OCR Text |
Show PAGE 28 JULY 89 THE ZEPHYR The Invasion offMoab How do we handle our new found popularity? by Jim Stiles This ain't the same old range. Everything seems to change. Where are the pals I used to ride with? As for the logistical problems involved, (where to put all these people), that has to be resolved quickly and soon. And It really does thats something It doesnrt require the cooperation of everyone, locals and travelers alike. take an Einstein to see the irony when a natural area gets trashed by people who came here for the beauty. And It doesn't take malicious behavior to ruin the fragile desert Sheer numbers alone can do that A whole network of new Gone to a land so strange. -- Bob Nolan and the Sons of the Pioneers a remote western town of about Teton Grand of and Yellowstone National tight hundred, located Just south It Parks. was a ranching town a cowboy town. But between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the locals endured an Influx of tourists who stopped for the night before going north to see the mountains, lakes, geysers and other "natural wonders (a Chamber of Commerce term, If I ever heard of one) at the parks. A few Jackson residents grudgingly entertained the passers-throug- h. motels went up and they staged an Old West Shootout, In which Clover SturBn, ex-roa one-ey- ed clown, met his fate very summer night On Labor Day, all the tourists disappeared, they called the long stretch between September and Memorial Day the Cocktail Hour In Jackson Hole. That was In 1956. In 1989, the cowboys have left or are leaving. Theyve become living In In town. Clover the Killer own their home anachronisms pointy toed boots Is gone, replaced by some dandy drama student from UCLA. South Park Is gone; condos have replaced alfalfa fields. The older residents have left; many Others couldn't stand to couldn't afford the skyrocketing property taxes. see the flavor of their town disappear In an Invasion of out of state Investors and entrepreneurs. Jackson, to them, was surely "gone to a land In the early 1950s, Jackson, Wyoming was - deo so strange. Is this about to happen to Moab? Formerly, the Uranium Capitol of the World, Outside magazine recently proclaimed Moab to be the Mountain Bike capitol of the world. It said we were one of the top recreation towns In North America. This spring, there were so many tourists, 1 started feeing like an outsider. I was an outcast In denim and sneakers in a sea of spandax and lycra. There were so many overflow campers along the river roads and the Sand Flats road, a genuine health concern arose over the lack of toilet facilities. As Commissioner Merv Lawton said pointedly, "When you eat, you excrete. Obviously, steps need to be taken soon to deal with the problem. But beyond that, is tourism the answer to all our economic woes? Are we depending on it too much as a panacea to our problems? And on the other hand, are some Moabites refusing to see gny advantage to tourism and the stabifiz-In-g effect it can have here? When In doubt, make a DsL What is it about tourism that worries ms? What are Its advantages? What we need here Is a pro and con list, as as objectively compiled possible by someone who used to be a park ranger and has answered more dumb tourist questions than may be humanly possible or endurable. What Is It about tourism that concerns me? .Well let's be honest. iSo We all feel like we've been Invaded. Humans are territorial too, and I think a lot of us simply get our hackles up because we feel uncomfortable with these beings who came from elsewhere, with their strange quirks and habits (strange But the sometimes humiliating reality Is, we are gH for ys at least). tourists at one time or another. I myself have been skewered, chewed up and spit out by long suffering hosts when I was a goofbail tourist In their town. Someday, If I ever recover, I'll tell the story of how I got roasted by a waitress In a cafe at Ragged PL, California when I drove around a "rood closed sign on the Big Sur Highway, and asked if the road was really closed. I'm still smarting from that experience. . . Dave Sakrlson, Robin Groff, Dumpster . roads now exists along the Sand Flats Road. Every conceivable campsite has been created along the River When I first saw the hordes of ad campers near the Slickrock Trail, I was horrified. I wanted to shut 'the whole damn area down. And If the BLM took that step, everyone would move a few miles farther up the road, and create more campsites. So, these roads are there. Mountain Bikers, don't make any more roads. Don't park your 4WD trucks on SB cf sandstone fins. Be discreet As for gu responsibility, we've got to get some toilet facilities out there, provide some garbage bins and stabilize the campsite roads. Dave's Corner Market and Rim Cyclery recently donated a dumpster for use near; the r Slickrock TralL It was badly needed and greatly appreciated. But the BLM has got to take a large role In providing facilities for these recently and heavily Impacted areas. At a meeting a few weeks ago, the BLM claimed It would take months to ; off-ro- ' , t SUN COUNTRY REALTY 234 N. Main Moab; Utah 84532 True Family Restaurant OPEN 6 a.m.-1- 0 p.m. or your money back 259-835- 2 You havent been to Moab . 969 26.7 acres, rolling land on unless youve eaten at JRs COME IN FOR THE BEST HOME COOKED MEALS Try Our Bucket of Chicken Colonel Satisfaction guaranteed (801)259-832- 6 Whats-His-Fa- ce Could Learn From US Authentic Indian Trading Post . Wilson Mesa with lots of pinyon pine. Secluded and quiet. $29,000 owner financing 1002 Country living, 3 bdrm home on .6 acre lot, enclosed by 6 security fence. $37,500. 1014 Exceptional home in a nice neighborhood. 3 bdrm, large living and dining room, step saver kitchen, full furnished basement attached double carport. Large, nicely landscaped yard. Fully fenced. $50,900 1001 Home with a view. 3 bdrm, 1 bath.. In good neighborhood, close to town $27,500. pjace a catalog e order, call To toll-fre- 1-800-2- . 55-3000 24 hours a day 7 days a week mtmmmLS Come in and check out our everyday low prices TomBalsley, authorized catalog sales merchant 1075 So. Hwy 191 78 No. Main 259-713- 4 . ; |