Dear HCN,
Tony Davis’ story on
desert sprawl (HCN, 1/18/99), with figures proving the city of
Tucson has more than doubled in size in 40 years, and that an acre
of the Sonoran Desert disappears every two hours, seems absurdly
unbelievable. It is preposterous that people can destroy the
saguaro, prickly pear cacti, and ironwood trees while ignoring the
endangered pygmy owl. I am wondering, however, why nothing was
mentioned about the Yaqui and Tohono O’odham people living within
Tucson?
Native people are obviously affected by
desert sprawl, just as the plants, animals and land are. These
people are admirable for keeping their cultural identity alive, but
this “money is in the dirt” attitude pulls them away from their
Sonoran mountain stronghold. Their past is within the land and when
it becomes commercialized, part of their history is lost. The
murderous style in which these unfamiliar outsiders treat the
Sonoran Desert has as much to do with the Yaqui and Tohono O’odham
as it does with the pygmy owl. I just thought this would have been
mentioned somewhere within your extensive eight-page
article.
Ben
Clark
Tilton, New
Hampshire
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Sprawl also harms native people.
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