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Show A2 -- The Thursday, November 18, 1993 Times-Independe- Community Comments j By Sam Taylor The Utah Division of State Lands & Forestry proposal to ask the Legislature for permission to start charging humongous fees for a large part of the Book Cliffs is a real courageous move on the part of that state agency. And while the measure will be debated vigorously by proponents and opponents in the upcoming session of the lawmaking body, the proposal brings out some other points that should be seriously considered. I refer to the suggestion that other folks, besides traditional users, should begin paying some sort of fee for using and enjoying public lands both state and federal State Board members would like to charge access fees to hikers, campers and photographers using lands which have, in the past, been open for use by anyone. And federally, the same sort of sounds are beginning to be heard. This week. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt voiced similar thoughts. He said that recreation users may be asked in the future to pay more to use parks and other recreational facilities on public lands. Most visitors are willing to pay a little more if money was reinvested in facilities and maintenance for parks," Babbitt said. The same should hold true for lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. One visitor to our home this year summed it up pretty well, after a glorious day out in the boonies on his mountain bike: Ive enjpyed my day so darned much, I kind of feel guilty about not having to pay anything for it. The same visitor thinks nothing about paying thirty bucks a pop for a day on the ski slopes. A lot of folks feel that way. Im sure, though some would balk at paying anything at all. So much for them. A public lands passport" is long overdue. And don't think it would take a whole lot of enforcement to make one work. I've carried a hunting and fishing license for over forty years, and have had my creel checked only once during that time. Going hunting or fishing without a license is just not something I would seriously consider, even though Im not much of a threat to the wildlife and fisheries resources of the state of Utah. In considering such a fee, though, serious thought should be given to local government when proceeds are doled out. State and federal agencies do manage public lands, but the degree of management is sometimes a little short of what is needed. Search and rescue operations, for example, pretty much remain the responsibility of local government, which gains absolutely nothing from the beneficiaries of their efforts, unless the rescued victim feels some compulsion to pay 1 for the services he or she received. The time for public fees for public land use has come. And it would be only fair to livestock operators, timber and mining interests and other traditional users who have always paid something for using the public lands, to extend those charges to those increasing numbers of people who are getting the good stuff free. sjt As I write this (Wednesday mid-damy mind is on more lofly. national subjects. I have concerns that the North American Free Trade Agreement, now before Congress, might be voted down by the House of Representatives, although if I were a betting persons. Id bet for favorable action this week. Im not sure that any of us out here in this vast nation really know what the immediate financial impacts might be, but a defeat of the agreement would be a terrible blow, in my y) estimation, to our aspirations of becoming a leader by example- - among the free nations of the world. I liked what Newsweek Magazine said about those opposing the agreement: They1 would be happy if the rest of the world would go away." That isnt going to happen. The days of the Smoot-Hawle- v protectionist attitude are long gone. Thank goodness. The Times-Independe- nt ) (UPS Entered as Second Class Matter at the Post Office at Moab, Utah under the act of March 3, 1897. Second class postage paid at Moab, Utah 84532. Official City and County Newspaper Published Each Thursday at 35 East Center Street, Moab, Grand County, Utah 84532. Postmaster: Send change of address to: The P.O. Box 129, Moab, Utah 84532 or FAX (801) (801) 6309-2000- Times-Independen- 259-774- 1 259-752- 5 Samuel J. and Adrien F. Taylor Publishers and Editors Assistant to Publishers Sales, Production Circulation Cindy Winters Ron Drake Dorothy Anderson Paul Barks Backshop Read All About your home town in & San Juan area $5 discount for persons 62 and older upon request for 52 news-fille- d issues in your mail once a week local news TV guide special features lots of ads Subscribe Now! rMail to: The Times-Independe- nt, New shops going in. . . Site is at the corner of First South and Main underway for Vernon Erb's new building. The stucco edifice will house Erb's The Hogan Trading Company, and two other shops, and will be open in the spring. The Hogan will have twice the space it currently occupies in the Grand Emporium building, and Erb plans to expand his inventory accordingly. The Grand Emporium space will become a new restaurant. preparation Opinions from our readers : Dear Sam Taylor, Once upon a time there was a young family who wanted a better life away from the. city. Fourteen years ago they brought their children here to give them somewhere they could grow up sage. The parents loved the red rock country and had explored as it youngsters themselves. The husbands suffered a disabling back injury which caused him to be permanently disabled. Other health problems followed. The little family struggled onward bravely facing serious financial problems but kept their children here to give them a chance at life free of Here they gangs and violence. thrived and became straight A honor The schools were students. excellent. The little town grew in population and the rules changed. Taxes increased and