Dear Editor:

I was startled at The Aspen Times’ objection to the Forest Service ban on camping during the bike race between miles 56 and 66 on Independence Pass. The Times’ statement that the “official excuse” that “camping would tear up the delicate tundra doesn’t hold water,” by not explaining the “excuse” or what is wrong with it, is a sentence that does not, itself, hold water.

Tundra is an intricate mix of dozens to hundreds of miniature species that have adapted to the altitude, and a patch of it can take as long as a century to grow back. Should that fragility be sacrificed for an annual sports event?

I agree with a recent letter that pointed out that the top of the pass is already overtrampled, but does one abuse justify another? I commend the Forest Service for protecting our surrounding heritage from ourselves and hope it will never be intimidated by Aspenites from doing its job.

Bruce Berger

Aspen