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Show VIEWPOINTS A-11 www.parkrecord.com Wed/Thurs/Fri, June 14-16, 2017 EDITORIAL Bonanza Flats land purchase will benefit generations to come P GUEST EDITORIAL It is time for Republicans to stand up to President Trump JOHN WHITE Midway “You can’t handle the truth” is the famous line delivered by actor Jack Nicholson in the movie: “A Few Good Men.” After President Trump’s latest firing of FBI Director, James Comey, the phrase “you can’t handle the truth” seems quite apropos. What is troubling to most of us is that Comey’s firing is just another in a series of actions taken by President Trump and his staff, that casts a suspicious cloud over the possible collusion with the Russians regarding the election of 2016. Although the President has the constitutional right to fire a FBI Director, President Trump’s rationale for firing FBI Director Comey was simply that he is a “nut job, showboat, and lost the confidence and respect of his fellow FBI agents.” This appears to be irrationally conceived. This is just another example of Trump’s delusional behavior. It is mind boggling to think that even Trump supporters would applaud his action as sound judgement when nothing is specifically related to Comey’s incompetency. So who cannot handle the truth? Is it Comey or Trump? What is equally concerning is Trump’s blatant disregard to communicate and solicit advice from members of congress prior to making major personnel or policy recommendations. Obviously, he listens to only a close circle of friends, with Steve Bannon being the most influential. This was evidenced by President Trump’s declaration to drop out of the Paris climate agreement. It is unbelievable to many of us that the United States is now aligned with Syria and Nicaragua as the only countries in the world not participating in reducing pollution on our planet! Trump’s America-first mantra has now placed us last as a world leader! He has managed in a few short months, to alienate our NATO allies to the point that they no longer can trust or look to America as the leader of the free world. As a result, our intelligence-sharing ability among friendly nations has been seriously damaged, if not permanently diminished. If President Trump believes that Americans “can’t handle the truth” he is misguided and is vastly underestimating the intelligence of Americans. Does he really think that the American citizen cannot comprehend the fairytale “The emperor wore no clothes” overtly displayed by many of his fellow Republicans in Congress. A few Republican legislators verbally appear to be in opposition to President Trump on major decisions, but thus far their actions are much to the contrary. Most Americans are hoping for the Republican-led Congress to step up for America and be accountable to their constituents not necessarily just to the White House. One does not have to be blind to see that President Trump is attempting to make the wealthy even wealthier by his tax reform proposal and at the same time omitting his promise to bring back a strong middle class to America. Finally, does President Trump really believe that most Americans are so gullible to believe that all of his statements are truths, especially when he states that the Russian interference into the 2016 election is all a hoax perpetrated by the Democrats for having lost the election! Good grief Charlie Brown, what is happening to our America! LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Soaring Wings celebrates 30 years of schooling local youngsters Photographer Tanzi Propst Children’s Fair. We thank the parents, teachers and students who made the Fair possible, with special gratitude to Jill Warburton and Stephanie Murray who have been working to make the Fair a success for the better half of the school year. Warm appreciation to the dozens of families who sponsored and supported the Fair. Heartfelt thanks to the community sponsors who support us so generously year after year. The annual Fair is organized by the teachers, parents and students of the school offering a day to celebrate the child while raising funds to support the organizations of our Children’s Planet Fund. Students choose these organizations and then budget and donate the proceeds, giving them an experience in making a difference in their world. Over the past 30 years we have noticed that our graduates carry this community spirit with them wherever they go. Thank you also to the Park City community for the warmth and generosity with which you have supported the school over the past 30 years and to The Park Record for highlighting our growth. We have gone from just two students in 1987 to over 100 from infants through 6th grade. We have had the honor of working with some of the most thoughtful, talented and giving teachers, parents and children on the planet. We have occupied many locations all over town before we came happily to rest in our current Old Ranch Road location, with the support of another incredible Soaring Wings family (thanks, Solim and Jackie!). The journey has been a dream come true. Although the population has grown, the small town atmosphere remains. Park City is still a happy, healthy, safe place where children grow up with an attachment to family, friends and the natural world. No matter where I travel I’m always happy to come home. Thanks, Park City! Namaste’ Production director Ben Olson Production Nadia Dolzhenko Patrick Schulz Linda Sites Duna Strachan Soaring Wings International Montessori School Editor: It was a milestone school year for Soaring Wings International Montessori School, marking our 30th year