This past weekend I went on a hike in Tanner Park. This is one of the best open spaces in the valley, with miles of wilderness to explore. It is also a dog park that allows dogs to run leash free. The last time I went, I saw a two mile wood fence along the trail. How absurd — a wood fence in a wooded nature area.
Tanner Park has a long history. Before settlement in the Salt Lake Valley, American Indians were using the space. Then the railroad cut through it, carrying ore from the mines to the city. You can still see remains of the track and other pioneer remnants from that era. Yet this is the first known time that it is being fenced in.
Putting a fence in a wilderness area has no purpose. It is not that they are trying to protect nature as much as trying to keep people out. It is ridiculous, as this is a public park. People — and their dogs — should be able to explore it. Instead, fences limit us and define boundaries that shouldn’t exist.
The worst part is that this fence is made out of wood. Putting a wood fence in a wooded area is like feeding chicken to a chicken — it’s insulting. As I was walking back to my car I noticed an older gentlemen taking a picture of the fence. I asked him what he thought about the fence. “I think it is ridiculous,” he said. “My wife and I live up in Park City and have been coming to this park for 20 years. I was just taking a picture to show her just how ridiculous it is.”
My first reaction to this violation of nature was to begin tearing it down. Then I realized that it was illegal and determined that the city would not simply put this fence up without a reason.
But their reasons aren’t good enough. Maybe they constructed it to preserve the wilderness area, but that was contaminated by humans long ago. It could be to keep the dogs from roaming around, but other animals call these woods home.
The reason this fence was put in was to keep people out. Behind the fence, you see a trail going into the woods every 10 feet. The fence is meant to keep people from falling or exploring the natural area. There is no justifiable reason to put a fence in the Tanner Park.
Henry David Thoreau predicted this long ago. “When fences shall be multiplied, and man traps and other engines invented to confine men to the public road; and walking over the surface of God’s earth, shall be construed to mean trespassing on some gentleman’s grounds.” Going beyond this fence is trespassing and a crime. This fence makes it a crime for people to enjoy this wilderness area fully.