OCR Text |
Show Wednesday, January 30, 2008 A3 Vernal Express Parents' teaching about strangers pays off for 11-year-old Vernal girl Monday afternoon turned out to be a time that Kelsey Roper will remember for a long time. She was scared into running to a neighbor's house to get away from and adult asking her questions. ques-tions. "I was walking down to the library from my house and I saw this guy drive up and roll his window down to start talking to me," described the 11-year-old daughter of Sean Roper of Vernal. Kelsey described the unidentified un-identified man exiting a larger suburban like truck to talk with her. This put her into flight for a safe house which happened to be her aunt's home just a few doors down from where she was. "Ididn'tsayanythingtohim! I justkeptrunning," saidKelsey. "I was wondering what he wanted from me as I was running." When she got to her aunt's Scenic Rivers Continued from Al in some quarters and many have concerns of how river classification classifica-tion will affect water rights. "Doesn't the free-flowing determination conflict with the seasonal nature of most drainages in the Ashley?" asked Vernal resident Mark Raymond. Referring to the mapped Forest segments, Raymond pointed out, "Many of these high country streams are dry - or nearly so - most of the year." "The act doesn't specify whether water flows all year or when it could flow, if present," said Call, noting the natural conditions of the river would be preserved for its eligible values. "Water simply has to be in sufficient suf-ficient quantity to support the outstanding remarkable values that occur within the river corridor." cor-ridor." Utah's legislative delegation does not agree with the proposed plan of preservation when contrasted con-trasted with the Forest Service's reading of the act. They have written a letter to system managers manag-ers explaining their dissent. "The state's opinion does not support the designation of any river segment that doesn't have water present and, flowing at all times," said Val Payne, state liai- L. r 9 FORTUNE 100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR Commitment Runs home, she knocked and when no one answered, she let her self in. She noted that the guy did not follow her to the house. She knew her dad was at worked so she called her mother living in Casper to find out what to do. Her mother called Vernal Police. "This was creepy for me - talking talk-ing to the police because I wasn't sure what they were going to do and ask me," said Kelsey. In the end she said talking with the police turned out to be good as they were helpful and even went and talked to the suspect. According to Sean Roper, as of Monday night he was waiting to talk with the police to find out exactly what happened and what was said between the police and the suspect. Kelsey said the officers told her the man just wanted to talk to her. "She did the right thing - she son to the Forest Service portion of the study. "Water is the life blood of the Basin," said Lapoint resident resi-dent Dorothy Luck, echoing the state's commentary. "I recall the 1930s drought, when men drove bony cattle over the Lapoint Hill and shot them because there was no feed and water to keep them. We need to protect our water rights to build dams and reservoirs to see that terrible time never happens again." Luck's comments go to the foundation of the act "to stem the construction of dams on segments seg-ments managed" as wild, scenic or recreational, according, to the Forest Service fact sheet. Agency team members reminded those at Thursday's meeting that the White House can build dams in protected zones regardless of the level of management, including wilderness and wild and scenic protection areas. "That being the case, it's the best argument for not designating des-ignating any river segments on the Ashley as wild, scenic or recreational," said JC Brewer of Vernal. "Let us maintain our necessary water resources and rights." "In fact, it is Congress who bears responsibility for the final status of protection," Call told participants at the meeting. ',' "Congress will designate specific t v t -: We appreciate the talent, hard work and commitment of the $,000 employees of Devon Energy. Through their contributions, we have grown to become one of the top independent energy producers in the world. devonenergy.com oo CD CD CNJ Deep ran for safety no matter what happened," said Kelsey's father. "I was very proud of her for how she handled this." "Really though, adults should know better than to do something like this," he said. Kelsie said her mother and father had taught her what to do in a situation like this. She said her mother had even brought home a movie and afterward they set up a password so that they would know if someone offering to give them a ride was good or not. "She also taught me not to take candy from a stranger, "said Kelsey. "We do talk about these kinds of things and I'm glad that some of it sunk in," said Sean. "We do this because there are some weird people out there and we all have to be careful." segments and inform the agency what the classification will be