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Show iii'pi rTyiigi.-lirtrw- ..WWlllWi"lWl'll.'.-W.a.- pyrjifTBri lW.ll.. Wednesday Southeastern Utah Since 1896 pines Volume 103 Bill Sinclair, director of the Utah Divisonof Radiation Control in DEQ has been involved with consideration of the Atlas Tailings issue since its inception. Number 42 Thursday, October 17, 1996 Utah files suit to halt Wilderness He said the real purpose of the permit is to assure that enough informtion is collected on the groundwater around the site to make an informed decision on cleanup. NRC sent out letters last week announcing that 11 of the 20 "open issues" regarding Atlas' proposal to cap the tailings in place had been resolved. The nine remaining issues deal with issues around design of the tailings pile cap. The letter stated ". . .the Atlas site is acceptable for permanent reclamation of the tailings." Release of EIS is expected during the first quarter of 1997. Institutional Trust Lands Administration, and the Utah Association of Counties asked the federal court to stop the current wilderness inventory and invalidate all its findings. They have retained Denver attorney, Constance Brooks, to handle the case. The plaintiffs have been On October 23rd at 7 :30 p.m. in the Civic Center the League of Women Voters will be conducting their Candidates' Forum. The League conducts this forum to help the public make well informed voting decisions. The Forums program will include candidates running for Utah State Senate, Grand County Council and the Local School Board. The moderator will be Susan Godschalx. Questions will be prepared and asked by the local media, including Sam Taylor from The Times Independent, Bon Kelly from KZMU, and Ken Davey from Channel 6 News. The League will also sponsor a social after the forum to provide a time for the attendees to ask questions and get to know the candidates better prior to making your decision on who to vote for on November 5th. joined by a number of other groups in the state, including the Utah Farm Bureau t-- h v -i t .Is months. Stay tuned for dates and times. At this time, The Nature Conservancy would like to thank all the docents and volunteers who made this season successful! Through their generous donation of time and effort many important projects were undertaken and completed including tree planting, trail clearing, leading guided walks, assisting with school groups, contributing art work, and producing the first Matheson Preserve newsletter. These endeavors are greatly appreciated. A volunteer day has been scheduled for October 31. If you are interested in volunteering for The Nature Conservancy please call our Moab Project Office at 259-462- ti 'If f. V, Federation. Environmentalists, Babbitts Lee Hopkins, in the role of Lee, is standing behind his younger brother, Austin, played by Mark Larson. Both actors will repeat their performances as the two brothers in Sam Shepherd's True West in Tributary Theatre's production in Salt Lake City. Tributary Theatre has been awarded a grant from the Utah State Travel Council to help stage Tributary Theatres acclaimed 1996 Summer Theatre Festival production of True West in Salt Lake City. The $2,000 award was given to help promote the awareness of Tributary Theatre's high quality profes- sional productions to the Salt Lake audience and alert theatregoers along the Wasatch Front to Tributary Theatre as a destination experience in Grand County. The mission of Tributary Theatre and the objectives of the Utah State Travel Council are a perfect match, said Paula Gerhardt, Managing Director of Tributary Theatre. The Travel Council grant acknowledges Tributary Theatre in Moab as a destination activity and recognizes the educational, social, cultural and economic contributions that Tributary Theatre will continue to make to its community True West will be performed in with the Univerof Utahs sity Department ofThe-atr- e and Film. This is the first time the Department of Theatre has ever invited an outside theatre company to perform on its stage. The relationship Tributary Theatre is building with the University of Utah means a great deal to us, said Ms. Gerhardt. To have the recognition and support of - as well as access to - so many talented theatre professionals, especially at this early stage in our development, is tremendously gratifying. Added Gerhardt, Taking a successful show to Salt Lake helps broaden our audience base and lets people know that there is a professional repertory theatre company for them to enjoy when they are planning a visit to Moab. It is an important step toward achieving our goal of becoming known for the high quality of work we do. The head of the graduate directing program at the University has asked Tributary Theatre to work with the graduate directing students each season, said Two last autumn guided tours of the Matheson Wetlands Preserve are scheduled for Oct. 19 and 26. Winter tours will be announced later. 1 nT rrt ifl iwiil ml nr d however, bent on pushing a wilderness designation of more then 5 million acres in the state, are calling the lawsuit frivolous. Guided walks at Preserve Moab production headed to season's end for Salt Lake City replay coming third u re-invento- The State of Utah, one of its agencies and a consortium of local officials Monday filed suit in federal court to stop Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitts of the wilderness potential of over 2 million acres of federal land in Utah. The State, the Office of State Wednesday will clue in the voters ter Walks during the winter Brrrr,Wt, - Jnlefeitient Candidates' Forum next season The end of the of guided walks in the Matheson Wetlands Preserve is approaching. During these last days of autumn, marked by warm temperatures, vibrant fall foliage, brilliant blue skies and shifting light, the public is encouraged to walk in join a naturalist-guide- d the preserve. The final tours will be Saturday, October 19 and 26 beginning at 8 a.m. Visit Moabs magical wetlands and experience the autumn beauty of this natural area. Please meet at the Kane Creek entrance. Although the month of October marks the conclusion of the regular season of guided walks, The Nature Conservancy will be offering special Wetlands in Win- . at Civic Center State challenges feds on Atlas Tailings issues the state. .f.rV.r..,t..rVny.yir.ir.)jrir-tt- Candidates Forum set for next Centennial Year: Sewing Moab and While officials of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission appear to be moving towards approval of capping in place at the Atlas tailings pile, the State of Utah has its questions. