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Show PAGE 22 THE ZEPHYR MARCH 1991 Jeepers vtheEnvironmentalists debate continues by Ken Davey A unique convergence of the Jeep Safari, the Bureau of Land Management, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and the traditional Southeast Utah view putting land use before land preservation have put local environmentalists Into a quandary that for the most part they either do not see or choose to Ignore. Its Jeep Safari time again, and late this month two or three thousand enthusiasts will pour Into Moab from across the country for a week of driving trails through canyons, atop slick rock domes and across sandy washes. For many of the participants, the event Is a highlight of their year, a chance to get together In a group to talk torque and tires, to see country nothing like whats at home, to take a vacation. And as such, they budget for the week, keeping creature comforts In mind and generally willing to rent motel rooms, eat In restaurants, and bring back curios and souvenirs of Canyonlands. the So Its not surprising that local merchants see the Safari as the way to kick-sta- rt tourist season. Compared to reedy hikers who satisfy all their human needs at the Food Coop or leotarded mountain bikers who toot Into town with three thousand bucks worth of look pretty good. bicycle but try to sneak Into motel pools for a free swim, the Into cash the most would the area at well over conservative estimates Even the put brought a quarter of a million dollars. four-wheel-dr- ive four-wheel- ers also no shock that old line Grand County, holding to a mining and minerals world outlook and at best a skeptical attitude toward tourism, would also see four wheelers as easier to relate to than people who name their children after zodiac signs and believe eating animal flesh violates cosmic balance. A Jeep has an engine, It roars, It conquers the land and nature Instead of meekly accepting the role of staying on pavement Despite all the work of the Safari with Its tremendous number of organizational and administrative headaches, members of the Red Rock Four Wheelers are especially pleased with the event It Is an opportunity to Introduce others to the local version of their favorite pastime, to proudly show the trails and vistas they get to explore the other 51 weeks of the year. And the local environmentalists have been happy with the event as well. The Safari has always stressed the Importance of responsible land use, and by publicizing the beauty of the region It tends to promote preservation of undeveloped canyons. Safari participants dont want to see drilling operations or camp parks along Porcupine Rim, they want It to remain as they see It: open, uncluttered, available for their next visit Everybody was happy. Good event, all things to all people. Some strain on Moab's municipal services, but In the long run a good trade off for the money brought Into town. Then SUWA had to go screw It all up. The Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society have Joined with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance In a challenge of the Bureau of Land Management permit for the Safari, compiling an appeal to the Department of Interior Board of Land Appeals. But the driving force behind the action seems clearly to come from SUWA. It was the SUWA bulletin, sent out to Its membership last fall, that first raised the specter of raving hordes ripping up cryptogamlc soli, crushing archeological artifacts and In general acting like Idiots at the expense of the land. Ive never seen the membership list, but Its a good bet that more dues payers to the organization with Southern Utah In Its name live In Park City or Logan than In Grand and San Juan counties combined. The arrogance of what Is basically a Wasatch Front group Ignoring Justified economic, social, and recreational desires of southern Utah residents has united Moab against organized environmentalism more than even the most outrageous antics of Earth First! and other more radical elements. And a number of local environmentalists now share that feeling toward SUWA. Even sometimes Inestimable publisher of the Canyon Country Zephyr Jim Stiles has Joined In the protest against the Safari permit challenge. SUWA has as Its goal the long-ter- m preservation of large areas In this region as wilderness. They hope to expand Congresslonally designated wilderness far beyond the BLM recommendation of about 2 million acres. While the Wayne Owens proposal of 5.7 million acres Is probably not realistic, officials of SUWA believe they can get the number up between 3 and 4 million acres. And they understand who will make the final decision. It will be members of Congress, most of whom never heard of Moab or hie Book Cliffs or Arch Canyon. A lot of them arent sure exactly where Utah Is. But members of Congress from St Louis and Chicago and Anaheim do know public opinion polls, and the polls show that most Americans favor more wilderness. They know that if seen as defenders of the environment, they can benefit In terms of prestige, campaign contributions, and votes. They dont care what