Another climate victim: Cryptobiotic crust

The stuff that "holds the place in place" is imperiled by warming

Tire tracks in cryptobiotic crust, Bears Ears National Monument. Jonathan P. Thompson photo.

When I was a youngster and my family went to Canyon Country in southeastern Utah, which we did quite often, we had a few immutable rules: Don’t pocket potshards or other artifacts, don’t throw rocks off the cliff if you don’t know who or what’s down below, and d…