Hello All,
I hope I have placed this thread in the right place, if not could the moderators please relocate it?
Today I have heard some disturbing news regarding the future, or not, of the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Please read:
From: "Tom Burkland" <tom.burkland@peterseninc.com>
Sent: Monday, August 17, 2015 12:34:29 PM
Subject: Bonneville Petition
The Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) have been under threat for decades. In the 1960s, the land-speed racing community alerted the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the agency charged with overseeing the BSF, that there was a serious problem. No protective action was taken until 1997 with the start of a salt brine pumping program proposed by the racers. There was no need to wait so long. A study published in 1979 detailed measures that could be undertaken to protect the BSF such as removing the salt brine-collection ditches. In 1989, the BLM itself warned that the BSF was endangered. Other studies echoed those sentiments. Despite a significant salt-brine pumping program, it has become obvious that the amounts being pumped are insufficient to overcome the estimated 50-75 million tons of salt that were removed over the previous six decades.
The cancellation of 2015’s Speed Week due to deteriorating conditions at the BSF has helped build a large coalition effort to address the problem. With renewed focus, the team has constructed a plan to save the BSF. Team members from Save the Salt, the Utah Coalition, SCTA-BNI and USFRA are working with state government officials from Utah and Nevada, along with members of Congress and the BLM, engineers and geologists to draft a comprehensive Reclamation Plan. Additional information will be shared in the coming days and weeks so that the racing community can use their collective voices in demanding its implementation.
A petition is being circulated to stop the mining of this Area of Critical Environmental Concern, without more aggressive management by the government entities currently responsible for this unique area there will not be a salt flat in the coming years. Please take the few minutes to submit your signature to this issue and start towards the resolution of the situation.
Here is the link, and those who are not resident in USA just leave out the zip code. Don't forget you have to verify/confirm when you get the security check response. Please feel free to forward this on to any friends or acquaintances that would be interested in preserving this natural wonder and the land speed racing that has occurred on top of it for decades.
petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-mining-bonneville-salt-flats-0
Thanks for your help
Tom
They currently have 2,244 signatures so far and need a further 97,765 by September 10, 2015 to reach the required total of 100,000, they need all the help they can get.
It would be a tragedy to see this great tradition lost to future speed freaks. I think most would agree that it is one of the greatest parts of motorised heritage that the world has. Please sign the petition and spread the word as much as possible.
Many thanks.
All the Best,
Rob54.
