wilderness Society for many years. But the time to get involved has come.

First-hand observation of damage caused by off-road vehicles has shown me that it does not heal itself, but remains and deepens, year after year. Overuse of any kind will destroy the delicate balance with temperature extremes and water shortages that vegetation and animal life have achieved over the millennia in an unforgiving, harsh environment.

I have seen the species change because of the current level of civilization’s intrusion into Joshua Tree National Monument. In fact, I dread the consequences of the level of “improvement” allowed in Cranston’s bill.

Unless the transition from national monument to national park is handled by expert desert conservationists, much will be lost in the process. Contrary to most national park policy, to preserve anything, it will be necessary to maintain strict control over numbers of tourists, travel in the area, and size and impact of facilities.

I resent the materialistic concerns represented by Richardson, the California Chamber of Commerce, the Off-Road Vehicle Coalition, and the other opposition to this bill. They will soon find that we who cherish the desert are climbing out of the woodwork, because this is our desert, and we want it to be our grandchildren’s too.

KATHERINE MILLER

Los Angeles