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Show ocal Tour Operators Hold Meeting, Organize; flowing BLM Ruling on User Fees j t;? F. A. IVii-iws ' ,, n'viit Hutv.m of 1 and :U tviU't iv-;uifin.-; j' .r uvs from all iVlll-.ll) iVlll-.ll) or;',. nil.. U ioiu;l ( IU-M pat'lu' Um,s h !S : 'o.i:; rc-sium.sc. J ,,..1 ,t astern I lah t -1 - jl tthn tho nilm ap- I'o.us to have boon primarily .UI1HS.1. In a heavily attended Jut-.o :': inoc-t in- in nu i;i..llul vVtaity Courthouse, Mitch Williams, operator !' Tai; A-Toms. A-Toms. spearheaded "tii or-am.-.nion el an "Association "Associa-tion of Public Land Users." 'll'.o Association's prime pur. pose is "to represent Hi.' diverse groups ami individuals individ-uals affected by the BUM edict, to seek clarification of instructions mailed recently to a seemingly random sol-eotion sol-eotion of .soulhoaslorn I'taii enterprises, !lmi t() assure dilutable use 0f public lands within (lie state of Utah." At. tho organizational mi'cl-ing, mi'cl-ing, Williams was elected Chairman, and a steering committee of seven was a;), pointed. Tlieso are Gone Ftiusheo, lilulT; Verle Green, LnSal; Rusty Miisselman, Montieello; and Cordon llav-cnor, llav-cnor, Fred Uadeliffe. Lin Ot-t Ot-t inner and Hoyal 1 loiter, all of Moab. Williams said the nieetini! mid formation of (he Assecia-tion Assecia-tion of Pu,jc Land Users was preeipilated by letters from the Montieello District BI.M olliee sent June 15 to .semi! of be area's tour, op. erators, travel writers, air charier pilots and the newly formed Grand County Travel Council. The letters announced an-nounced that effective July 1, permits must be purchased, purchas-ed, fees charged, and two weeks notice required for all "organized events and activities ac-tivities on public lands." Williams described the mood of those present at the meeting as "concerned and contused." "Our association is concerned," con-cerned," Williams told media representatives after the 'meeting, "because the program pro-gram described in the letter appears to be unworkable. And we're totally confused as to where, when and to whom the iegulatioiis are supposed to apply. For example, how clues a public hind user know when he's in a permit and fee area ? "We are especially concerned," con-cerned," he said, "at what appears to be an arbitrary singling out of public land users in the Montieello BLM District." Williams went on to ex-plan ex-plan that members of the association as-sociation had been in touch with public land users in other Utah BUI Districts who had absolutely no knowledge know-ledge of the program. Sim. ilar response had been ou-tained ou-tained from contacts in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming and Idaho. "Surely," Williams said. "If this permit and fee system sys-tem is based upon a longstanding long-standing Federal regulation, as the letters we received imply, someone outside this area would have heard of it by now." Those at the meeting, Williams Wil-liams said, also felt it was "frightening" that so many of those who will be affected affect-ed by the BLM edict are completely unaware of its scope and the impact it vu! have if implemented. "If we read the letter right ," Williams said, "tin permit and fee requirements apply not only to commercial firms, but to such land-using groups as church picnics, Scout activities, conservation conserva-tion organizations, scientific field groups, the Friendship Cruise and countless other citizen groups. Why, under this BLM program, a group of Brownie Girl Scouts wouid need a $10 permit, and have to give two weeks notice, before it could stop by the road for a Sunday picnic on BLM land." "We can be sure, however," howev-er," Williams went on, "that the regulations apply to psychologists, psy-chologists, because they are specifically mentioned in the BLM letter." Singling out the one biggest concern of the Association, Williams questioned the effect ef-fect the BLM program wiil have on Utah's fledgling tourist tour-ist industry. "How", he asked, will th's affect conventions of travel writers and agents, the people peo-ple who are giving Utah so jmuch positive publicity?" "To be more specific, "Williams went on, "do you suppose that the Utah Travel and Publicity Council will have to give two weeks notice, no-tice, buy a permit and pay a fee in order to show a group of out-of-state travel agents the view from the Needles Overlook, a BLM-developed viewpoint?- And will each travel agent, as a representative represent-ative of a different commercial commer-cial firm, also be required to purchase a $10 permit to look at and photograph that view?" As spokesman for the Association As-sociation of Public Land Use. rs, Williams requested that all citizens of Utah and nearby near-by states who are concerned over the new BLM regulation contact him and join in the Association's effort to "seek a more equitable land-use policy than the peorly con-ceived con-ceived regulation presently being forced upon us by BLM officials, who are apparently unaware of the serious as. pects of what they are attempting." |