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Show miiyiBliwiTi Page A2 - mi mifimlfmvmmrtiktminkywr fg yy-Tg-y- - lTymj lywl N lyWiflfW1 m)-- i"i Bf I 'I Pw""1 i"r"t'm Thursday, April 24, 1997 nt, $ j Community Comments. V. :'.: " "" 'x by Sam Taylor f j 'V Credit Congressman Chris Cannon with facing a potentially He Is the first Utah congressional controversial Issue head-oto decades in Republican actually propose adding acreage to a national park or monument in Utah. The last was former Rep. Lawrence J. Burton, who served Utahs rural congressional district in the 1960s, and was the House sponsor of the bill which created Canyonlands National Park. Cannon toured the small Lost Springs Canyon area northeast of Arches National Park on Monday, and then faced a room-fu- ll of locals later In the day to hear their views. For the most part, the group vfas In favor of the move. Lost Springs has been, and always will be, an area which undoubtedly qualifies for national park protection. But therein is the rub. A whole lot of Southern Utah is equally qualified. Where do you draw the lines? Lost Spring Canyon and its neighboring tributaries, probably need the protection of the National Park Service more than ever. The secret is out. The area has been discovered. For over a century, little has changed In that isolated piece of red rock country. Accessible by vehicle only from the Yellowcat area, few people had either seen it or heard of It. Turning south from the Yellowcat Interchange on and facing miles of seemingly endless Mancos Shale badlands simply didnt encourage many, except for prospectors, miners (and an occasional lost soul), to venture into the area. That status is history. Now that attention has been drawn to the area, it will definitely receive a lot of visitation. And as history has shown in Southeastern Utah, increased visitation brings about the need for more management. Even visitors create impacts in this fragile high desert environment, and must show some respect for it, even if it means fences, signs and rangers. The scenario reinforces one of my strongest thoughts about wilderness designation: The best way to protect a piece of precious canyon country real estate is to keep your mouth shut about Star Hall has stood in jeopardy before several times in its 100 year history. But as a historic part of Moab really the embodiment of our corporate local history and experience it is important that to see the funding and exciting it be preserved. So it is good installed there right away. roof new a to get package coming together As Grand Countys Centennial Legacy Project, it looked last year like the way was greased so do this important work. This included n. it. After Mondays visit, there is little doubt that Rep. Cannon will proceed with his bill. And by all things holy, he should have bipartisan support for it. Chris has made it clear, though, that this precision-lik- e addition to Arches doesnt mean that the move is setting the stage for massive enlargement of other parklands in Southern Utah. sjt Park designation may well preserve an area, but it does so at some expense to natural aesthetics. We ventured into Canyonlands last weekend on one of our y frequent outings. With visiting family members here, we took our and picnic goodies into the park by the back door. We traveled to Potash, then followed the rim road under Dead Horse Point and around to the Shafer Trail and returned home via the Dead Horse Point entrance road. The drive has always been one of our favorites. Along the way, we crossed the boundary from Bureau of Land Management managed property into Canyonlands. How can you tell when you reach the park," our aid. Just wait and youll see, I told him. In an obscure drainage out of Shafer Canyon, we encountered the first sign of parklands ahead, even though the scenery hadnt changed very much. A cattleguard and fence, guarded by a sign, told us we were entering a national park. A few hundred feet up the road from there, we found a sign listing a bunch of Donts" for visitors to the park. And Just beyond that was a sign covered with park regulations. Not far from the top of Shafer Trail, I had to flash my Golden Age Passport," one. of the advantages of growing older. Thats all progress, I suppose. back-countr- four-wheel- er son-in-la- '3Iimea-(3lniiepcnbe- w 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 changes of address to: The P.O. Box 129, Moab, UT 84532 or FAX Member ZftfNATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION 6309-200- 0) Times-lndepende- W&K Samuel J. and Adrien F. Taylor Publishers and Editors Dorothy Anderson Production Manager Ron Drake Sales, Production Ken Davey Contnbuting News Writer Janice Hubbard Contributing News Writer Tom Taylor Circulation Manager, T--l Maps Steve Cooper, Jed Taylor, Kelly Erickson Backshop Nicholas Brown Assistant to the Publishers The Times-lndepende- nt $18.00 Green River, Grand & San Juan $26 per year outside area $3 discount for persons 62 and older upon request for 52 news-fille- d issues Subscribe Now! Mail The to: I P.O. Box 129, Moab UT 84532 Times-lndepende- Address. k L Cash Dear Sam, Although by now the sale of school lands for a new seminary building may no longer be an issue, I feel that there are a few pertinent questions which should be brought to the publics attention relevant to the manner in which controversial actions are dealt with in Grand County. First. Since all school board members are chosen in a nonpartisan, election, why should they be asked to make decisions which are not specifically directed toward public education? non-religio- Shouldnt they have unanimously refused to consider a campus sale to a religious organization, just as we can be sure they would have to a political party? Second. Should not the school enclose $18.00 or $26 for one year or $35 and $51 for two years Check .J & ... distance of any other place in Moab? Particularly for teenagers, many of whom will soon be going to college? Anyone who has been on a large university campus has seen students walking, students in wheel chairs, on the ten or twelve minute breaks between classes, going much farther than a few hundred yards regarded how as too far. Fourth. Shouldnt all the board and the community be thinking more of the future of Isnt education in Grand County? there a possibility that before long all the land available for schools will be needed to make the schools, especially the high school, more competitive with better schools around the country? Could not the land be needed for technical and trade workshops, a performing theater, an ESL lab, for sports fields and courts, a greenhouse