OCR Text |
Show The Park Record A-16 Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, November 12-15, 2005 So. Summit welcomes dignitaries to annual event , -i - (•:• \ . r ^ r ; The Annual South Summit Community Family Education Night, held during Red Ribbon Week each year, was sponsored once again by the South Summit Healthy Community Coalition. This year the event was held on Oct. 26. Instead of a featured speaker, additional time was planned for individual classroom breakout sessions. Senator Allen Christenscn ,and his wife Janis, along with Representative Dave Ure attended the evening's •<• WE'LL HELP YOU THROUGH the ROUGH SPOTS this WINTER. Deer Valley's Exclusively for Men Specialty Ski Instruction Program Conducted by Deer Valley's top male Ski Instructors, these innovative programs involve you in planning the focus of the day. The programs include stance, balance and alignment analysis, video analysis and new equipment demo. Choose from two different instruction schedules: (All Ability ^pnes) February 3-5 or March 3-5, 2OO6 Three days, Friday through Sunday: Full days $4-30 MEN'S "WEEKEND Advance reservations arc necessary. Lift tickets not included. (All Ability &nes) January 5, 12. 19, 26 or February 2. 2OO6 Five consecutive Thursdays: Full days MEN $550 O N THURSDAYS Advance reservations are necessary. Liji tickets not included. CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO SOMETHING DIFFERENT'1 MAHRE TRAINING CENTER SKI CAMPS Three-day (All Ability Zones) December 9-11, January 6-8 or February 3~5 $595 Five-day (All Ability ^pnes) $910 December 1 2 - l 6 orjanuary 9 - 1 3 Advance reservations are necessary. Lift tickets.&rc included. Please call 888-754-8477 or 435-645-6648for rcscnvtions or information. Wbmen sprograrns are also available. DEER VALLEY RESORT 888-SKI-TIPS - www.deervalley.com LIVE MUSIC AND A GLOBAL TAPAS MENU! FRIDAY & SATURDAY EVENINGS Utah Representative David Ure event. The mission statement of the coalition is to promote safety, wcllness, and healthy lifestyles for the youth of the South Summit area. The Coalition works toward decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors by identifying existing problems and finding solutions that will benefit the community. By doing this it is hoped the youth will be empowered, have improved self-esteem, decrease substance abuse and achieve their full potential. The group works to increase awareness and communication throughout the community of issues relating to those listed in the mission statement. They also provide programs for youth and adults in the areas of drug/violence prevention while creating, supporting and expanding free or low-cost programs and activities as an alternative to substance use. Attendees first signed in and then enjoyed a free meal of soup and bread provided by community vendors, which was very much appreciated. Among the class topics were: Men's health issues, women's health issues, childhood obesity, kindergarten here we come -- are you ready?, basics of understanding credit, the power of YOUth, the color code, Internet crimes against children Utah Senator Allen and Janis Christensen and what you really need to know about first-aid- Those attending the event expressed their appreciation to those in charge and plan to attend next year. Programs sponsored by the coalition include: South Summit mentoring and tutoring afterschool programs at the elementary and middle school, annual community family education night and a $500 scholarship to a graduating senior who has overcome an obstacle in his or her life Utah's monument areas suffer despite protection Inadequate funding and staffing have left the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) illequipped to manage its premier Western lands, putting nationally significant lands like Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument at risk. The BLM's management challenges are detailed in the first-ever comprehensive assessment of its 26 million-acre National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS), released recently by the Wilderness Society and World Resources Institute. "Conservation is supposed to be the priority for these places, but despite rhe presence of talented and committed staff, the report is dominated nationally by grades of C and D," said Wendy VanAssell, one of the authors of the report, called State of the National Landscape Conservation System: A First Assessment. "Congress and the Department of the Interior must provide their dedicated and talented NLCS staff with more funding and a (rue commitment from the leadership to protect these irreplaceable treasures from vandalism, overgrazing and off-road vehicle abuse." The NLCS was established five years ago to conserve, protect, and restore the Bureau of Land Management's most scenic and significant lands and waters. The system incorporates the BLM's National Monuments, National Conservation Areas, Wilderness, Wilderness Study Areas, Historic Trails, and Wild and Scenic Rivers. Utah NLCS lands include Grand Staircase-Escalante. three national historic