OCR Text |
Show The Times-lndepende- Thursday, November 4, 1993-A- 3 nt, Red Rock Lacrosse Classic in Moab Saturday and Sunday A major college Lacrosse tournament will be held in Moab on Saturday and Sunday, featuring college teams from all over the Intcimountain West Games will begin at 10 a.m. each day,, at the G(and County High School and Middle School Football Fields. Involved in tournament play will be teams from the University of Utah, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., University of Northern Arizona at Flagstaff, University of Wyoming at Laramie, Utah State University at Logan, University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, Fort Lewis College of Durango, and an alumni team from B.Y.U. at Provo. When it comes to sports, lacrosse Scenic Bridge View Drive has at Natural Bridges re-open- ed Natural Bridges National Monument Superintendent, Steve Chaney, announced last week that the scenic 4 Bridge View Drive at Natural Bridges has been reopened to traffic. Restrictions on vehicle length and trailers have been lifted. The drive had been under construc- - Cross Canyon drilling project has been halted The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) was successful in an appeal challenging oil and gas drilling in the Cross Canyon Wilderness Study Area, located along border. the southern The Department of Interior's Board of Land Appeals reversed the BLM decision to issue the drilling permit because of potentially adverse impacts on the wilderness study area. The case involved an application for a permit to drill an oil well in Utah-Colora- WSA the Cross Canyon by Ampolex Exploration (U.S.A.) Inc. SUWA, joined by the Sierra Club and the Colorado Environmental Coalition, challenged this action by administratively appealing the BLM decision to the Interior Departments appeal board. The IBLA ruled that the right of way claimed by Ampolex and approved by the BLM would degrade the land to such a degree as to impair its suitability as a wilderness area in violation of federal legislation concerning wilderness study areas. The IBLA also held that Congressional mandates dating back to 1993 instruct the Interior Department to consider conservation and environmental damage when ruling on applications to drill on federal land, and remanded the case with orders to the BLM to consider whether the permit to drill should be "suspended" due to its adverse environmental consequences. Conservations were pleased by the ruling. "This decision is particularly important because it ensures protection of a pristine area of immeasur-abl- e cultural significance," said David Negri, Legal Advisor for SUWA. "It's crazy to think that serious environmental consequences should not be considered when assessing applications to drill, but that had been the Utah BLM's position," Mr. Negri added. The Cross Canyon WSA is being considered for wilderness designation by Congress because of its rugged terrain, its outstanding opportunities for solitude, and its numerous undisturbed archaeological sties remaining from the Anasazi culture which occupied the area from approximately AD 1000 to 1300. Workers compensation rates here are moderate lt known as insurance. In exchange for providing workers compensation insurance, employers are guaranteed immunity from prosecution for other damages, except in cases where there was intent to harm. In Utah all employers are required to carry workers' compensation insurance. no-fau- - "Utah's workers' compensation rates are moderate when compared to other states and the national average," concludes a recent Utah Foundation research report. "For all fifty states, Utah ranked 35th in per worker benefits paid during 1989. Utah's benefit payments per worker amounted to $180, well below the national average of $277," states Utah Foundation. Michael Christensen, executive director of the private research agency stated, "lower worker's compensation rates help Utah business remain competitive and make the state an attractive state for business expansion and corporate recruitment. Christensen pointed out that there are several factors that account for the differences in cost per worker by state. The most important is industry mix. States with a heavy concentration of industries that are relatively more dangerous have higher average workers' compensation rates. Other factors accounting for differences between states include the degree of generosity or liberality in defining compensable claims, wage rates, cost of medical treatment and emphasis on safety in the work place. Though industry mix is the most important, a survey in 1991 by the Workers' Compensation Fund of Utah indicates that the other factors are important. The survey looked at premiums for 13 occupations in seven western states and found Utah with the lowest rates for 10 of the 13 occupations. Christensen stated that, "In 1992, employer costs in Utah for workers' compensation insurance totaled about 1.25 percent of payroll, again well below the national average of 2.40 percent." Despite these seemingly low costs to employers for workers' compensation, insurance rates have increased significantly The over the last 30 years. Foundation