Joni Mitchell famously sang in her song “Big Yellow Taxi,” “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” This sentiment is all too real across the country, where natural areas and dark skies are being destroyed to make way for man-made structures and parking lots with excessive, wasteful lighting. This invasion diminishes quality of life and harms residents and wildlife living nearby.
What makes the case confronting Wasatch County unique is that it is being proposed in the name of God.
As a person of faith, I believe we are ALL called to be good stewards of the Earth and to protect it for future generations by preserving green spaces, protecting wildlife, safeguarding the night sky, and reducing our impact on the environment. It also means finding innovative, thoughtful solutions to development that do not involve destroying this God-given natural world or preventing its residents from enjoying and experiencing its beauty.
Wasatch County has ordinances in place to protect God’s beautiful earth and bountiful night sky: A Dark Sky ordinance to protect from intrusive and excessive lights; zoning to space out and protect residential areas from commercial development; and height restrictions on buildings to ensure views are not obstructed, just to name a few. The problem is not the community’s desire or well-intentioned regulations put in place to protect the gifts of God’s land and sky, it is the very officials elected to oversee the county who have shown through their actions as well as inactions a desire to change, adjust, bend, and manipulate those very regulations. Why?
To pave over God’s natural beauty and make it possible for an 88,000 square foot building, with a surrounding parking lot, spires reaching heights as tall as 19 stories, lit from 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. and built in the middle of a residential neighborhood in the heart of the county. Again, you ask “Why?”
As one religious member stated on a local social media post, “…to lead people to Jesus!”
The situation is ironic given the Declaration of Belief published in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 134 that binds seven of the eight elected Wasatch County officials. As stated in the manual for students: “Laws which are enacted for the protection of society have no value except when they are administered in righteousness and justice, and they cannot be so administered…if dishonest men occupy administrative offices. The Lord says, ‘When the wicked rule, the people mourn.’”
Perhaps it would be best to remind our elected officials that they were elected to represent the residents of the county – ALL of the residents – and even their religious leaders have given them the freedom to do so since declaring: “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds to the doctrine of the separation of church and state; the non-interference of church authority in political matters; and the absolute freedom and independence of the individual in the performance of his political duties. …”.
I urge our community and church leaders to consider the long-term impact of their decisions and to prioritize what God has created for ALL of us to enjoy over its destruction and replacement with man-made structures that only some believe to be a path to God. Listen to your community and put aside your personal and religious agendas. We have a responsibility to future generations to protect the natural environment and preserve the beauty of our night sky. Let us work together to ensure that our community is a shining example of thoughtful, cooperative, and responsible development done not only in the name of God, but in His spirit.