Dear Congressman Udall,
I am a Canadian who has had the privilege of spending time in your state.  
Chaco Canyon is one of the most special places on this planet.  It has a wonder 
about it that goes far beyond its natural beauty and its amazing cultural 
significance.  It has a serenity that touches one in an almost spiritual way 
that I find difficult to explain.  I have travelled extensively and there are 
few places in the world that have affected me in this way.
It is with deep concern that I have heard of plans to possibly pave the road to 
Chaco.  If this should happen I cannot see anything but the inevitable 
degradation of this national treasure.  I am sure you have heard all the 
arguments against this from the destruction of the environment and cultural 
sites to all kinds of pollution - not the least being the the night-time light 
pollution - so I won't reiterate those arguments here.  Rather I will ask you 
not to grant the extra funding requested by the San Juan County which will 
enable them to pave the road.  The funding already earmarked for the Chaco road 
is sufficient for upgrades to make the road safe and accessible.
I realize that as a Canadian citizen I may be overstepping my boundaries by 
asking for your help but as a citizen of the world, I ask for your support in 
maintaining Chaco Canyon as the treasure that it is, not only for Americans but 
for the rest of the world.
Thank you for reading this.  If you have also had the opportunity to spend time 
at Chaco, especially overnight, I know that you will understand and appreciate 
my feelings for this special place and my concerns for its future.
Yours sincerely,
June Jacobs



mr. udall, 

i urge to not to pave the road to chaco canyon.  on a vacation 
last summer i made plans to visit chaco canyon for 3 days... and i stayed 
almost my entire 3 week vacation. as an anthropology/biology student, i 
found the enviornment to be unlike any place i had ever been, and i consider 
myself well traveled.  my particular major is called ethnobiology, and i 
study the way native peoples use/used their enviornments.  this was the 
first place i had ever been able to sit in solitude, surrounded by rich 
history, a prosperous ecosystem, and read/study without interuption from 
another human.  this was a powerful moment in my life.  i didn't take a 
shuttle, wait in line, or sleep in a bed, instead, i slept in a tent and 
awoke at dawn, then walked to wijiji.  these sunrise walks were special, 
usually met with wildlife, and showed me the earth in a rare light, 
undeveloped, and as god had created it.  you can't help but appreciate 
nature in a setting such as chaco canyon, and at a time in history where 
earths most notable animal has removed itself from nature, it feels good to 
go out and reconnect with what has always been.  what makes america 
beautiful, is the people and the land we inhabit, help protect this 
beautiful relationship by utilizing available funds where they are needed, 
and  i assure you, chaco canyon is not in need of asphalt.

zac ormsby



...I told him that I'd visited Chaco 
many times over the years and that something would be permanently lost if the 
road were paved...that one of the core gifts of Chaco is its remote access and 
that the gravel road forces one to slow down and feel the land and the 
surroundings and the sacredness of the place...that Chaco is a place to 
experience and not just "see"...and that there are many places with ruins in the 
Southwest that people could go "see"...that the essence of Chaco Canyon would 
not be felt with motorcycles, rv's, campers etc. barrelling down a paved 
road...  Sylvia