SUWA Bashing
I read Gary Petty’s open letter of January 15, regarding the proposed Greater Canyonlands Monument designation, with great interest. I was surprised to find typical bashing of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance in the letter; for instance, Petty claims that the Outdoor Industry Association is nothing but a pawn of the supposedly evil SUWA. Doesn’t Mr. Petty realize how silly it makes him sound when he claims that an organization made up of more than 1.300 businesses, many of which are nationally recognized brands, is “doing the bidding” of an organization with one-third of its revenues, and a tiny fraction of its business members? It is always easier to demonize conservation advocates than to recognize that many highly successful local and national businesses rely on open spaces for their success and continued growth. I expected reasoned commentary from one of the area’s leaders on land use. In this case, however, the author seems only to have lived up to his name.