budgets where strained from advertising the little town. Soon more people came and more people came. Those working the lower jobs couldn't support the rent increases and also eat. Everywhere they turned there were new zoning laws, increased tax rates and higher bills. The husbands health took a turn for the worse and they lost their home. They tried to rent for awhile but couldn't pay rent and still eat while working the little job. The city and county couldn't worry about the little family as they were more concerned with a bigger county jail to put right next to the childrens school, and a fancy new visitors center for the center of town. Facing homelessness the little family moved into a motorhome temporarily to stay while they got on their feet. The husbands health help. The little city made more rules and rules to force the little family out. They don't want the little families, they want the big business. So the family moved to the county where the rules also changed and the family was shuffled here and there. Finally the little family was offered a refuge of a a place to stay by a kind soul who knew they needed help. But lo and behold the little space was the controversy of great dispute. It seems it adjoined a major biking trail and jeep route and everyone wanted the little space. Still no one cared about the little family. The kind soul was charging fees and restricting uses of his space. The little family who are now tenants suffered daily abuse by who thought they owned the space. Their children heard the most foul things no child should hear, the mother and father were verbally assaulted daily by recreationists who wanted someone to use as a scapegoat. The little town wouldn't let the family in so they had nowhere else to go. Some bike shops boycotted the canyon and set people off the harass the little family. They were in the way. Large groups of bikers started coming through harassing the little family. Their children were Times-Independe- nt almost run over by other bikers, the parents by dirt bikers. The sheriff was contacted time and again and told the little family it was too dangerous. They couldn't constant patrol. The abuse provide continued. One day another large group of bikers came through the little space. The threatened and assaulted the. little mother. They broke the gate and made the family very fearful for their lives. They wouldn't stop so the little father, recovering from illness and disabled, shot a round into the air to make them stop. They stopped but then rode off and told the bike shop. They told the county commissioner, who told the county attorney. Before everything was investigated, the little father was charged with a misdemeanor for trying to protect his family. The county wouldn't help him, the city wouldn't help him so he tried to help himself. Now he is the bad guy. All because he loved the little family. He cared that they were safe. Since then the little family has been destroyed. The county wont help the wife's assault as they want the little space. Instead of finding solutions they just harass the little family. Tell me Sam, what would you do if this was your little family? Where would you tum for help? How much does your little family mean to you? Sincerely, Pauline Gam Dear Sam and Adrien, I hope you've had a chance to notice the youth of Moab playing soccer these past two months. For the first time, Moab City Recreation offered Fall Soccer Leagues for ages five through fourteen. 280 children signed up to participate, and have been actively involved on one of the 22 teams that are playing. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank several peopleNand organizations for making soccer possible. First, I'd like to thank the' Moab City Recreation Board for taking a chance on Fall soccer leagues, and ' sponsoring them. Next, there are several business in the community that donated services or materials to soccer: Office Equipment, Inc., G M Rentals, and Mike Toninelli Painting all made contributions that helped soccer to operate at a reasonable cost for the kids. No teams would be possible without willing volunteers to coach teams. I can't thank enough the adults who take their time, energy, and commitment to coach a team. The responsible young adults who I employ as referees have done a great job as well, and are much appreciated. Finally, a special thanks to Rick Klein and Mike Shannon who have never said no when it comes to anything that has to do with keeping soccer running smoothly. The combined efforts of all these people make for an organization that's committed to the youth of Moab and furthering the enjoyment and appre- - Events Calendar n P.O. Box 129, Moab UT 84532 Hours for the Moab Information Center are from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., seven (7) days a week. Remember the MIC is a great place to take friends and relatives who are visiting our area. Name November Address. November 19 - Moab Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Banquet 18 - Nativities Art Show - Marc II Gallery November 20 - John Mceuen Concert - Star Hall Phone. Cash enclose $16.50 or $24 for one year or $32 and $47 for two years Check November 20 - Beta Eta Las Vegas Night - Civic Center November ,J co-e- d, ... recreationists The $16.50 Green River, Grand $24 per year outside ... was very poor and he needed medical t, have an unused San Francisco Trolley Car ticket In my purse, If anyone wants It. In two days wandering around the downtown district of the hilly city last weekend, I couldn't catch a car with any It s true. space left on It, so I walked. Uphill Is easier than downhill. and I had to A highway users conference took us to the coast, That Francisco. In San stop and think to recall the last time we were some forth memories. brought of my first visit as a college driving with girlfriends when Utah was blossoms and of the glory over spring break green still