I chose this piece because it’s our latest big assignment for Global Peace.
The purpose of it was to get a lesson in protesting on an issue we care about.
I’m proud of it because it discusses an issue I’ve been close to, even if the issue has already been resolved. I learned that the best way to communicate these matters is in a concise, to the point way.

To Neal Blue, on the off chance this letter will actually find you.

Please accept this letter as a protest regarding your intentions to develop the Valley Floor of Telluride. And also please realize that this is for a school project, and I don’t really mean to protest a matter that has been resolved for a while now.

If this land was allowed to be developed, a number of devastating consequences would result. I’ve been a frequent visitor of this town with my family for the last ten years, and although I’m not local, I treat it as a home. And I know it well enough to understand the importance of the valley floor’s preservation. Every time we visit, the best part of the trip always seems to be getting there. Driving in, I can’t help but be baffled at the historic stretch of land’s wild beauty. The kind of beauty that cannot be controlled, cannot be tamed. The kind of beauty that is perfect. That’s what the valley floor captures. On a planet of dwindling natural environments, we cannot afford to lose this refuge.

I believe that this project will:

  1. Ruin Telluride’s charm as one of the last true, remote mining towns
  2. Drive out wildlife
  3. Deplete public recreational space
  4. Lead to even worse projects like a possible wallmart
  5. Ruin one of the best views in Colorado
  6. Tamper with the natural flow of the streambed
  7. Kill nature and everything that needs nature.

While your potential project may provide short-term profit and maybe even benefit Telluride’s economy on the whole, we believe it will destroy the one thing that cannot be rebuilt: the idea of Telluride as one of the last pristine, untouched mountain towns. The valley floor is integral in this quality.
While you do have the “right” to develop this land, you have to realize that this is far bigger than you. For the sake of the town, the environment, and your own conscience, please reconsider your intentions.

Sincerely,

DM