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Show t 1 ', Hi J- -Ah V Touring new portions of Arches National Monument Monday Mon-day were U. S. Senator Wallace F. Bennett, right, and Rep. Laurence J. Burton, here shown overlooking the region' just north of Herdina Park. The jeep tour, which followed an extensive aerial tour of Arches, Canyanlaxids and Capitol Reef, traversed newly-acquired park lands west of Salt Val-' ley. State officials, organizational executives and other, interested in-terested parties were involved in the tour. ; lawmakers Tour Park Additions; tar local Opinions .afHoaring: - i n rut nyw' I . - . . A Mcnday jeep caravan took visiting Washington and Salt Lake City officials past The Marching Men in the ,new portion of Arches Ntional Monument. The two expected members mem-bers of the Utah Congressional Congres-sional delegation, U. S. Senator Sen-ator Wallace F. Bennett and Congressman Laurence J. Burton, arrived Monday for their personal inspection ' of the new monument additions. addi-tions. Bennett and Burton flew to Moab in a Chartered plane to see what had been included in-cluded within Arches and Capitol Reef National Monuments. Mon-uments. They were accompanied accom-panied and escorted by Superintendent Sup-erintendent of Canyonlands, Bates Wilson, who directed the flights over all the new boundary extensions of the two monuments. Wilson, also gave the government visitors visi-tors an air inspection of the proposed Canyonlands National Nat-ional Park extension. Others included in the flights over the monuments were State Representative Jim Peacock, Moab newspaper news-paper editor Sam Taylor, D L. Taylor, representing the Southeastern Utah Cattlemen's Cattle-men's Association; and. Gordon Gor-don Havenor of KCPX, Channel Chan-nel 4 TV. On the trip also ; ' ! 1 i : : .,.. . . .v. ,:,) - C': it - :. - . . i V a - It v - ' A rjniij, t,.. jatt..--'' ' "" The public meet?fig held in regard to the expansion ex-pansion of Arches and Capitol Reef National Nation-al Parks was well attended. Star Hall had an almost capacity audience. Fielding questions ques-tions were Sen. Bennett and Rep. Burton. In charge was Dee Tranter of KURA. was State Senator Ralph A. Preece. "In a second plane rode Dr William Hewitt, Director of the Utah Geological Survey; Sur-vey; R. LaVaun Cox, Director Direct-or .of the Utah- Petroleum Council and .member of the State Road Commission; and Francis Feltch, also a member mem-ber of the State Road, Commission. Com-mission. , . After the three-hour flight which took the officials to Lake Powell and Waterpock-et Waterpock-et Fold, the party made its way by jeep into the western west-ern extension of Arches National Na-tional Monument. They followed fol-lowed a trail which may eventually ev-entually be designated a jeep route. The trail follows near the western crest of Salt Valley, passing near the Marching Men, Herdina Park and Willow Flat. Several Sev-eral stops were made during dur-ing the trip for observation of the scenic qualities taken into the park three weeks' ago by Presidential executive execu-tive order. A public meeting was arranged ar-ranged by Moab radio station sta-tion KURA to be held in the Courtroom of the Grand County Courthouse Mona'ay Evening. It was necessary to change the meeting placjj to Star Hall due to the number num-ber of interested persons attending at-tending the discussions, a group totalling near 200. Dee Tranter acted as moderator mod-erator for the discussions which centered around tie subject of the recent monument monu-ment extension. Senator Bennett got underway by stating that it is within the power of Congress to change the boundaries of a monument, monu-ment, even to return them to their original locations, or to change the shape of the monument. This would all be subject to presidential approval. . Superintendent Bates Wilson, Wil-son, at the public's request, presented the reasons for the new additions. One - of the chief reasons for taking in the lower half of Salt Valley was to provide adequate protectioa from possible future fu-ture industrial - or mining operations which could inter-, fere with the scenic values of the park, he said. "With these protective qualities now possessed in Arches National Monument, the area has a better chance of becoming a NationiJ Parki" Wilson said. This has its economic advantages, he pointed out, but he refrained refrain-ed from taking any additional addit-ional time to present these advantages at the meeting, the purpose of which was to allow local citizens to voice themselves regarding the expansion. Dr. William Hewitt, the Director of the Utah Geological Geol-ogical and Mineralogical Survey, Sur-vey, presented a map of Capitol Reef's recently-extended boundaries. "Valuable tar sands deposits, de-posits, ranging in thicknesses thickness-es to 600 feet, are within the boundaries," Hewitt said. He also pointed out similar deposits de-posits immediately south and adjacent to the new boundaries boun-daries and north of the Es-calante Es-calante River. Superintendent Superinten-dent Wilson earlier stated that the administration had attempted to avoid the tar sands deposits in the Circle Cliffs area of Capitol Reef. There was much local op-positon op-positon to the expansion, and the manner in which the expansion took place. Although Al-though it has been within the power of a President to proclaim areas worthy of national monument status since 1906, the procedure is one that may be up for revision. re-vision. Members representing the mining industry spoke of possible economic importance import-ance which may be located within the new boundaries. Stockmen voiced their opposition oppo-sition to the expansion because be-cause it would result in a diminished herd count and fewer acres for grazing rights in the county. One tour operator, Lin Ottinger stated that the expansion was unnecessary for the enjoyment en-joyment of his clients, and that they didn't seem to mind seeing oil wells, mining min-ing operations, or calves on tiis tours. ' Several participants at the 'local meeting Monday night stated that they would like to see the boundaries taken tack to what they were prev viously to President Johnson's John-son's proclamation. Others expressed a desire to see a multiple-use concept adopted adopt-ed for national monuments. The Congressional group left the Moab area Tuesday for the Capitol Reef area, "where they planned to continue con-tinue their inspection and meet with similar citizen groups during the week'.'; Congressional recess. |