In considering the Black Rock Desert National Conservation Area proposal of Senator Bryan's, the question arose for me: What good is a visitor center in mitigating increasing damage to the fragile desert like I see occurring in my "back yard" BLM land in Washoe Valley? Will only law abiding citizens who already have respect for the region's fragile
environment make use of a visitor center?
The answer I came up with is: education is the extra ingredient a visitor center provides. Education that the desert is fragile and does not recover easily from off road vehicular use. Education that many species, including several endangered species, plant and animal, depend upon the existing habitat in and around the Black Rock Desert. Education
that if one person removes an immigrant artifact, what's to stop many others from doing the same thing? What is left without that education? A much poorer environment for future visitors and the needs of the species dependent upon it.
JANICE BARBOUR
Washoe Valley