in Park City and ending with a very successful The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER Andy Bernhard Editor Nan Chalat Noaker Staff writers Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Bubba Brown Angelique McNaughton Griffin Adams Contributing writers Tom Clyde Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Steve Phillips Tom Kelly Joe Lair Interns Jessica Curley Emily Billow Copy Editor Frances Moody ADVERTISING Classified advertising Jennifer Lynch Office manager Tiffany Rivera Circulation manager Lacy Brundy Accounting manager Jennifer Snow Advertising director Valerie Spung Advertising sales Lori Gull Jodi Hecker Erin Donnelly Lisa Curley Digital Products Manager Mike Boyko ark City residents are about to become the owners of 1,350 acres of wildflower-filled meadows and aspen-studded slopes. The Park City Council is expected to finalize its $38 million purchase of Bonanza Flats Thursday evening with a public celebration planned on Friday afternoon. The agreement represents a monumental, multi-agency effort to preserve a vital parcel that serves as an integral watershed, wildlife habitat and playground for at least three counties. Long a pipe dream of outdoor enthusiasts, the notion of purchasing the land gained traction last fall when Park City voters approved a $25 million bond to fund a lion’s share of the $38 million asking price. Approximately seven out of 10 voters supported the proposition. With that vote of confidence a number of others, including government entities, nonprofit organizations and individuals. jumped on board with pledges to secure the $13 million balance. However, until this week, just four days from the June 15 deadline, it was unclear whether Park City could muster the funds to secure the deal. Thanks to some fancy fiscal footwork, City Hall announced on Monday the money was forthcoming. Still, even after Friday’s celebration, there will be a lot of work to do to ensure Bonanza Flats’ future is secure. Park City and Wasatch County will need to hammer out a management plan that also meets guidelines recommended by Utah Open Lands. Most of all, though, the fate of those pristine acres high above the city will be in the hands of those who hike, bike and ski there -- or just drive through. As our popular National Parks can attest, public use can be as intense as development. Some users will have to temper their expectations in deference to the area’s role as a natural preserve. It is also important to acknowledge that not all of those who enthusiastically checked the Bonanza Flats box on the ballot will actually pay the bill. For the next 16 years, property owners will see a noticeable tax hike -- as much as $122 on an average-priced primary home and $220 for a business or vacation location. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude and a promise to take care of their investment as we would our own. GUEST EDITORIAL Park City Can Learn From the Valveturners WILL FALK Black Rock Ridge My phone notified me of two news stories on Wednesday afternoon, June 7. One was personal. The other, national. First, my sister-in-law sent me a video of my 21 month-old nephew, Thomas, saying my name for the first time. It was one of the best sounds I’ve ever heard. Then, I read that Ken Ward, founder of Climate Disobedience with Tim DeChristopher, and one of the five “Valveturners” who, on October 11, 2016, manually cranked Enbridge, Inc.’s pipelines’ emergency shutoff valves shutting down five crude oil pipelines for a whole business day, was convicted of one of the criminal charges brought against him. This was the second time Ward was tried in Skagit County, WA after the first jury was unable to reach a verdict in January. In this trial, the jury found Ward guilty of second-degree burglary, a felony charge carrying up to a decade in prison, and/or up to $20,000 in fines. Fortunately, the jury did not find Ward guilty of a felony sabotage charge. Not only were the Valveturners incredibly brave, they were effective. Ward and the other valve-turners who shut down pipelines in Minnesota, Washington, Montana, and North Dakota prevented the delivery of 2.8 million barrels of crude from Canada to American markets. That’s about 15 percent of American daily oil consumption. The Valveturners have shown that if we want to stop the flow of oil, we might have to do it ourselves. Interestingly, all five of the Valveturners were baby boomers, 50 years or older. Annette Klapstein, one of the Valveturners arrested in Minnesota, described her motivation in the Seattle Weekly, “This is an absolute crisis. And, there is no politician anywhere who is dealing with it as the reality of the emergency that it is.” She also said she wanted to look her grandchildren in the face and say, “‘I did everything in my power to make sure you have a future. Not just ‘I ineffectually petitioned my political leadership.’” Meanwhile, in Park City, where politics are dominated by baby boomers, concerned citizens are pacified by reassuring messages from City Council that “Park City has made North America’s most ambitious climate goals: to be net-zero and run on 100% renewable electricity for city operations by 2022, and for the whole community by 2032.” It’s still unclear how this will be achieved, but the promises have been made. I am glad that Parkites want to fight climate change, but we cannot settle for a plan that will take fifteen years to come to fruition. We need tactics that account for the urgency of climate reality. The Valveturners have provided a blueprint, taken responsibility, and exhibited nearly unmatched courage. Why can’t we