Here's what happened to the cow in Peek-A-Boo slot:
http://www.sltrib.com/news/1965846-155/dead-cow-clogs-utah-slot-canyon
That does it for me. I was between Alternative B and C, but I'm definitely going to advocate for B now.
Don't forget this is hardly the first time something like that has happened. Granted, the BBQ is a new twist. See link below:
Since I finally vented about this last night on FB, I might as well continue here. In my opinion, the whole cow in slot thing is bad, and it certainly makes great headlines, but it's not nearly as problematic as the greater impact of cattle on the soil, plant life and water sources in GSENM. Nature does a pretty good job of cleaning up slot canyons, so long as people don't slow it down by causing big rocks to break off and pin said cow down like has happened in the Peekaboo incident.
I also think it's worth considering that this isn't about recreation vs. grazing, who used the land first or who has mouths to feed. To me, it's just responsible use of land. If recreationists did the same damage that cattle do, I'd say kick them out or regulate them too. While I'll admit that I'm generally not fond of heavily subsidized grazing on any public land, I think it's safe to say there is a lot more land in this country where the impacts are not as severe as they are in the desert. This Abbey quote applies nicely here, I think:
“Strolling on, it seems to me that the strangeness and wonder of existence are emphasized here, in the desert, by the comparative sparsity of the flora and fauna: life not crowded upon life as in other places but scattered abroad in spareness and simplicity, with a generous gift of space for each herb and bush and tree, each stem of grass, so that the living organism stands out bold and brave and vivid against the lifeless sand and barren rock. The extreme clarity of the desert light is equaled by the extreme individuation of desert life-forms. Love flowers best in openness and freedom”
– Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire
That just doesn't sound like a place cattle should be grazing. Cows should be in green, grassy places where it isn't 105 degrees with sparse bits of grass scattered between sand and sagebrush. Someplace where water is a bit more abundant than the occasional spring or seep or tiny stream. Someplace where cow pies can actually break down and go back into the soil, not turn into petrified, sun-baked piles of shit that will still be there in 50 years. And in my own opinion, on private land.
I remember my first trip into Chimney Canyon (San Rafael Swell). There were probably a dozen or so cows in the lower part of that great, big canyon. Maybe more, but not a lot. As we walked for miles, quite literally every single sprig of grass was chewed down to the dirt. Every little spring and seep was cowed up and disgusting. Cow shit all over in the only water for miles. Every square inch of the soil seemed to be pounded by cow hooves, making every breeze that came through send sand into the air and every footstep grueling.
Then just a year and a half later I returned. The cows were gone. The grass had returned, the water was pristine and the soil was hard and crisp and a joy to walk on. It's amazing how quick the desert can spring back from such abuse, but it's no reason to allow it in the first place. </endrant>