for their management. "Congress, in its designation, retains a junior water right that cannot preclude downstream water rights," Call added. "However, "How-ever, they have an obligation to protect the values that qualify the river segment. Generally, conflicts with water rights have been negotiated with users." "This means that downstream water rights do not supersede the government's interest," said Scott Ruppe of Vernal. "In 2001, Klamath River farmers lost irrigation water rights for the protection of salmon in the river. An unintended consequence of the protection of fish damaged both the farmers and their livelihood." liveli-hood." Ruppe was referring to the case of 24 Klamath Basin irrigators irriga-tors that remains in court. The group lost their water allotments in 2001 over the protection of a threatened species of fish. The Endangered Species Act, Ruppe noted was "never meant to be a 'taking' by the federal government." govern-ment." Call noted that "while Congress Con-gress designates segments for protection, it is the agency who is responsible for determining how to best manage local rivers. That management is determined in relation to its river values." i s devon Party meetings narrow field of party candidates The upcoming presidential primary elections on Feb. 5 are not to be confused with the state and county primary elections later in the year. The presidential primary elections allows all parties with presidential candidates to narrow nar-row the field down to one for the November national ballot. Delegates from each state will be sent to the national convention in early summer to declare the runners. The state and county election process runs at different dates. Candidate filing can take place between March 7 and 17 for all open county and state offices with the county clerk auditor office. On March 25 at 7 p.m. each party will conduct a mass caucus or precinct meeting. These are all at the same time on the same day to prevent people from attending two or more meetings. During this one-hour meeting delegates "Wild and Scenic Rivers will determine the kind of water conservation legacy that we are going to leave for our community and country," said Ashley National Na-tional Forest Supervisor Kevin Elliott. "For now, there are six proposed alternatives for management. man-agement. The third alternative, which would recommend six water resources on the Ashley, is currently the preferred option. "No decision has yet been made with regard to the Ashley," said the supervisor and decisionmaker. decision-maker. "But your input will be helpful, particularly, if you have a specific understanding about certain areas of the forest. We need to know your thoughts and ideas." Anyone interested in learning more about the proposals under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act can visit the project Web site at www.fs.fed.usr4rivers. Public comments can also be made at the site. The suitability draft comment phase ends Feb. 15. A final EIS will be prepared in the spring. At that time, a record of decision of Forest Service findings will be submitted to the Secretary of Agriculture for congressional consideration of river segments on the Ashley National Forest. PUBLIC HEARING FOR PRIVATE PAY RATE INCREASE AND BOARD MEETING Uintah Care Center will be holding its Board Meeting at Uintah Care Center in the Adult Day Center room at 5:00 p.m. A special public hearing will be held at 6:00 p.m. at the same location to discuss a potential private pay increase of 3.85 on or about April 1, 2008 to cover increased costs. If special Accommodations are required to attend please contact the Administrator at Uintah Care Center before the meeting. This month's public Board Meeting will be held on February 13, 2008. Published in the Vernal Express on 1-30-08 and 2-6-08. to the state and county conventions conven-tions are elected as well as well as precinct offices. The next meetings scheduled are party conventions where the delegates go and vote on different dif-ferent candidates running for office from their party. These candidates will be eliminated down to two and will be listed on the primary elections scheduled for June 24. Early voting will be available June 10 through June 20. The regular general election will be Nov. 4 this year. February Special Pac "A Great Valentines Gift" Course Dinner for Two -1 appetizer -2 soupssalads -2 dinner entrees -1 dessert Cozy Motel Room for Two -2 beds -Satellite TV -Warm Cozy room -Beautiful view -Free DVD rental Full Breakfast for Two -2 breakfast entrees -2 beverages Cross-Country Ski Package for Two -2 pairs of skis -2 pairs of boots -2 pairs of ski poles -2 pairs of gaiters $149.00 Upgrade to a Suite for $30. Minimal additional charge for children. Price does not include tax or gratuity. Reservations required and subject to availability. Must mention this ad when making reservations. Offer empires 030208. 'Open until 9 p.m. on Feb. 14tn for a Valentines Dinner SpeciaK f in to Find It... CLASSIFIED C When You Need it! -2 beverages 1100 E Flaming Gorge Resort Dutch John, UT 84023 (435) 889-3773; www.FlamingGorgeResort.com Rage |