Box Elder County, Utah, has become the latest oil battleground -- this time pitting art enthusiasts against local officials. A proposed drilling area less than 5 miles from American sculptor Robert Smithson's massive Spiral Jetty (1970) threatens the serene open landscape integral to this work, not to mention noise pollution and the effect of toxic chemicals on the surrounding wetlands. The protection of Smithson's earthworks masterpiece -- a 1,500-foot-long coil made of basalt rocks and earth that winds into the Great Lake -- is championed by Dia Art Foundation, a nonprofit organization, as well as The National Trust for Historic Preservation. What's their plan of action? A letter-writing campaign directed at the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordination Office. If dissenting words escape you, a letter template is available at diaart.org; start stamp licking. --TASHA GREEN

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MV STAT: The Spiral Jetty is only visible when climate conditions cause the level of Great Salt Lake to drop below an elevation of 4,197.8 feet...