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Show THE ZEPHYR/OCTOBER-NOVEMBER en 2008 to go out of our way to oppose a bad idea conceived by economically desperate people who can legitimately, point at the South Rim and say, “We aren't the ones with numerous hotels and stores on the rim and 5 million annual visitors.” The Trust is the primary underwriter of ------------------- , which is the most effective way by far for us to oppose the Lake Powell pipeline and other bad ideas in SW Utah. We have kept that quiet so (he/she) is not burdened by the association with environmentalists. If you publicize it to (his/her) detriment, then shame on you. The Readers Respond... Bill Hedden Executive Director Grand Canyon Trust Moab, UT A FEW CHOICE WORDS ABOUT “GREEN 2” FROM KATIE LEE Jimbo: What an utterly fantastic job of journalism. How many hours you must have spent on the research alone would be uncountable! The sad, sad thing is there’s nothing we can do about those pricks with money--and therefore political clout--in this sorry-assed Republican Fascist State we're now in, except stay far away from their stench. If they hadn’t bought the media years ago, your GofW would be spread far and wide, and actually paid attention to by those who cared and could do something about it. I’ve sent it on to many folks I know who won’t get the Zephyr--probably the rest of the choir, but it’s something everyone should read, whether they're on your side or not. Fortunately the “glut crowd” has nothing I want, and they want nothing I have, so I can still live simply and keep my eco-print small. My books, etc., still tell it like it was and is--same as you do--and I don’t have to kiss anyone’s butt. I have hopes that the web version of the Z will reach even more people than the printed one. It should, you know. So keep ladling it out to us. So far, the greedheads haven’t been able to buy all of cyberspace. That must tick them off! I hope I don’t live to see the day when they can. F---them all! Response: 1) The story about the board member was first provided by someone currently involved in GCT and only confirmed by a “former staffer.” 2) When the largest and wealthiest environmental organization on the Colorado Plateau fails to oppose the most grandiose development on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in half a century, its silence should be interpreted ONLY as tacit approval. 3) If the Trust has to secretly give money to other organizations because going public would discredit the recipient, what does that say about the public perception of the Trust? Finally, if this is all Mr. Hedden can object to from the 10,000 word article, then perhaps he shares more of my concerns than he ever reveals...JS MORE COMMENTS ON “GREEN 2” Dear Jim: Your piece on the intertwining of enviros and wealth in the current Zephyr has been my lunchtime reading for the past couple of days, and I just finished it (over leftover Thai take-out). As always, it’s important stuff you are pointing out--and material virtually no one else writes about from your unique perspective (someone who is an advocate for wild land, a believer in the best of old-time rural Western values, and a fearless muck- Hugs, raker and challenger of thoughtless assumptions and greedy growth). It’s not easy to parse this conflict. I actually have sympathies for both sides. Conservation organizations do need money and access to power, and so they would find it hard to say no to Wyss and Fingerhut and the rest. Brant Calkin, who you rightly hold up as Katie Lee Jerome, AZ EDITOR’S NOTE: THANKS!! But Katie! What about the sorry-assed Democrat conspirators in the Fascist State??? JS : a hero, knew this. Dear Jim, I’m a procrastinator, so here are few things I’ve been meaning to tell you. 1. Brave New West is not a good book -- it’s a great book. I’ve sent copies to several friends who have been here often enough to appreciate it. It’s the best book I’ve read about Moab, and an invaluable historical piece. 2. The current Zephyr issue should be required reading for anyone with ab rain and a desire to understand the environmental hypocrisy of our day. It is also an invaluable piece of history. 3. The demise of the print Zephyr is truly a sad thing for those of us who are still hanging on by our teeth to what Moab used to be. I will miss it terribly. I’ll check in on the webpage, but it won't be the same for us old farts who appreciate the portability of : taint enough of it.” But Brant surely would still spend that money on The Cause and not on his own salary. I think the ideal would be for the conservation organizations to be led by fiercely independent, stubborn, and charismatic people who fight the good fight unapologetically--while gratefully accepting money from the wealthy board members who support them and who have their own reasons for donating. Maybe this is too much to ask for, maybe not. Those wealthy people do need the write-offs. And they must care about the goals (or their