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Show accommodate guests as detrimental to the character of the landscape, endangering Wilderness qualities, while giving Dp service to "developing" (though I wonder what form of development they'd approve) the area to attract tourists. , Do we want more tourist traffic or what? They say Yes, but oppose scenic and access roads. Something has to be developed. Don't develop the Hatch Point road, they say. Don't develop the road over the Book Cliffs to Vernal, they say. We cant expect to make pretty walkways through Mill Creek and put a wall around the surrounding country, then expect people to spend time here. What really draws people to Moab Is the two national parks, the state parks, the Jeep and bike trails, the mountains, the canyons, the desert, and yes, the Wilderness areas . . . these should be made as accessible as possible for EVERYONE The opponents of the development of the roads are reacting as If an Interstate with Los Angeles midway on the route were proposed, employing a snow Job of facts and figures supporting their opposition to these roads, suggesting that the same high degree of protectionrestrictlng be applied to all of the Canyonlands Is designated Wilderness. They say It should be. But It Is not These few roads wont lead those areas of the Canyonlands to ever being a metropolis.' Development from their mouths has become an ugly word used synonymously with Images of heavy Industry and large residential areas. Fifty years from now or 100 or 2200 what will have become of these multiple-us- e lands? They will probably be Just the same as they are today. Most of them border on Wilderness areas, national parks, primitive areas, places being locked up no to Insure that they wont have roads, wont be pillaged and raped. I see little change In the Canyonlands In the for future. It looks like weve been confused by this blizzard of rhetoric against the development of the Canyonlands and weve lost sight of what Is and what Is not Wilderness: the Burr trail Is not Wilderness; the Hatch Point road Is not Wilderness; , the Book Cliffs road Is not Wilderness. Wilderness It tell But Is us it not that should be. proponents It's good to have Wilderness. OK, we do have It Wilderness proponents cried for years that nothing was protected. Now we have staggering amounts of protected land, and rather than - trying to salvage a few acres for protection anymore, we find ourselves crying to continue to use the lands Dreams of Wilderness have been fulfilled. designated for multiple-us- e. In a letter of March 16, 1989 to Utah Congressman Nielson from Mildred Campbell of the Council on Aging and Nutrition, we find it spelled out: "Virtually all significant perennial streams Mn Southern Utah, from the Colorado to the Virgin are either captured within, or border on, wilderness Wilderness advocates have admitted that designation will study areas. foreclose opportunities to develop water that flows through downstream wilderness. An August 19, ,1988 BLM report Indicated that of 832 BLM wilderness or wilderness study areas, 77 have water use conflicts with Of these 77, forty-fi- ve (45) are as a consequence of upstream users. In Utah. While we do not want to dry up our potential wilderness designation 'streams, we also do not want our communities and our future generations to be barred from access to 'water essential to their livelihoods and well being There should be no more claims for additional Wilderness. And no claims areas. for wilderness standards on It seems everyone wants Moab to prosper. Weve been tombing around trying to agree on a direction what will bolster the economy and make the town viable, and even here we encounter a contingent wishing to see the town shrink back to what It was 100, better yet, 200 years ago. It Is this element that sabotages every effort at development that would build a healthy These are the critics who raise objections to Just about every economy. proposal and Insure that nothing gets done. The old caboose before the engine: do we need to build the golf course to attract retirees here or do we need to get the retirees here first and then build the golf course? By throwing foel on the fires of Indecision these people can block and delay ANY motion of the train. And here we sit spinning our wheels, punchy from the objections of selfish, negative people who make a profession of their obsession with Mocking development It has been blocked In the many protected areas. And were all glad. But that's enough. Lets be grateful that we have so much protected land and get to work developing the areas that are designated multiple-us- e. We love the Canyonlands. We have no Intention of destroying them. Love Is sharing. Moab has a duty to advertise and share the Canyonlands, make the canyons accessible. We should fire up the boilers and get this train rolling. A good track to start on would be the proposed road projects. non-Wildem- ess . , . AIR CONDITIONING? Nelsons Heating and Refrigeration has Implemented management methodologies that are designed to protect Important qualities of the land, Including scenic, historic, archeological, paleontological, aquatic, wildlife, soils and other values. This protection Is within the context of multiple use management which also considers human needs for motorized or mechanized access and commodity production. We believe this type of management reflects a balance between human need and environmental conservation. Wilderness excludes man and therefore, upsets this balanced management approach. We believe that the public lands can be managed to conserve our natural heritage without resorting to the absolute finality of wilderness designation. Management of sensitive areas as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern Is far more deslreable and for more reflective of the natural condition, including man, than Is congressional wilderness. "BLM 1070 Bowling Alley Ln 259-562- 5 serving Moab since 1962 Bill - Goodluck with your new life in Gallup. . JIM DAVIS TREE AND LANDSCAPING CO. i ' . COMPLETE: tree service large trees lawn maintenance : Moabs Complete Outdoor Store 94 W. 1st No. . evergreens & bonsai yard and lot clean-up- s tilling 259-533- 3 stay on the road and the trail, please from american groffic dennis an inspiration by sweeney 259-784- 2 making Moab beautiful |