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Show BLOOMING TIMES APRIL 1993- 5 a iiii i“; Alice by Geronimo Comes to Town As the project was described to us, the largest impact is apt to be increased traffic on the river road while they film The major film production Geronimo has begun in the Moab area. this is going to be a full scale production, using several hundred people and in this area. If Columbia acts in good up to a hundred horses for some portions of the production. Filming will take place from mid-May through July or maybe August. What kind of impact will this likely have on us here in Castle Valley? Where is it going to be shot? Will it be another helicopter invasion? To try to start this production off on a positive note, BLM asked Scott Groene (SUWA), the Geronimo production manager, and me to go out in the field last Thursday to look at the faith and conducts itself professionally, they may set some positive precedents for film companies yet to come. —Jack Campbell Hot Air Ballooning— Draft EA Available BLM has received a request from Wild west Balloon tours to rim hot air balloon trips through Castle Valley, Professor Valley, and Fisher Valley. this is in addition to their request to continue their existing operations south of Moab in the canyon Rims area near filming sites and talk out our concerns before taking adversarial positions as Canyonlands National Park. Wild West Balloon Tours is asking has happened in the past. If BLM and Columbia Pictures were being honest in what they showed us, there shOuldn’t be much impact on us from this permission for daily tours occurring three hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset. Groups of three balloons production, even as large as it is. We spent the morning looking at sites near the Potash Plant and underneath Deadhorse Point State Park. No problems with those sites. In the afternoon we came out to Ida Gulch, to look at the sites Columbia had picked out. We were more concerned about one of them, as Columbia wanted to take its Titan/Nova 26,000 allows flights until November 1. pound, 6-wheel-drive, camera boom truck off onto some untracked land. We worked this one out. Another major staging area will be on Professor Valley Ranch, the site of an army fort. Since this is private land, what happens there is the owner’s business. Supposedly Columbia has already hired Jane Belnap to supervise restoration of this area after production is finished. The hundred plus horses are may be used at one time. The permit us, visual pollution if the ballooning becomes a regular event, noise from propane burner jets during quiet parts of the day, increased tracking of land when balloons come down in unexpected areas and vehicles drive out to pick them up, and increased use of River Road (with drivers gawking at balloons instead of watching where they’re driving). My personal opinion is that there are types of tourist activities that have relatively little impact on the resources they are using, like rafting on the Colorado, and then there are projects like this that can have large impacts (visual in this case) on the natural scenery and that should be directed to places where there is already a more commercialized, Disneyland-like setting. —Jack Campbell _ Letters .— to the Times BLM has completed a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for this proposal. Copies may be obtained from the BLM Grand Resource Area office, 885 South Sand Flats Road., Moab, UT 84532. You can have a copy sent to you by writing to the above address or calling 259-8193. BLM will receive comments on the Draft EA until May 7 and will then prepare the final EA. As was mentioned in last month’s Dear CV Times, Canyonlands Community recycling held a Pancake Breakfast on March let to raise funds for needed equipment. We wish to thank Jack Campbell, Brittany, Eddie McS tift‘s, Honest Ozzie’s, Best Value Foods, City Market, Golden Stake, Moab Co-op, Frosty Freeze, IR’s, Fat City, Meadow Gold Dairy, Taco Bender, Tag-A-Long, article, some of the concerns from area Cowboy Trails, and all volunteers. Thanks to you, the fund raiser was residents are: fires started by hot air balloonng in the past, invasion of privacy if low flying balloons pass over a success! Gratefully, CCRC supposed to be kept at the Equestrian Center until they are needed. then they will be transported and corralled near the site of the individual filming sequences. Quite a few horses will be kept out at the Professor valley ranches for those filming sequences. Production manager Greg Lazzaro told us that they do not intend to use helicopters in this production. Let’s hope they don’t change their minds. For the best rest out wast A Bed and Breakfast 801 -259—601 2 Eric Thomson & Lynn Forbes Thomson CVSR 2602, Moab, Utah 84532 |
