Tuesday, October 07, 2008

BLM wants Nine Mile Canyon on Historic Places list Federal officials want parts of Utah’s Nine Mile Canyon put on the National Register of Historic Places. The canyon northeast of Price — sometimes called the world’s longest art gallery — is home to more than 10,000 ancient rock carvings and drawings. Bureau of Land Management officials plan to nominate the area for the national designation. The paperwork will probably be submitted in the next four to six months, said Byron Loosle, BLM’s state archaeologist. The nomination will include about 800 sites in the canyon, including parts of public and private land. Some private landowners in the area have asked not to be included and won’t be in the proposal, Loosle said. The BLM hopes to group the sites together under a single nomination. The decision comes as the BLM considers a proposal to allow more than 800 new wells on a plateau above the canyon. The plan has come under fire over concerns that increased natural gas activity will dramatically increase the number of trucks driving through the canyon. Some worry extra dust kicked up by the trucks will jeopardize the rock art....

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