happens to motel and restaurant operators In Moab. So, SUWA doesnt worry too much what people here think. We're peripheral to their Its ear agenda. The response of members of the Red Rock Four Wheelers Is to defend their event They know the Safari does not destroy the quality of the back country. They know the Safari benefits preservation of natural beauty; they see It every year as people come for their trail rides and leave with a deep and abiding respect for the land and a desire to keep It a quality experience for their children and grandchildren. So the Four Wheelers have fought back, Issuing a response to the SUWA challenge, submitted by Ber Knight, Ron Brewer, and Doug McElhaney. The Four Wheelers respond point by point to many of the claims made by SUWA, laying out a convincing case for why the Safari should be allowed to function throughout the 5 year period of the permit They point out many of the errors In the SUWA challenge, that the Dome Plateau trail Is not 100 miles long, that Kane Creek Is not a permanent stream, that a collection of enjoyable trails cannot be better prepared by a resident of Salt Lake City looking through guidebooks than by local Moabites familiar with the area on a dally basis over a period of decades. If that was the extent of the controversy, If It was Just a question of the Impact of the Safari on the land, then SUWA would be the enemy, RRFW the heroes, and we could all feel good about backing the local guys against the foreigners. But as with any Issue of land use, there are wheels within wheels. The Grand County Commission has thrown Its support In with the RRFW. But do they have the same thing In mind as most of the members of the Red Rock Four Wheelers, much less local environmentalists? The Commission Is philosophically opposed to preservation of the land In cases where direct economic exploitation Is viable, or even possible. David Knutson Is honest In expressing his feelings. He tells you what he thinks. And If you ask him, he will tell you he doesn't want any designated wilderness In the area. He wants all the public lands fully opened to mineral exploration, to grazing, to leasing, unencumbered by regulations that prevent economic development He wants mines and oil wells throughout BLM land, because he feels It Is the only way for Moab and Grand County to achieve a semblance of wealth. He wants grazing throughout the public land system. And he would love to see the privatization of as much BLM administered land as possible, for cabins, or natural gas operations, or trailer parks. Whether or not Davids views are the best for the region, they definitely reflect a legitimate (and based on last November's election results, a majority) outlook that should be taken Into account In any determination of public lands protection. But It should be understood that In his view, protecting Moab Rim for hikers, bikers, or Jeepers Is secondary to any possibility of generating revenues from It And the County Commission went much further than simply defending the Safari. They used the opportunity to launch an assault on the preservation movement as a whole. A letter signed by all the commissioners to Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan stated, "action taken to protect the environment must be done In a reasonable manner that will also nurture economic development In other words, mining or drilling operations should take precedence over the scenic beauty of a trail. Knutson and the other commissioners are working for their constituency. They are fighting to make sure their vision of how southeast Utah should develop remains In the minds of state and national officials who determine land policies. And the RRFW members are representing their constituency, people who want a wide variety of experiences. But for local environmentalists, the Issues are not as simple. Putting aside their arrogance, their false representation of the Jeep Safari, and their misstatements of fact In the IBLA challenge, SUWA has raised a series of Important questions regarding the environmental assessment of the Safari carried out by the BLM. Some RRFW members didnt see It that way. They complained loudly, accusing the and obstructionism. They called on the county to declare all the agency of Jeep Safari trails to be county roads, and therefore outside the Jurisdiction of the BLM. And of course the commission agreed. That put pressure on the BLM, especially considering the fact that a threat to the Safari was seen almost unanimously In Moab as a threat to the entire community. And the BLM was put to a test: would they carry out their Job without bending to the subjective views surrounding them, or would they seek the path of least resistance? The BLM Is trying to move In new directions. Long considered the ugly stepchild of the Department of Interior family, the agency has watched the National Park Service cash In on a reputation as a protector of natural beauty while It was busy putting In cattle guards. In the scheme of Washington politics, people management has always held more glamour than cow management and mine reclamation. off-ro- ad foot-dragg- ing |
