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Show Recapping The Year 2003 ; ' ; ; The Garfield County News begins each New Year with a '. recap of the previous year's major events. Last week's issue covered January and most of '. ' ' February. We continue with mid-March into April this week. X MARCH ; - AIl-American Road Status - For Highway 12: Blessing Or Curse Toni Thayer's article for Mar. 20 quoted Myron Carter of Escalante who participated in some of the original meetings as saying, "This was a federally-driven federally-driven project proposed by the Dixie National Forest. It did not originate from the people living along the highway. ... It was a manufactured process with a pre-determined outcome." When the Corridor Management Plan was completed and showed endorsements from all towns along the highway, Carter was. surprised because Escalante City Council members had voted against on Dec. 18, 2001. Then-Chair Bruce Fullmer said, "The project formally originated from a February 2001 meeting spearheaded by the Dixie National Forest. In attendance at that meeting was myself and representatives from the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, the National Park (See RECAP on page 3A) IA Look Back At The Year 2003 From Front Page Service, and the Dixie National Forest." Fifteen From Garfield County Vie For Sterling Scholar Garfield County School District had 15 students from three high schools competing in Sterling Scholar competition: Kate Griffin, Valerie Birch, Kelcie Eldridge, Amanda Barney, Brittany Nay, Bethany Comp, Christy Clark, KayLynn Shakespear, John Zechlin, Maggie Burrows, Joyce Lee, Jade Walters, Sydney Houston, Amanda Cooper and Randy Barton. Bryce Canyon Remains Open During Construction Supt. Craig Axtell announced a two-year road reconstruction project that began on Mar. 31. The project is Phase Two of a major project on the first 10 miles of road into the park. The last eight miles were reconstructed recon-structed in 1994-95. DNF Announces Griffin Springs Decision The Dixie National Forest announced the completion of the planning stage on the Griffin Springs Resource Management Project that would benefit Escalante's economy and ripple out to surrounding communities. communi-ties. Located on the Aquarius Plateau, the project would involve several management actions designed to improve the health of the forest. Local Communities Awarded $685,000 In Grants, Loans Three Garfield County communities com-munities were among 25 mostly rural entities in Utah to received a total of $1 1.7 million for local projects from the Utah Permanent Community Impact Board. Antimony received a $125,000 grant for a community center; Henrieville received a $150,000 grant and a $335,000 loan for its water system; and Tropic received a $25,000 grant to prepare a feasibility study for development of a dam and reservoir for additional culinary water. AIl-American Road Status For Highway 12 Toni Thayer wrote that from a world viewpoint, the scenic byways program blends two United Nations treaties, the Global Biological Diversity Assessment and Agenda 21. These work plans for the world's "nation-states" spell out strategies and management tools to simultaneously achieve biodiversity biodi-versity conservation and sustainable sus-tainable economic development. As resources are protected and related economies are shut down and eliminated, the U.N. provides directives on rural development in "protected areas" to rebuild the local economies while also "preserving" "preserv-ing" the area's resources. She wrote that a newly discovered dis-covered list of the U.N.'s world protected areas in Utah contains numerous local sites including: Henry Mountains, Escalante Canyons, Devil's Garden, Phipps-Death Hollow, North Escalante Canyons, Gulch, Anasazi and Escalante Petrified Forest State Parks, Kodachrome Basin, Coral Pink Sand Dunes and Box-Death Hollow Wilderness and come under management by U.N. mandate. Garfield County Honors Retired Cong. Jim Hansen More than 50 county residents resi-dents turned out to honor retired Congressman Jim Hansen at the Garfield County Republican Convention. Hansen was lauded laud-ed for his many years of public service. State Senator Tom Hatch, reading a tribute by former for-mer Garfield County Commissioner Louise Liston who was unable to attend because of illness, presented Hansen with a painting by prominent Escalante artist Lynn Griffin. Deal Struck By DOI and Utah Vowing to protect Utah's most important scenic, natural areas while securing the state's transportation infrastructure, Gov. Mike Leavitt joined Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton to announce a process to resolve many of the RS2477 road claims in Utah. Some area leaders, while pleased with portions por-tions of the Memorandum, of Understanding, were beginning to question other parts. Bennett Bill To Establish Pioneer Heritage Area Along Utah's Hwy 89 As the Senate adjourned for Spring recess, Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) introduced legislation to establish the National Mormon Pioneer Heritage Area along Utah's 89 which he said would preserve the rich heritage and tremendous tremen-dous achievements of the Mormon pioneers and strengthen strength-en economic opportunities for local businesses. Grand Canyon Trust Buys Burger King Toni Thayer wrote that David Bonderman, board member of the environmental group Grand Canyon Trust bought the Burger King franchises in December 2002 through his Texas Pacific Group, a leveraged buyout firm. Thayer had been exposing the corporate interests of those associated with the Grand Canyon Trust. Failed Suicide Attempt On Hwy 12 Hogs Back When 28-year-old David Jones of London, England, launched his 2002 rented Chevy (See RECAP on page 5A) Recap From Page 3A Impala over the side of Highway 12's narrow precipitous Hogs Back between Escalante and Boulder in a failed suicide attempt, he created a monumental monumen-tal challenge for the highly experienced crew that would ultimately have to retrieve the vehicle for the rental company. Jones, went over the side wearing wear-ing his seat belt, and while the vehicle was totaled, it was obviously obvi-ously not Jones' appointed time as the troubled man climbed out unscathed, scrambled his way to the top and waved down a passing pass-ing car. Sanford Fire Review Report Released By Forest Service An independent team released its review of the Sanford Fire announced Acting Dixie National Forest Sunervisor Steve Robertson. The Sanford Fire, which burned about 78,000 acres of the Powell Ranger District in the summer of 2002, resulted from two prescribed pre-scribed fires that escaped their planned containment bounds aries. The two fires were ignited in April and May and burned together in June. Barton Takes Top Honors As State's Only 1-A Sterling Scholar A sample of the caliber of students stu-dents Garfield County had in Randall "Randy" Barton of Bryce Valley High School was gleaned from his thoughts as being named the year's sole 1-A "scholar" recipient in the state of . Utah. Barton was named by the 25th Annual Sterling Scholars Awards Program panel as the Sterling Scholar in Trade and Technical Education for the entire state. But Barton's immediate imme-diate thoughts were turned to his fellow nominees from Garfield County as he noted "what an honor it is to be nominated with the other outstanding student representatives from Bryce Valley, Escalante and Panguitch High Schools." |
