I have been walking in Carpenter Natural Area since 2009. It has been my go-to place to get quick exercise and a mental reprieve from the demands of everyday life, as well as meet other people doing the same. When I heard that the parcel adjacent to Carpenter on the west side was being considered for rezoning to industrial, I was concerned.

Carpenter Natural Area is a unique resource in the Four Corners Area. To my knowledge it is the only place with such a tremendous variety of “wild” life close to a town. Durango, Monticello, Shiprock and Farmington, to name a few, don’t have comparable places. More than 170 species of plants and multiple species of wildlife grace Carpenter’s slopes and wetlands.

Wetlands, among the other ecological zones present, are some of the most ecologically sensitive environments with, for example, frogs (go to Carpenter to listen on a spring evening), whose porous skin absorbs human-created toxins from water and kills them.

Wetlands advantageously buffer communities from floods.

The color green lowers heart rate in people – it helps establish good mental and physical health.

Any potential impact – noise, smoke from wildland firefighting practice sessions, chemical/fuel spills with fumes, exhaust – near this place ought to be seriously considered. Noise and airborne contaminants can travel uphill from the parcel to Carpenter.

It would be a strike against our community’s name to have this area damaged by such events.

I oppose the rezoning of 1050 Lebanon Road to industrial and urge you to join me.

April Baisan

Cortez