I recently took a helicopter ride from Vegas to the Grand Canyon with two other teachers, both of whom were transplants from the mid-west. All along the way, they both commented about how “ugly” and “dessolate” the desert was. When I commented that I thought the desert was beautiful, they said “We prefer scenery” and “I like green”. I asked them if they always ate the same flavor of ice cream. It is small-minded people from back east, like these two individuals, who have decided the desert is only good for dumping neuclear waste. They only see that it is not like what they are used to, instead of the beautiful and fragile ecosystem that the desert actually is. My message to them is: “Don’t come here. Stay away. The desert is more beautiful without you.”