report points out that, "The cost has risen at an average annual rate of 3.5 percent above the rate of inflation. This has increased the costs to employers nationally from less than one percent of payroll to about 2.4 percent. The driving force behind rising worker's compensation premiums has been rising medical costs. Workers compensation is an emplinsurance system by oyer-paid which workers who sustain injuries (or disease) on the job are compensated for medical expenses, lost wages, and other tangible losses. It does not matter who is at fault; in fact, .workers compensation was the first example of what came to be tion since November, 1992. Due to construction activities that limited road access to portions of the Monument, the normal $4 entry fee had been waived this season. The collection of an entry fee will resume in spring, 1994. With the completion of construction, tour buses and recreational vehicles will have additional parking space without reducing space needed for passenger cars. Road improvements included replacing low water crossings with culverts to reduce flooding damage, realigning several segments of the road where sharp curves created traffic hazards, and re- defining parking at bridge viewpoints and trailheads to minimize resource damage and provide adequate space. In addition, the entire Bridge View Drive has received a new asphalt overlay which used the old deteriorated asphalt as base material. To aid visitors in their enjoyment of Natural Bridges, new interpretive wayside exhibits are being installed at significant sites along the Drive. These interpretive panels were made possible through a combination of National Park Service funding, aid from the Canyonlands Natural History Association based in Moab, and a private donation through the Nature Conservancy on behalf of Dr. Robert Majer. "I believe our visitors will be pleased with these improvements," stated class all its own. It involves speed, strength, agility and guts. It originated as a war game played by native American tribes of the eastern seaboard to condition for battle. is in a Hockey came from Lacrosse because the French Canadians wanted to play it on ice in the winter. Now its the national sport of Canada. Ever popular among Americans, a professional box lacrosse league has begun in the United Stales. Box lacrosse is different from field lacrosse only in that it is played indoors over a smaller area with a smaller goal and fewer players. Either way you play its still the fastest game on foot. Lacrosse has been a tradition among Ivy League schools for nearly a century. It can be found in most cities, colleges and universities around the nation. The last 5 year has brought lacrosse to stick past the goalie. Basically what youre watching in lacrosse is big guys with big sticks beating on the little guys with little sticks. When the ball gets dropped on the ground, its anybodys. Thats when lacrosse sticks wail and bodies crunch as each team fights for possession of the ball. The team that gets the most of these ground balls usually wins. The games begin Saturday at 10 middle school fields. The eight teams arc split into two brackets. There will be several rounds of play on each field both Saturday and Sunday. Winners of each bracket will play each other for the first place trophy at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the high school field. If youve never seen lacrosse, heres your chance to take up a new spectator sport. YME (0) just for mm 1 even the sleepiest of Rocky Mountain communities such as Vail, Aspen, Steamboat and Durango. After this weeks big tourney, it would not be surprising if the Moab community came up with a lacrosse club of its own. Lacrosse is not a gentlemans game. Far from it. The best team wins by using speed and quickly passing the ball among its players as they attack the opponents goal. The mostly smaller sized attack men, as they arc called, must first get pat the often bigger defensemen. They then score by shooting the ball out of the ON FIFTH WEST a.m. on both the high school and That's rlghtl Just by calling us you could have twenty years of tourism marketing experience working for you. Don't leave things to chancel Let us help you plan, design and produce your destination marketing program and materials. DESIGNI&1 PRODUCTION 1 800 896 MOAB A division of R.P. Marketing, Corp. Orchard Villa TOWN HOMES Superintendent Chaney. "Bridge View Drive is the way most visitors view the Monument. With the completion of construction, both visitors and the resource will benefit. We have appreciated the public's patience while this needed work was completed," he added. Natural Bridges National Monument is open year round. Beginning November 1st, the winter schedule of operations goes into effect. Visitor center hours will be 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily with the exception of federal holidays. Moab's Newest Planned Residential Development. Own a home well-design- quality-crafte- ed d available for pre-salCall today and see how easy & affordable it is to own an Orchard Townhome. e. Villa PouidUt tal 47 E. Center - Moab Portal Development, LLC Ludean Walker 259-265- 0 Janie Tuft |