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Show cs justified part in planning . Led by the initiative of the San Juan County Commission, Com-mission, commissioners of a five-county area in Southeastern South-eastern Utah have petitioned their federal representatives representa-tives for a bigger voice in how parklands in the area are withdrawn, managed and developed. As outlined in a news story on Page 1, the Commissioners Com-missioners are telling their representatives in Congress that they arc no longer willing to allow the future of the lands within their county boundaries to be determined by infrequent visitors from many miles away, with little more stake in the ground than the enjoyment from an occasional visit. We support the efforts of the commissioners, and particularly laud the initiative of the San Juan county group, for making their views known in no uncertain terms. If such Initiative is not exhibited on the local level, then the planning will be done elsewhere, and that has long been a big problem for sparcely-populated Utah - residents might not have particularly liked what was taking place around them, but they weren't willing to get personally involved in doing something about it. The people of this part of Utah, we have determined after many years of living among them, are just as interested in-terested in the preservation of scenic and historic values as the next man. At the same time, they can see that if total preservation is the guideline used in setting aside federal lands, then there will be little future left for those who must find some way, other than serving the traveling public, to make a living. . Local officials aren't asking to totally reverse the trend set in recent years by preservationists. They welcome, wel-come, for the most part, the creation of national parks, recreation areas, etc. They are merely asking that they be allowed to sit in on the game and play a hand. 1 We think their request is reasonable and just. We hope that congressional delegates are attentive enough to recognize the local viewpoint. |