trails, three designated wilderness areas, and over 3.2 million acres of wilderness study areas. "These places are protected from oil and gas drilling, but do not have sufficient staff or resources to adequately protect the resources that make these places special," said Jill Ozarski of the Wilderness Society. "One of the reasons they are sorely neglected is because BLM is focused on issuing oil and gas drilling permits elsewhere." A recent report from the Government Accountability Office found that the BLM was focused on issuing permits for oil and gas drilling at the expense of wildlife, clean water, and wild places. Today's report grades the BLM's conservation system in seven categories, based on a review of more than 35 indicators, ranging from natural resource monitoring tQ management accountability. The conservation system overall scores no higher than a barely-passing "C" in any category, but Grand StaircaseEscalante scores better than aver-' age for most categories. For example, the monument received a "B" for visitor services and law enforcement, partially because it has four visitor centers with extensive public education programs. The Monument also received several high scores that reflect the conservation approach of the monument management plan, such as off-road vehicle restrictions that would preserve the primitive and wild character of the backcountry. However, the BLM's failure to implement some of these management decisions is putting natural and cultural resources at risk. "Places such as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument have dedicated and talented staff, but these staff simply are not given the funding or support they need to protect these lands from the impacts of increased visitation, damage from illegal off-road vehicle use, and vandalism," said Ozarski. "With recreational use of the area growing rapidly and resources for conservation management declining at the same time, BLM can't possibly keep up." The report asserts that BLM managers across the system are hobbled by inadequate and unfair budgets. Although the NLCS represents approximately 10 percent of the 261 million acres managed by the BLM, including a large number of the BLM's most publicly visited lands and waters, the Department of the Interior allocates just 2.5 percent of the agency's $1.8 billion budget to the NLCS. An immediate effect of this under-funding is a glaring lack of field staff to address inappropriate off-road vehicle use, vandalism and other problems. For the monument, each ranger patrols an average of 470,000 acres, or 10 times that of a typical national park service ranger. This lack of commitment to our protected public lands puts our natural resources, our heritage, and the communities that depend on these T H E NEW TAPAS MENU FEATURING PORK CHILAPAS, SCALLOP & CRAB CEVICHE, STREET-HAWKER SHRIMP AND MORE! ALL ITEMS $5 AVAILABLE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY IN THE BAR ONLY. EVERY WEDNESDAY IS W I N E WEDNESDAY! No CORKAGE & GUESS THE MYSTERY WINE! OPEN SEVEN NIGHTS RESERVATIONS 435.6493140 WWW.35OMAIN.COM Present this coupon any evening to enjoy 2 FOR 1 ENTREES with beverage purchase through Nov. 23, 2005 Name Address E-Mail Not valid with orficr promotions. Dine-in only, based on tte number of guess in the party. • One discount pa coupon. and has volunteered for the coalition throughout the high school years. In order for the coalition to continue these programs they need the community to support their fundraising efforts. Please watch for fundraisers sponsored by the South Summit Healthy Community Coalition and know that all funds raised at these events go right back into the community through the sponsored programs. •'/..• Hotel ParVCrtY candoitnow.^ public lands at risk. The assessment includes five overarching recommendations to heip BLM better protect the cultural and natural resources of the National Landscape Conservation System: •Increased staffing, a fair share of financial resources, and an internal commitment to the conservation mission of the agency. •A better information base foi conservation management, including more, or better-organized, data collection so that the BLM can effectively manage.the lands and waters in its care. •Completion of overdue management plans and implementation strategies that will move the agency toward long-term stewardship of natural and cultural resources. •Immediate closure of harmful roads and routes. •Full utilization of volunteers and academic partnerships tc inventory, monitor, and protect resources. "The National Landscape Conservation System was created tc safeguard landscapes that are as spectacular in their own way as oui national parks," said formei Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt. "There is clear evidence, however, that we are at risk of moving backwards and failing to adequately protect these special American lands. The Department ol the Interior and our leaders in Congress should take the recommendations of this report to heart and support the conservation mission of the NLCS before it is too late." |