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Show •••••••l^^HMBBBHHHMi THE PARK RECORD A-15 Viewpoints. SAT/SUN/MON/TTJES, JANUARY 15-18, 2005 EDITORIAL Rescue workers provide immediate response to backcountry avalanche 'riday afternoon, ski patrollers from at least five resorts, search and rescue personnel, from two counties, sheriffs deputies, helicopter pilots and Emergency Medical Technicians all responded to a backcountry slope between Park City and The Canyons where an undetermined number of victims were reportedly trapped in a huge avalanche. While the Summit County Sheriff's Department could only confirm one missing person, initial eyewitness reports suggested anywhere from five to 15 people may have been skiing and snowboarding in the area when the slide released. A.s those reports began to snowball so did the offers of assistance - all three Park City area ski resorts immediately offered personnel and search dogs. Solitude sent staff too. They were packing their gear and on the way before they were even asked. With the knowledge that every second is critical to a buried victim, law enforcement, dispatchers and medical personnel throughout F Summit County, Park City and Wasatch County also offered to fill in wherever needed. The McDonald's restaurant at Kimball Junction wanted to send food. Snowmobile owners from Kamas called to ask if they could help shuttle supplies. Within an hour of the initial call a command center was being assembled and the troops were fully mobilized. As the sun sank below the ridge and temperatures plummeted - rescue workers were redoubling their efforts. There was still no word, though, that any of the victims had been found. In the light of a new day, there will be questions to ask - how the victim(s) accessed the area, whether they knew or should have known of the extreme instability of the snowpack, if the treacherous backcountry between the Wasatch Range's growing ski areas is becoming too easy to enter. But today we are not asking questions -just attempting to express our deep gratitude and sincere admiration for everyone who immediately rushed to help. AH YES, BROTHER BENSON WE'VE BEEN W A I T I N G FOR YOU. OUR BASKETBALL NEEDS A COACH, WE'RE SHORT ON TROPHYS AND THE BOYS NEED A BUS DRIVER TO GET THEM TO THE GAMES! JOHN K1LBOURWPARKRECORD LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GUEST EDITORIAL drop your trees. Finally, a big thanks to all One of the the Park City lacrosse players and parents who gave their time to organize this service good guys and pick up your trees. One West: The debate over public and private lands Editor I am writing this letter to express my sorrou ; and deepest sympathy to the family of John Benson. My contact with John originally was like most of the teachers in Park Ci.ty, as that of a bus driver who drove the kids back and forth to school and on field trips. Just from this association, John was a good guy. It was his coaching of the Park City Boys Basketball team a couple of years ago that sets him apart in my mind. His character building, discipline and teaching were second to none. John did an incredible job with the kids, and I appreciate him and the job he did. I will miss John personally and Park City will also miss him. John was one of the good e;uys. We can always use more just like John Benson. •Sincerely, John McDonald Park City School District teacher •Kudos to The Canyons Editor: I believe I have found in my recent oneweek vacation in Park City a treasure I wanted to share. It is called "The Canyons." I enjoyed my stay, the welcoming town and the food. The message 1 carry with me to my friends in New York is that The Canyons resort has the best terrain I have skied in a long time, not to mention the Utah powder I was lucky to get while there. Sincerely, Eyal Adini New York City Lacrosse fundraiser Editor: Thanks again. Park City, for your continued support of the Park City Lacrosse Organizations Christmas tree pick-up fundraiser. This once-a-year fundraiser helps our high school boys' and girls' programs grow by providing players with practice space, equipment, transportation and coaching. Thanks to The Park Record and KPCW for telling the community about our service. Thanks to Park City Municipal Corporation and Summit County for providing space to Look for us in again in December. We invite you to become familiar with the fastest growing sport in Utah. Our games begin late spring at the Ecker Hill Middle School fields. For more information about Park City lacrosse visit www.parkcitylax.org. By COURTNEY WHITE Looking back over the past century, the greatest shortcoming of the conservation movement in the American West has been its near-total failure to devise a strategy for privately