Letters: The defiling of Sapphire Falls

Re “A dry spell for forest lovers,” Oct. 1

In the past The Times has been viciously criticized for publishing graphic depictions of violence in troubled parts of the world. Readers have labeled such images disgusting and obscene.

Tuesday’s photograph of the graffiti-besmirched Sapphire Falls in the San Bernardino National Forest registers as even more repulsive.

Closing high-risk fire areas during the most dangerous time of year, as has been done with Sapphire Falls, seems like a wise and pragmatic decision. But situations like the disrespect there highlight the heartbreaking truth that many people seem undeserving of nature’s bounty anyhow. As the childhood admonishment goes, “You use it wrong, you give it up.”

In the war between our beautiful natural environment and overwhelming cultural ignorance about how to appreciate and preserve the planet, degradation and destruction may eventually keep people away from natural treasures as much as an outright ban on their presence might.

Shame on the defilers, one and all.

Cay Sehnert

South Pasadena

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