locked in Ice and snow. of the time we were followed to our lodging by someone who which I dont wear much of In public on noticed my Indian jewelry I 25- - Happy Thanksgiving November 25 - Thanksgiving Day Readings - Pack Creek Ranch trips anymore. when we Mark Hopkins Hotel ... of our first visit to theroom to tum down the bed was Just thought someone coming Into our too much of an invasion of privacy. We stayed at the Mark Hopkins this trip, and found that either It is less stodgy than we remembered It, or we are more. Could be either. I enjoyed the shopping district. Of those stores available to us In Utah, they only have (only?) Nordstrom, but what a Nordstrom it Is, with curving escalators around a central atrium seven stories high. Their largest historic department store Is Macys. It now occupies two entire buildings across the street from each other, and each with five or six floors (plus basement - The Cellar, they call It). They have I Magnin, and Neiman Marcus, and Gumps, and Sax Fifth Avenue, and the Emporium, and a couple more. I see from a sales slip that Macys Is MacysBullocks. Bullocks was once associated with Weinstocks, which we no longer have in Salt Lake City. They dont have a Dillard's. If time permits, I look one day and buy the next. Looking yielded an unusual piece of Nambe ware, and overnight thought yielded the decision to buy. But with all those stores, I didnt recall where Id seen It. A very helpful clerk In Neiman Marcus called around for me, and what I learned what that downstairs In Macy's doesnt know whats going on upstairs In Macys , but I eventually found and purchased the piece. San Francisco has shoe shops, and sock shops, and book stores, and a Jillion specialty boutiques, and wonderful restaurants. The mandatory trip to the wharf resulted In food you Just dont get Inland, no matter what the seafood restaurants may say. But If you want abalone these days, its $45 a plate. I can live on the memory, thanks. After meetings we Indulged Sam's memories from the year 1939, and took a cab to Seal Rocks. The name describes the place, but there were more gulls and surfers there than seals that afternoon. 1 had reservations about this trip, since much can happen to a place in 54 years. He said it was the same (except for highways, high rises, and lots of people). Its now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and while I wouldn't want to be posted at the little visitor center there if I were serious about a Park Service career, there is such a facility on the point The restaurant where we took a late lunch early dinner was a having wedding reception at the time. This struck me particularly odd, as the tables with wedding guests were all Interspersed with tables with other folks like us. But the bride was lovely and everyone seems to be enjoying. Well, you can see all kinds of things In San Francisco. Street people are more evident than In Salt Lake City, but the climate's easier there. Many gave no outward indication of wishing to Improve themselves over what they were doing, but again. It's a tough call. Nice place to visit, but I wouldnt want to live there! ciation of the sport. Look for kids playing again in March when Spring Soccer starts. Thanks for making this forum avail- - able for our community. Sincerely, .Marcy Till Soccer Coordinator Christmas Parade Entry "Country Christmas" Entry Deadline: Nov. 30, 1993 GroupName Address Entry Name Category: Number of People (Approx.) Vehicles Please return this form to: Moab Chamber of Commerce, 805 North Main, Moab UT 84532. For more information, please call 259-75- 3 1. information will be used line to Entry up parade entries. You will be notified of entry number and position. (Paid Advertisement) EDITORIAL Dear Moab, is amazing timing that this letter is being written regarding a government action that could threaten the viability of a local church at the same time that our whole nation celebrates ThanksIt giving. Thanksgiving commemorates our nation's founding fain a new land as they sought the freedom to practice theirfaith without interference from government. am a relatively new Christian and feel a tremendous responsibility to step out in love and state the truth as see it. On September 28 a motion was passed by the County Council that doubled the fees for use of the Civic Center and added a $20 setup and takedown fee. For groups using the facility d on a basis, this is a 400 increase. What is most crit- ical, is that added to that motion was a decision to deny our church's Sunday use of the Civic Center. This was not announced to the public prior to the vote and is against the Constitutional rights we have to practice ourfaith and freedom of speech. AU.S. Supreme Court decision of July 1 993 ensures that churches have 'access to public buildings, just as any other group. view it as a dangerous act of government discrimination against churches. Purportedly the reason is to allow staff to have a day off, but the Civic Center would remain open to any other group but Calvary Chapel to schedule meetings op Sundays. also question the timeframe between the September 28 motion and the November 5 notification letter. This appears to have been done for political purposes related to the November 2 election. It is with a spirit of reconciliation that bring the situation to the attention of our community. As we seek relief from the County Council at their November 22 meeting, we ask for your support. We are also putting the word out that we are in need of a suitable long-termeeting space to rent and are open to the help and suggestions of the community. also feel that this is a strong wake-u- p call to all Christians everywhere. As we celebrate Thanksgiving next Thursday, let us hope that the Council action taken next Monday is in keeping with the spirit of our founding fathers. Most sincerely, Mary Plumb thers survival I I j year-roun- I I I m I 259-846- 6 i |