04-08-2008, 11:11 PM
I sent the following email to everyone on the list at savebearlake.com:
" To all whom it may concern, As a Utah native who lived in Utah for 28 years and operator of a Utah Fishing website, I am adamantly opposed to the Hook Canyon Hydroelectric Project. It would be a huge tragedy, and violation of the stewardship we have over native (and rare) species of fish and other wildlife that calls Bear Lake home. We cannot allow this kind of development to be created in such a unique environment, where precious unique water chemistry that creates the beautiful blue color of Bear Lake would be at risk due to changes in turbidity, temp. etc. that would likely happen due to this project. The project is not designed to give us more net energy, but rather to take advantage of peak and off-peak price differentials to make a huge profit for a few out of state investors at the expense of Utah tourism dollars, wildlife, and quality of life. Bear Lake is one of the few natural lakes in Utah. It was not created by a man-made dam, and is home to 4 species of fish that are native some are not found anywhere else on earth. It is visited by 400000+ people every year, including both residents and non-residents of Utah. This brings in a large portion of the money that supports both private and public interests in this part of Utah. This project would put all that at risk. I hope you'll do the right thing and do everything in your power to oppose this project and protect the vital ecosystem present in the Bear Lake Valley, as well as the economic well-being of an entire community.
Thank you for considering this very important issue.
"
Anyone can feel free to copy all or any portion if you'd like so it's quicker to send a mail. On savebearlake.com they have a list of email addresses to send it to (although one appears to be now retired, and another at least said he was not involved in the project, but said he'd forward it on to a couple who were). It's really easy, and it can make a huge difference.
I no longer even live in Utah (just moved to WA a couple months ago), but I still feel strongly about this issue. Let's all do what we can!
Kevin
[signature]
" To all whom it may concern, As a Utah native who lived in Utah for 28 years and operator of a Utah Fishing website, I am adamantly opposed to the Hook Canyon Hydroelectric Project. It would be a huge tragedy, and violation of the stewardship we have over native (and rare) species of fish and other wildlife that calls Bear Lake home. We cannot allow this kind of development to be created in such a unique environment, where precious unique water chemistry that creates the beautiful blue color of Bear Lake would be at risk due to changes in turbidity, temp. etc. that would likely happen due to this project. The project is not designed to give us more net energy, but rather to take advantage of peak and off-peak price differentials to make a huge profit for a few out of state investors at the expense of Utah tourism dollars, wildlife, and quality of life. Bear Lake is one of the few natural lakes in Utah. It was not created by a man-made dam, and is home to 4 species of fish that are native some are not found anywhere else on earth. It is visited by 400000+ people every year, including both residents and non-residents of Utah. This brings in a large portion of the money that supports both private and public interests in this part of Utah. This project would put all that at risk. I hope you'll do the right thing and do everything in your power to oppose this project and protect the vital ecosystem present in the Bear Lake Valley, as well as the economic well-being of an entire community.
Thank you for considering this very important issue.
"
Anyone can feel free to copy all or any portion if you'd like so it's quicker to send a mail. On savebearlake.com they have a list of email addresses to send it to (although one appears to be now retired, and another at least said he was not involved in the project, but said he'd forward it on to a couple who were). It's really easy, and it can make a huge difference.
I no longer even live in Utah (just moved to WA a couple months ago), but I still feel strongly about this issue. Let's all do what we can!
Kevin
[signature]