OCR Text |
Show THE ZEPHYR PAGE 31 JULY 89 vehicles to get there due to age or Injury, but the majority did not and were perfectly capable of doing It with a bit more sweat and a lot less petro-pukl- ng machinery. Barry Lopez's exhortations notwithstanding, I don't believe that It Is possible to simply "throttle the Beast. It Is too large and powerful. But maybe we can slowly starve It to death. Every one of us. Every day. Use your own power to transport yourself whenever possible. When vehicular transport Is necessary, use mass transit or car pool. Avoid beverages sold In little two gulp disposable bottles. Demand paper bags In (Sty Market, then recycle them along with everything else possible. Look for food grown without petro-polso- ns. Starve the Beast while you nourish yourself. Turn lights off, wash clothes In cold water, dry them In the breeze or behind a sunny window. Bore Ready Kilowatt to death. Starve the Beast, that's the only way he can be had. If we are literate enough to read and appreciate Edward Abbey, then we are literate enough to read labels on consumer goods. Hopefully we are Dterate and committed enough to learn what Impact that the production or use of any such goods might have on the wild lands we profess to cherish, as well as the quality of life In general To whatever degree we are able to limit careless or superfluous consumption In our lives, we will be helping to stem the tide of environmental degradation everywhere, and reducing the pressures for development on wilderness lands. Starve the Beast Assert your independence. Seek out and patronize life It Is the conscious, creative, positive, giving, life sustaining oualltv. It is Just as easy and In the long run far more patriotic thing to do. effective than pulling up stakes or writing congressmen. It is no longer to for us talk write and about and and what "they wilderness Just enough sing are doing to It. They are us too. For me one of Abbeys most endearing traits was his ability to be In a contrary sort of way; contradicting himself shamelessly, or rants (the heart of his prose) and then dismissing engaging In pages-lo- ng himself as a "macho, blustering fraud. A decade ago I guided a river trip for a group of British Journalists. One of these, a young fellow from London, displayed this same quality In his own way. He was very passionate and eloquent In describing his fascination with wilderness and a wild river, yet In his assessment of himself as a "completely spineless quite matter-of-fa-ct to unable person, truly enjoy the experience of It (or to stand up to his boss). This man, though so unlike Abbey, also left me with some words I shall a few verses that were his always treasure Just for their sheer feeling; answered to my question "Even If you are afraid of It and may never experience It (wilderness), doesn't It mean something to you In London Just to know that It exists somewhere? Years later, I became curious as to who the author of these verses was, having not asked at the time I first heard them. Out of the blue, I decided to write Edward Abbey and ask him. I sent him a postcard, not realizing until last Saturday's gathering that I was at the time swelling the already considerable ranks of Abbey postcard pen-pal- s. Terry Tempest Williams, Wendell Berry, David Quammen eL aL He must not have received the card or known the answer, since he never wrote back. self-effac- ing "What would the world be, once bereft of wet and wildness, let them be left Wildness and wet, 0 wildness and wet Long live the seeds, and the wilderness yet May your remains be pushing up seeds, Abbey, and your spirit pulling new the sky. Happy Trails life Into John Groo WATERING DOESNT HAVE TO BE A DRAG Simplify your irrigation system with drippers & CALL KEN, mini-sprinkle- rs and let him design your irrigation system with P.O. Box 577 keep your plants happy and MAXICROP FERTILIZER GRO-GREE- N Moab, Utah 84532 U.S.A. 801 259-859- 4 800 874-448- 3 summer clearance mountain bike accessories THE BEST OF THE WEST! Whitewater River Expeditions Guided Mountain Bike Tours Combination Ride & Raft Western Ranch Vacations with River Trips Jeep Tours Castle Canyon Nursery Ken and Alice Drogin, owners 259-827- 4 Open Most Days But FRI-SAT-SL- fN - FOR SURE i . GnupWholesaler Rates Available |