Re: the August 24 article "State geologist's death 'devastating' as agency moves to UA."
I was saddened to read about the passing of M. Lee Allison of the Arizona Geological Survey. Over the past 10 years I have seen the good work that Lee did at the agency despite declining support from the state. He was proactive in procuring external funding to help support the survey's mission and increase public access to their products. As an independent consultant, I have long relied on their maps and open-file reports, many of which are now accessible through the Web, thanks to Lee's interest in geoinformatics.
The survey performs a valuable service in documenting geological resources, mapping landforms and evaluating hazards such as ground subsidence fissures and flooding. I hope the legislators mentioned in your article are successful in their efforts to restore line-item funding to this valuable agency so that it can continue to perform at the level that Lee helped establish.
Gary Huckleberry
Foothills