act with the same decisiveness? I’m not saying that risking prison time is the only way to stop climate change. But, I am saying that some of us are willing to engage in more serious forms of resistance. Many of us are young, look at a future being stolen from us, and ask the older generations to admit that their tactics have failed. We are beginning to organize, and we could use your help. I know I risk being called “too extreme.” To answer that I return to Ken Ward and my nephew, Thomas. A few weeks ago, in a piece for Earth Island Journal, Ward wrote of his actions, “I have no regrets. And if at some point my son asks me, Dad, what did you do to stop this? I’ll be able to tell him that I did everything I could think of to try.” Ward is truly a hero, and I thank him. For me, as little Thomas grows up and finds his voice, I want him to be able to say, “Uncle Will, thanks for stopping climate change.” GUEST EDITORIAL Archaeologists are the last line of defense KEVIN T. JONES High Country News `My friends have left me behind. We are in Utah, headed for the canyon rim overlooking the Fremont River, just outside of Capitol Reef National Park. We set out with a sense of purpose, each step carrying us closer to our goal — a dramatic view of a spectacular landscape. I fall behind when a glimmer in the sandy soil catches my eye. I bend down to look and see that it’s a flake, a bit of chert discarded untold years ago during the manufacture of a stone tool. There’s still more, and then a piece of a broken tool. I’ve found an archaeological site. A weathered gray pottery sherd tells me that this site is related to the Fremont Culture, ancient farmers who inhabited this region around a thousand years ago. I look up and see my friends disappear around the tip of a ridge, far ahead of me. My eyes turn back down at the ground and keep searching. I can’t help myself: I’m an archaeologist, trained to look and then look again. Archaeologists find and record archaeological sites, most often working for or with a government agency to examine areas that are slated for potentially damaging or downright destructive development. We survey the area by walking and looking, usually in a grid or transect pattern. There’s no need to examine every square meter of the ground, but we don’t want to skip too many. Our greatest fear is that we will miss something important, because whatever we miss will likely be destroyed. Sometimes I get the feeling that, as a field archaeologist, I am an undertaker for wild places, for I might be one of the last people to see a place before it is chained, leveled, mined, trenched or burned. The thought of what comes next has at times saddened me to the point of tears, because “progress” brings change, and change often means that valuable remnants of history must be destroyed. This sense of being the last line of defense for special places sets archaeologists apart and makes most of us passionate about the resources we love. Our work puts us at odds with developers and construction companies, and it often irritates our managers. We know that if we miss something, there are stories that will never be told, histories that will be forever extinguished when a blade or scoop or plow rips through them. So we look. We scan. We examine. In a way, we’re detectives seeking clues to events that might have taken place thousands of years ago. We try to think about the landscape as a hunter-gatherer might, or as a settler, miner, rancher or ancient farmer would have. We try to see beyond appear- ances, to interpret the ways the present-day tableau reveals hidden tales of the past. I am drawn to a rock outcrop just a few meters above the trail. Yes, sure enough, it contains a petroglyph. No, several — mountain sheep, a spiral, and a series of dots. From above, I see what could be a slight depression in the flats below — a pithouse? I head down to investigate. Archaeologists scrutinize the contour of the ground surface for subtle swales, mounds or depressions, anything that might reveal a buried feature. And we love erosion. Though erosion destroys archaeological sites, it can also reveal them. The stark sides of an arroyo cut can be as revealing to an archaeologist as an X-ray is to a physician. We get to see a cross-section of the layered stratigraphy, a record of the distant past ordered and in sequence, a ledger that can be read like a book. We can get giddy reading such books, and, like a reader, can become absorbed, oblivious to what is going on around us. On my hands and knees, I crawl through the shallow, dished-out area I spotted from above. I’m sure it is a pithouse, and pause to study the evenly arrayed pebbles covering an anthill, looking for tiny flakes, or even beads. Engrossed in my search, trying not to incite the defensive red ants, I’m jolted back to reality by the sound of a pant leg brushing against sagebrush, followed by my friend’s kindof-irritated voice. “Where’ve you been? Are you OK?” I look up, and there are my friends, standing all in a row, looking down at me. Sorry! I have to tell them. And I really am. I didn’t want to hold up the hike. But I can’t help adding, “Come look at what I’ve found! Kevin T. Jones is a contributor to Writers on the Range, the opinion service of High Country News. He lives in Salt Lake City. LETTERS POLICY The Park Record welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. We ask that the letters adhere to the following guidelines. They must include the home (street) address and telephone number of the author. No letter will be published under an assumed name. 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