image) to associate themselves with the enviros. If tycoons donate money aper. ou have my best wishes on your future endeavors. Know that you will leave a hole that will not easily be filled. Michaelene Pendleton . Moab, UT to The Nature Conservancy to buy the Matheson Preserve, say, and go on to tout that, on balance more good has been done in the world. are welcome, but ALL comments will be considered ON THE RECORD.” I included that caveat because, for years, I’ve been receiving some pretty ‘colorful’ comments from these guys, but always with the insistent, “This is OFF the record” disclaimer. So the rules were clear. Of the 25, only the Grand Canyon Trusts’s Bill Hedden replied, and it’s bewildering. He mentions BY NAME a board member that I had referred to only generally, never specifically. Then he names an organization that secretly accepts funds from the Trust, but chides, “Shame on you (me!)” if I print his letter, despite the fact that I warned everyone that all comments would be printed in Feedback. As a compromise, I have removed the name of the GCT board member that Hedden reveals and years ago, about how he could go on in the face of such loss. the name that he claims would be damaged if anyone knew the Trust was involved...yeesh...JS scientist who knows more about Colorado Plateau ecology than anyone—should be on for his/her private plane travel to a meeting. We told him/her it was improper. He/she the board of every one of the Plateau enviro groups. The Sierra Club is starting to get the idea that they need to tie everything to the climate crisis. But even as we deal with that Big Stuff, we still need to do the little stuff, like eliminating tamarisk. It keeps people in touch withdrew it, was never so reimbursed, and has never submitted such a request again. That charge could be libelous, so lucky for the rumormonger that --------- is an extremely nice guy. The Trust never supported the Hualapai skywalk; we simply did not see a reason 366 N. 500 ee O 259-8324 Residential - Commercial- Sales Installation - Drain Cleaning with their home landscape issues. Nature writer Bob Pyle’s line comes to mind: how can you expect a child to care about a condor if she has never noticed a wren? NO..NO..NO... MR. PRESIDENT. WHEN I SAID WE WERE GOING TO ‘LAY SOME PIPE,’ _ COMPLETE LINE OF PLUMBING FIXTURES Kohler - Grohe - Mansfield _ - jer - Moen - Delta ~ Sterling - Price Pfister HOT WATER HEATERS - GARBAGE DISPOSALS He said, “I have to go on. So hope is the only option.” These issues pale in comparison to the global climate crisis. How do we incorporate such a huge challenge into these conversations? For starters, Jayne Belnap—the USGS To the Editor: Corrections: GCT board member ------------- once submitted a reimbursement request 4 RIVERSIDE PLUMBING & HEATING The catch, as you point out, is if The Nature Conservancy becomes beholden to the tycoon. They can finesse this. But it takes courage and unassailable integrity. The more money the enviro leaders make, the more they become part of the inner circle of power--and the less likely they can be effective revolutionaries. You didn’t write about the new president of The Nature Conservancy, but he comes from Goldman Sachs! That’s probably the ultimate melding of conservation and Big Money yet. Hope for the future boils down to leadership and ferocity. Al Gore comes to mind (the new, post-stolen-election Al Gore). David Brower, certainly. RFK, Jr., perhaps. There aren’t many... We can’t ask for perfect consistency. It just isn’t going to happen. This is very much what my new book Bargaining for Eden is about, as you know. It’s the cascade of ironies that I find myself navigating that makes the book more interesting than just a diatribe. I remain an optimist, by nature. It’s very much like the Mojave Indian guy I asked, “CORRECTIONS” FROM THE GRAND CANYON TRUST EDITOR’S NOTE: I have a dilemma. When “Greening of Wilderness...part 2” was published in the Aug/Sep Zephyr, I sent the link to about 25 professional environmentalists. I wrote, “Your comments Years ago, 1 sold a picture to an ad agency for use in a Marlboro ad. Almost always, my photos bring in tens or, at best, a few hundreds of dollars for reproduction rights. But the ad agency wanted a picture of the red Moenkopi cliffs behind Torrey (they would insert their own Marlboro man on horseback with computers)--and they were willing to pay thousands. I decided to go for it (after pondering the ethics for days), and rationalized my sell-out by tithing ten percent of the fee. Since these were the days when those same red cliffs were threatened by a proposed dam on the Fremont River, I gave my tithing check to SUWA, specifically to fight the dam. When I took Brant to lunch at the Rio Grande in Salt Lake City and told him the story and gave him the check, his response: “the only thing wrong with tainted money is, there KIND WORDS FROM A MOABITE! WHIRLPOOL BATHS - SPAS THAT IS NOT WHATI MEANT. ik. eT EX-PREZ BILL PAYS RICK A VISIT 30 a |