Morenci city council members were told Monday that a significant stream bank erosion problem exists at Riverside Natural Area and that funding is available to fix a portion of the trouble.

It was also noted that similar problems exist in hundreds of places along Bean Creek, and we certainly agree with that, however, we wouldn’t use the word “problem.”

Anyone who hikes the banks of the Bean will see dozens of trees growing along the river with roots exposed to the air, but not everyone will draw the same conclusion.

One person sees a problem of erosion; another sees a typical stream bank with soil held in place by roots. Think what might have happened if the trees hadn’t been there.

Opposing approaches to river management have been at odds for decades and are likely to continue for many more. In this case, one group of students planted water-loving trees along the creek to restore an area that was scraped bare of vegetation. Now another group wants to come in and cut down a large tree that’s showing exposed roots, then bring in heavy equipment to tear up the area that was replanted in order to reshape the banks.

We don’t expect city council to debate the merits of one approach over the other, but we do urge them to carefully consider the proposal for bioengineering the banks of Bean Creek.

It was only three years ago that city council members agreed to give Riverside the unique designation of a “natural area.” Are they about to reverse that decision and make it some kind of engineered natural area? That would, in effect, remove the natural character of the park.

It’s not easy criticizing the proposal because there are many good aspects. Students and a teacher made the effort to obtain a grant for a project that would involve students and the community and would increase awareness of Riverside.

But in our opinion, Riverside is clearly not the place for the project. There are a lot of other stretches of the Bean owned by the city where bioengineering would be a better fit.