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Show : ; Environmentalists Question New Glen Canyon Bill : jsl.uion to ';!. ililislt a "...) 'ni N.Uiou.il Kivio- 1 oi iK-itriiN Saturday m Jiifiior iVmmitUv will hoar t,jvMiO ivmiuont on proposals j-imvrninS boundaries aiul iv;Me aiitliori-'atum of th: jv:itre festal Trans KA-afan tlitiM ;y wluVh would link i'ulltiO); P.isin with Clou Can. n City. A Hooroation Aroa Bill 'sponsored by Sen. Frank K jjoss has already passed the J,NWt? JiiKl enjoys almost XnaiiinvHts support by out-ti.T out-ti.T groups inoliiilm Sierra icU and the Fsealante Wil-jj..rntss Wil-jj..rntss Committee. However, ',il!s ntw before the 1 Knvso 'ytvitain pro isions that are would seriously impair fir.al Recreation Area le-Outdoor le-Outdoor and envir-Jrvnental envir-Jrvnental groups strongly op. yce a proposal that would srxove a highway corridor kts Escilante Canyon, j Hwse bills have alo been criticired for deleting hmds -n the EA-alante and adjacent 1 p to Canyonlanils National Park which were included in rt Senate bill. Congressman Sherman P. Lloyd's proposal to approve a highway across tho lower Kscal.iiite, near Uike Powell, Is viewed by conservationists as a last ditch attempt to appiMve one of the mast con-troversial con-troversial and expensive high, way projects in the West. Kn-virotinmtalists Kn-virotinmtalists feel that the highway would seriously de. grade the scenic and wilderness wilder-ness values that make J hi? I'scalante a favorite haunt of Lake Powell boaters as well as hikers and backpackers. The I'tah Road Commission has been severely criticized for not considering alternatives alterna-tives such as a Canyon Conn-try Conn-try Parkway System which would connect towns, parks, and other scenic areas, but would be circuitous and lengthy leng-thy compared to the Bullfrog "to Glen Canyon City route. In the hope of resolving the highway conflict, the Senate has askd for a road study f the entire Iike Powell area along with a wilderness stu. dy of the Kscalanto Canyons. It is loll by ouidcHir gioiips that (his approach offers tlw most reasonable solution lu a dispute that, threatens to stall Clen Canyon legislation. Proponents of Lloyd's bill feel that any further study period would simply give road opponents time to entirely kill the proposal. , Knviromnentalists generally support boundary proposals made by both Congressman Lloyd and McKay except ir. the Eseahmle where only th? southern portion of the rive drainage would bo included In the 15 wren t ion Area. Outdoor Out-door groups question the wisdom wis-dom of dividing management, responsibility of the canyons between two government agencies. ag-encies. To assure a more 'workable boundary the Senafo "extend. 'd the Recreation area boundary north to Highway 12. This is considered a more logical boundary and would give the Park Service ability to manage the Escnlante in a uniform and more practical manner. Consistent with this reasoning, environmentalists will also ask that the Orange Cliffs adjacent to Canyonlands National Park remain within the jurisdiction of the National Nat-ional Park Service. Although serious questions now lie before the House, environmentalists remain optimistic op-timistic that these challenges challeng-es can be overcome and a Glen Canyon National Recreation Rec-reation Area Bill will gain approval by Congress itllis year." j |