Submission Number: UBR-DEIS-00296 -- Oral Comment at Public Meeting 

Received: 11/19/2020 12:00:00 PM
Commenter: Margaret Bringhurst
Organization: 
State: 

Agency: STB
Initiative: Uinta Basin Railway EIS
Attachments: No Attachments
Submission Text
I'm Margaret Bringhurst, M-A-R-G-A-R-E-T, B as in boy, R-I-N-G, as in girl, H-U-R-S-T. · · · · ·"Thousands of nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home, that wilderness is a necessity." Quote from John Muir.· · · · ·

Ever had a week where you felt like a nerve-shaken -- and -- nerve-shaken, or is it the norm? Maybe you need to unplug, get away, go to the mountains. Sometimes we think that life has become a fast-paced frenzy, but Muir points out that this was a problem decades ago.· His solution:· Go to the mountains.· That's from the Social Hiker Trail Guide. · · · · ·

Around 30 years ago after packing up our kids and tent trailer for a fun weekend at one of Utah's campouts, we had to come back home because every place we went was full. · · · · ·

After that disappointing experience, we started looking for recreational property to buy.· We looked at several pieces within a few hours from our place, but almost gave up after a few years until we found Indian Canyon Summit and our Dog Canyon properties.· Vern, the original surveyor and then real estate agent, took us to three properties for sale.· We started getting excited because past properties didn't have the pine trees we wanted.· We asked him if there were anything with both shade and sunshine and pine trees, shade for Kent, sun for me. · · · · ·

When he drove to our future place, we felt like we were on sacred ground.· We spent every liquid dollar we had to buy it.· That was 27 years ago.· We love going to the property.· We have had multiple reunions and many wonderful memories.· Last summer, I counted 15 cars, 4 trailers, and around 17 tents. · · · · ·

Our place is frequented by deer, elk, plus a variety of migrating birds, chipmunks, rabbits, and squirrels.· Our son calls it "deer poop property." Imaginations run wild, and the little people have built multiple forts.· And before the fire of, I think it was 2012, grandkids found enough dead trees for a zoo that they proudly introduced to their parents.· There was a pirate ship and a seesaw. · · · · ·

The teenagers had sufficient room to be away from the crowd and build friendships that otherwise would not have happened. · · · · ·

Adult siblings and spouses circled up for chatting and table games.· At night, we share talents and skits, and we don't need to be quiet by 10:00 p.m., which means that we can tell scary stories in the dark.· It becomes a place for the young and the old to find commonality. · · · · ·

Discovery of beaver ponds and Little Dribble Waterfall was a delight for years.· Kent and I could sit in our trailer and watch the chipmunks chase each other around the ground and feed birds looking for food.

[pause]

The most important thing is that this is seismic area.· The Crandall Canyon Mine disaster in 2007 was due to seismic activity.· There are also pockets of gases, and it's beyond me as to why they want to use this mountainous area for a railroad.· Thank you.