owned land in the region. Thank you, By any yardstick - watershed acres, aniPCLO Board of Directors: mal species, ecological processes - conservaLinda Barnes tion success on private land has been small. Kate Dougherty While many environmentalists correctly Karen Emerson note that half of the West is publicly owned Mary Leader and thus held in trust for the public good, Deb Melle they rarely mention the other part of that David Moore equation: Half of the West is in private Jacqui Soechtig hands. Glen Shurtleff This is significant because, as many Stu Stanek researchers have written, private lands contain the most productive soils, are located at lower elevations and often include key riparian areas. Wildlife biologist Rick Knight, who teaches at Colorado State University, put it this way: "We will not be able to sustain native biodiversity in the Mountain Editor: West by relying merely on protected areas. We hear it all too often among fathers Future conservation efforts to protect this who -toy -^tcr* exercise .%'rwr protect-their region's natural heritage will require closer parental" rights'with their children; judges attention being paid to the role of private and commissioners failing to enforce their lands." own signed court orders when interfering But how? The tactics of demonization, litand alienating mothers fail to abide by and igation, regulation and pressure politics may are brought before the court in violation of be effective on public lands - though to a those orders. diminishing degree these days -- but they're This scenario leaves many fathers with essentially useless on private land. costly attorney bills, lost visitation, continThey won't work because they're tools of ued non-access to their children, mistrust of coercion. They're useful to right a wrong or the judicial system and desperation. Many, out of frustration, will ask why judges and quick fix a crisis, but ineffective for chronic commissioners approve these orders if they afflictions, such as the slow decline of bioknowingly will not enforce sanctions when logical diversity. Our ecological crisis is realthe orders are blatantly disregarded by the ly a social crisis, and you don't change opposing party. Instead of answers and human behavior with a hammer. Until conservationists can conceive of the imposed sanctions for relief, fathers will be region as one West -- indivisible in the things told they must first go through a costly and time consuming process involving a guardian that matter, such as water, wildlife, soil, comad litem, mediation or worse, a custody eval- munity and the common good, and develop uation, (often at the father's expense), strategies that work evenly and fairly, the before the court will address the violation of ecological trend will continue downward. A few years ago, I was part of a panel disorders already committed by a non-cooperacussion in Silver City, N.M., that focused on tive mother. livestock and native plants. On the panel When judges and commissioners fail in with me was a vigorous local environmentaltheir responsibility to support their own ist who drew a sharp line in the sand when it orders in a timely manner, they not only came to cows. I'd cited a statistic that over harm and jeopardize the relationship 100 million acres of private land in the West between the child and father, but also allow, are owned by ranchers, and most need the and enable, the offending mother to continue in a campaign of parental alienation and mockery of our judicial system without repercussion. Judicial irresponsibility grazing provided by public lands to stay profitable. I turned to the activist and asked: "If you're successful in booting ranchers off public lands, what happens to all that private land? Who's going to keep it from being sold to subdivides?" The environmentalist responded by saying his concern was for public land, and he was only interested in creating "refugia" for native plants and animals. His comment upset the Forest Service biologist at the other end of the panel. "What good is a refuge if it's also a biological desert?" he askc ' ' >tly. "Because that's what's happening in . Gila Wilderness." He went on to . ay that the suppression of fire and other natural agents of ecological disturbance, including, under the right conditions, animal impact, had contributed to ecological stagnation in the wilderness. Right there, I realized, was the heart of the matter. Do we continue to divide the West into two parts based on philosophical ideals - such as whether we have a public or a private "right" to something on the land or do we talk about crossing boundaries and working collaboratively? Efforts to sequester land by buying it are laudable, but there isn't enough money