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality has now required a groundwater-discharg- e permit at the tailings site, in a move to bring discharge contaminant levels under control of .,Y.. Robert Burns, Artistic Director of After the work- we had good experiences Tributary Theatre. ing with the MFA directing candidates this year, added Burns, we very much look forward to working with other students on future productions. Burns is choreographing the stage fights for an production at the Universitys Babcock Theatre and will be teaching a workshop in armed and unarmed stage combat to students in the Actors Training Program, a professional theatre training program. The new production of True West, written by Pulitzer Prize- winning playwright Sam Shepard, will feature the same two actors, Lee Hopkins and Mark Larson, who appeared as the brothers Lee and Austin at Star Hall in the original production. Two new members of the cast, Anne Culliniore Decker and Bill Allred, will play the roles of Saul Kimmer and Mom. Ms. n Decker is a and respected actress in Salt Lake who has appeared in many films and well-know- plays including the Western United States premiere of Edward Albees Three Tall Women at Salt Lake Acting Company Ms. Decker is currently a member of the faculty at the Universitys Department of Theatre and Film. Mr. Allred, who has an MFA in Acting, is a popular disc jockey on 6 FMs morning show in Salt Lake City. For those who were unable to see the show when it was playing in Moab, True West will be X-9- presented Thursdays through Sundays, November 14 through November 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lab Theatre in the Performing Arts Building on the University of Utah campus. For tickets and reservations please call the Pioneer Theatre Company box office at WEATHER STATISTICS New record for this date Tied record for this date (1991) is be- ing conducted an a cadre of federal land experts, who have fanned out across the state looking at lands in excess of the 2.1 million acres of wilderness acreage promoted by Utahs congressional delegation and Governor Michael Leavitt Plaintiffs say Sec. Babbitts vio- lates the 1979 wilderness criteria and process as adopted by Congress, including a requirement for advanced scoping meot- ings, local government and citi- - ry zen input, an advance detailed list of lands to be and a document linking the inventory to existing Bureau of Land Management land use plans. At issue are some 3.2 million acres of wilderness study areas, as well as an additional 2.5 million acres Sec. Babbitt and environmental groups should be designated as wilderness. Cost of the lawsuit is predicted to be around $125,000, with the three groups sharing that cost. An appeal to the Supreme Court, however, would cost more in the event the plaintiffs are not successful in their low'er court action. Although Sec. Babbitt has pledged to apply the same wilderness criteria used in the 1970s in he made it clear the that there would be no opportunity for public comment until his staff has finished its study in January Some legal questions arise from the fact that the law used for the wilderness studies in the 1970s has expired. Babbitt justified his approach by citing a list of provisions from the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. State and county officials contend he should have followed other provisions of the act that require extensive public input from the beginning of any process leading to significant changes in the management of public lands. Judge rules Powerhouse Lane is a public thoroughfare by Ken Davey District Judge Lyle Anderson has ruled that Powerhouse Lane is a public thoroughfare, and that Grand County has the right to maintain it and keep it open. The decision comes after a year of court wrangling between the county and local landowners New development offers 'affordable here housing Knight Brothers Construc- tion is building an affordable housing residential in Moab. The 16 unit project will provide single family detached homes ranging from $94,000 to $100,000 that will be available n for purchase or on a basis. Sage Valley Estates will be located at 1180 Holyoak Lane and will consist of five three bedhomes room and 11 from feet 1,200 square ranging to 1,650 square feet. Knight Brothers Construction is expected to complete inn lease-to-ow- four-bedroo- frastructure development that includes road, curb, gutter, and utilities, as well as eight homes, by November of this year. The remaining homes are expected to be complete by March, 1997 with occupancy expected at that time. Knight Brothers Construction was selected because they add a real value engineering partnership, were price competitive and were ready to go when we needed them, said Steve Graham, director of housing development. The subdivision will be owned by Sage Valley Estate, L.L.C. The Utah Housing Finance Agency and Grand County Housing Authority are developing the project with financing provided by the Utah Housing Finance Agency. Knight Brothers Construction is a locally owned and operated construction company that specializes in completing quality projects on time. 1 lift Htunflii Ray and Joy Holman, who attempted to close the road at the point where it passes over their land one year ago. The Holmans said visitors had been damaging their land on their way to the powerdam area, a popular recreation site for local residents and, in recent years, campers, bikers and hikers. Last year the Holmans placed a gate across the road, saying the road was private and could be closed by landowners. The county argued that had allowed access for decades, and that by doing so gave up their claims to it. The case went first to state court, then to federal court, then back to state court in June. The attorney for the Holmans withdrew in July, and the Holmans represented themselves at a hearing last summer. land-owne- land-owne- In finding for the county, Judge Anderson ruled that the county established beyond dispute that continuous public use of a road across defendants land for 30 years or more has given the county a legal right to mainfor public use. The decision allows the Bureau of Land Management to move ahead with its plans to set recreation site near up a day-us- e the powerdam and the entrance to Mill Creek Canyon. That area has been heavily impacted by vehicle and camping use. In 1995 the BLM closed off vehicle access to the creek bed, and began loosening soil and replanting vegetation. Officials say the results were noticeable within a year, as damaged areas along the creek began growing back to a more tain that right of way natural state. Further land management changes are being considered, including restrictions on camping and four wheel drive access beyond existing roads, and gates to allow the BLM or county to close the area at night. |