RE: It’s just a rock, not a felony

I have been to Goblin Valley and found it to be a beautiful standout in a state saturated with natural wonders. I agree with the article’s gist that the offenders should be punished, although not with a felony.

But I take extreme exception to the author’s action at the Grand Canyon as well as his excuse that it is just human nature, only unfortunate if caught on tape.

Grand Canyon National Park averages 5 million visitors a year. The vast majority of these visitors do not travel beyond the South Rim.

If each of those 4.5 million visitors took a small stone slightly larger than a golf ball, the South Rim area would descend by 5.5 feet each year.

The cavalier and self-serving attitude of the author as he excuses his behavior betrays both his forefathers who had the vision to set aside that land for public enjoyment and his future descendants by condoning behavior, which could deprive them of the same awe-inspiring experience he enjoyed.

This attitude is shameful, short-sighted and all too common.
Incidents like the one at Goblin Valley are not unfortunate when caught on tape, but unfortunate they happened at all. As a frequent national park patron and conscientious human, it is painful to see an opinion such as this promoted.

­— cwaldoch@indiana.edu