Dave Simon, who is based in Albuquerque, is the Southwest regional director for the nonprofit National Parks and Conservation Association. Simon helped draft the bill that established the monument.





Dave Simon: "Given current circumstances, turning over total control of the monument to the National Park Service would be like handing a loaded weapon to a child.


"If this superintendent (Judith Cordova) were in the private sector, she would have been fired a long time ago. This is an EOE (Equal Opportunity Employer) experiment gone haywire.


"It should embarrass the Park Service that the monument is heralded in some rock-art circles as a leader in graffiti repair, instead of a leader in graffiti prevention through good visitor management. The Park Service mandate is to preserve resources "unimpaired for future generations," not "repaired for future generations." "


* C.R.