To the editor:
This week in Prescott, Ariz., a trial is under way to determine whether or not to uphold U.S. Forest Service approval of a ski area expansion in northern Arizona. The proposal includes using 100 percent reclaimed wastewater to make snow in addition to the clearing of 100 acres of forest for expanded ski runs.
The mountain is sacred to a minimum of 13 tribes in the area, and has been used in ceremony for countless generations. If upheld, the ski area would be the first in the world to use 100 percent reclaimed water for snow making, therefore setting a precedent for future cases involving wastewater use on public lands. Beside the potential hazards of introducing pharmaceuticals and other unfiltered compounds onto the mountain, traditional indigenous people in the area would again have their ways of life compromised in the name of recreation and economic progress.
The community of Lawrence could benefit from informing ourselves of the issue in Arizona and how it provides a greater context for our ongoing debate regarding the Haskell/ Baker Wetlands and the South Lawrence Trafficway.
Brett Ramey,
Lawrence
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