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Show MARCH TIMES - MARCH 1993 - 5 Little Impact, says Film Commissioner has “little or no impact on the land.” Responding to local opposition to the filming Slaughter of the Innocents, Stanton said “We tried to keep the Moab Film Commission’s executive director, Bette Stanton, during a telephone interview on February 19, said that a change in BLM land use permit regulations was “triggered by appeals on permits for filming Slaugh- helicopters away” from Castle Valley. ter of the Innocents” by local groups. They opted to airlift the debris to Castle Valley Academy, which accepted the used building materials as a recyclable donation. Stanton said that disturbance to the land on and around Castle Rock was kept to a minimum during filming, because local crew members were the “eyes of the community for protection Stanton said that since February 5, when BLM’s area manager Roger Zortrnan announced a 45-day waiting period for filming permit appeals, several production companies have cancelled plans to film in southeast Utah. Stanton also said, however, that Columbia Pictures scouts would arrive in Moab February 22 to begin a location search on state lands for Geronimo, a movie which Stanton characterized as a major budget feature film. Stanton said that motion picture producers are less likely to worry about the new, longer waiting period (the past policy held up approval only three days) than smaller “stills” and TV advertising productions who generally operate on small budgets of time and money. Geronimo, according to Stanton, will bring in 225 out-of-town crew members, involve “considerable construction of sets, including a fort,” and provide temporary jobs for many local workers. Stanton said that Columbia Pictures executives decided to scout state lands rather than BLM resources, because with the new policy on 43 CFR 2920 (the federal statute governing filming permits), “There is no clear picture of the [film] permitting process at this time." The Moab Fihn Commission has been mailing petitions to Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt each day since Zortman’s announcement. Stanton said that the petitions, containing up to 300 names during the first week of the campaign, urge implementation of a revision to 43 CFR 2920 which has been held up at the BLM directorate in Washington DC. for nearly three years. According to Stanton, the revision would effectively eliminate waiting periods for public appeals to film permits. She said that the waiting period for oil, gas, mining, and other permits should remain in force, but that environmental impact Stanton went on to say that the producers had considered removing their sets from Castle Rock, after filming, by truck but decided that the action would cause unnecessary surface disturbance. movie industry has little or no impact. “I know Bette Stanton believes what she says,” Groo continued, “but she does not understand that we truly are impacted out here and we feel strongly about it. There is a difference in perception about impact: the BLM and film Commission think things will be OK for people. From what I have seen and heard, they do a good job of cleaning up after themselves and restoring the site, but unforeseeable circumstances can turn routine procedures into dangerous situations for local residents.” Groo cited the prop drop on Buchanan Lane as an example of a gentleman’s agreement gone awry. A want to see the land ruined.” Stanton said that Moab Fihn Commission has helicopter carrying a two-story set to the Seventh Day Academy for recycling adhered to a pre-set schedule, video shots before, during, and after flew in windy conditions, and was filming to prove that the activity had no forced to jettison the heavy load in the middle of Castle Valley’s residential area. of the land. They’re locals and don’t detectable impact on the land. Moab Film Commission meets every 2nd Tuesday of the month with a business meeting at 6:30 pm. and a Commission meeting at 7:30. Meetings are held at Commission headquarters in Moab and are open to the public. Stanton said the Moab Film Commission is “not opposed to holding special meetings in Castle Valley with residents” to initiate dialogue regarding future film projects in the area. —John Flahie Inappropriate time and place have earmarked helicopter flights, according to Groo. “We had continuous helicopter activity over a ten day period a year and a half ago,” he recalled. “They promised to try a different route but didn’t do it because of technical flying reasons.” “Grand County is big,” Groo maintains, “bigger than most states. There are two tiny microdots of civilization. These residential areas need to be respected. As the BLM Castle Valley Mayor Cites Film Industry Impacts rewrites their Resource Management Plan they need to give residential areas priority and route the film industry to uninhabited areas.” —Melanie Allardale “There is considerable impact upon this community when movies are filmed in this area,” Castle Valley Mayor John Groo said in response to recent Film Commission claims that the Canyonlands ’ Llamas ANN BENGE CVSR 1911 Moab, Utah 84532 (801) 259-5739 assessments for filming were not necessary because the movie industry |
