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Show PAGE 8 THE ZEPHYRSEPTEMBER 89 ...where angels fear to tread Congressman Owens and his wilderness bill come to Moab by Jim Stiles "Wayne, you're a brave man. -- Jimmie I admire your courage. Walker When I heard that Congressman Wayne Owens was coming to southern Utah to "sell his 5.1 million acres wilderness proposal, I shared Jimmie Walkers sentiments. And what better place, I speculated, to be drawn and quartered by angry rural Utahans than In the heart of the redrock canyons he loves so dearly. Owens had already survived a number of public meetings In several southern Utah communities, before arriving In Moab' on Friday evening to run the gauntlet once again. In Escalante, regarded by many as the meanest little town In the state, the courageous Congressman was not In Montlcello, according to Owens, one gentleman "lovingly offered to hang me." In Kanab, he received more "Interesting offers." Now, In the fluorescent glare of the windowless council chambers, Wayne Owens sat at the glass-topp- ed conference table, In shirtsleeves, sipping a Diet Coke. A camera crew from CBS had come to Moab specifically to tape the coming carnage. On the other side of the room, the omnipresent Mattingly set up the Channel 6 camera. Jimmie Walker came In and sat down directly behind "Want to get a front row seat, Jimmie?" I asked. Mattingly. "Nope. he "I figure If I sit directly behind him, theres no way hell be able replied. to get me on tape." That guy always has a plan. The crowd started to filter In, familiar faces, a few strange ones. As well as many familiar strange faces. . A lot can be told about a person's wilderness preference by looking at his or her feet I glanced down and saw , well-receiv- ed. . sandals with high-te- ch a couple pair of those I I feet upward followed the velcro closures assumed. to find the beaming faces of Andrew Riley and John Groo. On the other hand, western shirts are almost as reliable a barometer cowboy boots and snap-fro- nt A for types. flagrant exception Is Ken Sleight, who must wear those silly sandals Inside his cowboy boots. The room filled up quickly. A standing room only (SRO) crowd formed outside the door In the lobby. Commission Chairman Merv Lawton, looking especially natty In his paisley suspenders, called the meeting to order. Owens took the floor. . new-fang-led pro-wildern- antl-wlldern- nylon-webbi- ng ess, ess tried to explain his feelings about wilderness and It whether pro or con. It was a passionately felt Issue. recognized that, would take years to resolve the wilderness question. But he'd also come to at least attempt to clarify just what wilderness means. It does not prohibit It timber harvesting, It prohibits new development of mineral exploration. to 1984 be and allows mining rights established before played out, grazing can continue In wilderness areas. It gag even permit the limited use of a truck. Furthermore, Owens stated that his proposed wilderness areas were not huge and Inaccessible. The entire "wilderness package Included 64 separate tracts, none of which Is more than seven miles from a road or navigable river. In fact, said Owens, at least 60 of all the wilderness areas can be seen from the road. Fifty years earlier, over 18 million acres of wilderness remained In Utah; now, as the twentieth century winds down, less than 5 12 million acres remain. It was time, Owens said, to save some of whats left With that, he opened the meeting to questions. The Congressman braced myself. Ok I thought here It comes. All Hell Is going to break loose. But to my surprise, and somewhat perverse disappointment, all Hell did not break loose. No bricks, hardly a thrown epithet To be sure, sentiment ran strong. Dale Mosher had the first question, and there was no doubt In anyones mind where Mr. Mosher stood on the Issue of wilderness. Quoting from a BLM document called "Wilderness Management Policy, Mosher and Raquel Shumway raised questions about the way these wilderness areas would I the BLM would Interpret the be administered. Mrs. Shumway had no faith that"What Is Intended," she said, wilderness legislation the same way she did. different two things. "and what the BLM does, are wilderness. Which made sense. asked opposed who questions of those Most What wilderness advocate Is going to argue with Wayne Owens? Unfortunately, no Earth Flrstersl were there to promote their 16 million acre wilderness a bit proposal. Maybe It would have livened things up After listening to quite a few speakers express specific concerns, It occurred to me that what most people feared was not wilderness, but specifically, the Bureau of Land Management They were afraid government of red tape, rules and regulations, petty bureaucrats and Inconsistent Raquel Shumway recounted an Incident In Carbon random, decision-makin- g. from the BLM to develop a claim County, where a miner had received permission In a wilderness study area. Because the claim was developed after 1984, It was Illegal and environmental groups screamed. The BLM subsequently withdrew he was acting In good Its permission. Whos to blame? Not the miner were demanding that the law be they faith. Not the environmental groups BLM acted consistently, the Incident would never have the Had upheld. V.happened. as are environmental wary of government groups just Whats more, most land agencies as their arch rivals. So environmentalists think the BLM Is a weak, spineless agency that caters to miners, ranchers and loggers, and multiple use groups think the BLM is trying to put them out of business through harassment and red tape. Nobody seems to like those guys. As the meeting droned on, I became more attentive to a fly that kept trying to go up my nose than the proceedings around me. I heard bits and In Grand County, 504,820 acres of pieces ot information fly by me wilderness would be designated, representing about 20 of the county's total acreage. Regarding grazing on public lands, about $360,000 was earned In permits on state owned lands in WSA's. But It cost $340,000 to maintain the allotments a barely break-ev- en operation. Dan Nelson gave a treatise on water rights and delved Into technical aspects of wilderness designation. I didn't have a clue what he was I heard Owens say, talking abouL Periodicity? I dont even know what it means. John Groo finally stood up and said a few words In favor of wilderness. Owens looked visibly relieved to know that at least one person out there , liked him. Groo pointed out that "a lockout works both 83 of the state Is already under multiple use." As someone whosways livelihood depends on the existence of wilderness, Groo asked how chaining a plnlonjunlper forest demonstrated multiple use? More rhetoric continued, although from looking, at the Id crowd, say the pros and cons were about a 5050 split But despite a few scattered catcalls, everyone was being so I polite. finally got up and walked out to the lobby, where I thought Id find a few rabble rousers. OMe Knutson had been out there. Earlier, Merv had asked how well they could hear from the lobby, "Not very good," said Ollle. "Well, there are some seats up front here, replied Merv. Ollle shook his head, "I can hear good enough." Bul IceP for one flood exchange between Rocky Erbes and the Congressman, p ace and calm prevailed. When Helen Wilson, a advocate from a 8Peak next u.p to me shook his hea- d- "So-- w cowboy them w,,d0mess and theyll Just get lost In It" uhp?0, i?ve .h!nd8 Pckel8 chuckled to himself, and left 11181 1E? .? Shorty thereafter, the meeting adjourned; Owens riArf ki. N Mo? w,ldernes" ball cap on for size. "Hippies and (lh08e wonderful old cliche s) walked out side by side, with nary ft ?21n.8-.huIt was a civilized was deling, tk' amazing. 81 mee?S- Him CBS crew. Theyd come to Aim a Hot 2 They looked depressed. antl-wllder- ness pro-wilder- ns 1 rt ness |