to do the job; not even enough for the purchase of conservation easements. Prices also keep rising, almost literally by the minute. One response to the dilemma of limited funds has been to target "the last best places." It's been a useful strategy. The Conservation Fund, for example, has passed the four million-acre mark nationwide, in terms of protected land. It only took them 19 years. Many land-buying organizations have recently turned to collaborative, community-based projects to widen the conservation impact across threatened landscapes. At the same time, other conservation organizations, such as Defenders of Wildlife and Environmental Defense, offer incentive programs and other tools to encourage better land use among private landowners. But more than anything, environmentalists need to make peace with ranchers and other landowners. And everyone needs to begin a dialogue about the health of the land and economic opportunity, regardless of where the fences may go. As John Maynard Keynes said, "The difficulty lies not in new ideas, but in escaping from the old ones." Courtney White is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News (hcn.org). In Santa Fe, N.M., he is executive director of the Quivira Coalition, whose fourth annual conference, "Half public, half private, one West, " has been taking place this week in Albuquerque. Visit The Park Record website at zozozo.parkrecord.com Sincerely, Jeff Rifleman Men and Fathers for Justice of Utah Ogden The Park Recordwe\corx\es letters to the editor on any subject. We ask that the letters adhere to the following guidelines:They must include the address and telephone number of author. No letter will be published under an assumed name. They must not contain libelous material. Writers are limited to one letter every 28 days. Letters must not be longer than 350 words {guest editorials, 550 words) and should if possible, be typed. We reserve the right to edit letters if they are too long or if they contain statements we consider unnecessarily offensive or obscene. In addition, thank you letters are limited in length with regard to businesses and event sponsors. The maximum is six individuals and/or businesses, E-mail your letters to: editor@parkrecord.com SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION 1 Year inside Summit County, $37, outside Summit County, $70 6 Months inside Summit County, $20, outside Summit County S39 Mastercard or Visa No._ Name Mailing Address Exp. Date: Mail to: The Park Record, P.O. Box 3688, Park City, Utah 84060 The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER Andy Bernhard Editor Nan Chalat-Noaker Staff writers Jay Hamburger Pat Parkinson Joe Lair Jared Whitley Adia Waldburger Matt James Anna Bloom Contributing writers Tom Clyde Ten Orr Jay Meehan Joan Jacobson Silvia Leavftt Linda Jager Courtney Herzinger Editor's assistant Inkarna Black Classified advertising Sheree Durastanti Holly VanDenAmeele Office manager Michael Duffy Circulation manager Kate Fischer Accounting manager Valerie Deming Advertising director Wendy Halliday Advertising sales Anne Anderson Molly Ballard Cheryn McNicol Teresa Chavez Lacy Brundy Chris Gill Annie Macdonald Kat James Editorial production Scott Sine Photographers Grayson West Matt Gordon Production director Kristi Ruppert Production Scott Schlenker Jason Plawecki Kyle Burress Kim Vance Jon Smedley Chris Anderson Distribution Todd Kendall John Kilbourn Cartoonist Contents of the The Park Record me. copyright © 2005, Diversified Suburban Newspapers. All rights reserved. No poniur. may be reproduced in any form without written consent of the managing editor or publisher. The Park / ? m W ( U S P S 378-750) (ISSN 07459483) is published twice weekly by Diversified Suburban Newspapers, 1670 Bonanza Dr.. Park City, Utah. Periodicals Postage paid at Park City. Utah. POSTMASTER: Send address changes lo The Park Record. Box 368K, Park City. Utah 84060. Entered as second class matter, May 25,1977 at the post office in Park City. Utah 84060, under the Act of March 3, 1897. Subscription rates arc S37 inside Summit County. $70 outside Summit County, Utah. Subscriptions are transferable; S5 cancellation fee. Phone (435) 649-9014 or fax (435) 649-4942. Published every Wednesday and Saturday. PHOTOS BY JASON HUNTER I N © TGCOrCl Asked around Park City What design should be on the Utah state quarter? Jessica Layton MJCGeorgi David Clark Carson Bowers Bart Johnsen "I think it would be cool to have a moose or Mt. Timpanogos." "We have beehives on everything else, why not on the quarter? "I would like to see Zion National Park with the quote "Greatest Snow on Earth." "A skier or snowboarder. That's what Utah is all about." "Something like our 'Ski Utah' license plate." |