Kane County opposes beetle protection plan

Kane County officials are fighting the federal government's proposed listing of a beetle found only in Utah as a threatened species, saying it would adversely affect tourism. Commissioner Dirk Clayson told The Salt Tribune that the county is "completely against" the proposal to designate 2,200 acres of dunes there as "critical habitat" for the Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle. He said the proposal to designate up to 70 percent of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes as critical habitat could close the area to all vehicles and the county questions government data that indicate tiger beetle numbers are dwindling. The Spectrum