and experimental gardens, for student-tutorirooms, and other projects that could help future student prepare themselves for an world? Travis Trittschuh board, as an educational unit, work to instill in students a respect for law? If Utah law clearly states that a is necessary for the sale of school lands, should anyone try to hide the illegality behind a semantic spin: i.e. equals super-majorit- y al al ever-changi- surplus? Third. Is there any place in that is not within walking Moab Moab's first house is still here Dear Sam, I read with interest last week the letter written by Arnold Grundvig regarding the old cabin at the north end of town near the Grand Old Ranch House. Like Mr. Grundvig, it makes me sad to see Grand Countys Heritage bleeding away as Moab gets increasingly developed. However, I think Mr. Grundvig may have been misinformed as to the identity of that cabin. According to the July 1985 Historical Quarterly of the Moab Daughters of Utah Pioneers, the cabin to which Mr. Grundvig refers is the Ervin Wilson cabin. Ervin Wilson was one of Alfred Gideon Wilsons nine children, who ran a small dairy farm located on First West where Williams Way begins. When the city decided to build Williams Way, the cabin was moved because it stood in the way. According to that same issue of the Historical Quarterly, the A. G. Wilson House is still standing but has been stuccoed, the third house north from Center Street on the east side of First West. This means that the A. G. Wilson house is the small house Letter to the Editors: Protect Our Resources Coalition is a group of citizens from Grand and San Juan Counties in S. E. Utah, formed in response to the BLMs decision to approve the Summo Corp., Lisbon Valley copper mine. After much consultation with state agencies, mining experts, and a local understanding of the area, P.O.R.C. is appealing the BLMs decision, based on the following items: 1. Lack of accurate baseline data for the Burro Canyon and Navajo Aquifers. 2. Lack of well log data. 3. Inadequate pad liner systems. 4. Inadequate well monitoring systems. Inadequate reclamation plan for pits, waste dump piles, and pad liners. 6. Inadequate long-terreclamation bond. 7 . Inadequate road use study and planning for school children who may potentially be bused through the project site. 8. Inadequate efforts by the BLM to notify the public of the project and present an unbiased overview. 9. Class IV lowest rating by . .. First West between Atomic Hair and the One Shot Gallery. It is now painted violet with green window frames and has a galvanized tin roof. It may interest people to realize that this house is not just the oldest remaining house in Moab Valley it is the first house that was built here, period! When A. G. Wilson came here in 1879, the only people he found were two on ' cattlemen Bill Nigger Granstaff and Frenchie and they had made their camp in the old Mormon fort. A. G. Wilson moved his family south from the fort to what is now Moabs downtown, and built Moabs first house. As the current owner of the A. G. Wilson house, I am happy to report to Mr. Grundvig that there are no plans to tear it down or move it from Moab, and even though it looks a little funky these days, it is well taken care of. And I hope that one day soon, the sentiment in Moab will be such that it can be restored and preserved as the historical monument it ought to be. Yours sincerely, Will Petty Appealing BLM decision . m Phone. . . . Other uses for school lands 5. Name 8 Letters to the editors . . BLM of the scenic beauty of Lisbon Valley. 10. Failure to take into account the cumulative damage to the Navajo Aquifer and Dolores River by other mining contamination. 11. Calling the project site remote and failure to consider the potential growth of the area near the project site. The Three Step Mesa area, adjacent to the project site, is the largest area of private land in Southeastern Utah. Southeastern Utah is comprised mostly of state and federal land. 12. Important information as to the potential contamination of the Navajo aquifer, an aquifer used for drinking water by much of southern Utah, presented in the FEIS, was not in the draft EIS. Because of the pertinence of this information, we feel a return to the public comment period is warranted. The Coalition is being represented by a major, national, environmental group and Roger Flynn of the Western Mining Action Project, who are preparing the appeal. If you would like to join Protect Our Resources Coalition and $10,000 each from the Centennial Commission, School District, Grand County and Moab City. For everybody involved it was putting money where the mouths are: giving more than lip service. As it has turned out $40,000 isnt going to be enough to do the roof, and after two bid lettings, the project has been stalled. Bruce Louthan, who wears several hats around town, has been involved as a member of the School Board, a member of the Centennial Commission, and a member of the History Board. He has been joined by many others in enthusiasm for Star Hall. It was exciting to hear the willingness of the Moab Daughters of Utah Pioneers to put $2,000 of their money in. The county could hardly balk at the request for another $3,000 when DUP and the school district were both coming in funds. For the school district, it is an additional with $5,000. In its letter to the County Council, the School Board stated it had recently voted to fund an additional $5,000 even though we have no plans to use the structure after this year. auditorium at the new high school will provide The brand-neample room for high school functions of all kinds. In my mind, it might be too large for some functions, where the size of Star Hall would better suit, but thats yet to be seen. More important, Star Hall has seen public use of one kind or another 300 days during the last year. Thats several different uses in one day at times, but still heavy use for any public structure of its sort. Its a local treasure which needs to be protected, kept up, and available in the future. That the School District is looking to get out from under responsibility for Star Hall is not surprising, and moreover appropriate. The rest of the story is yet to be made. But I mentioned Star Halls times of jeopardy in the past. It started, of course, as Star Opera Hall. Nobody has been able to find the history of the Opera part of its name. I did some research in our files, and found that the name appeared one day in print, about 1906 I believe, as if it had always been. An opera house as they were known and used in that day, it surely was. Every kind of community show was put on there. During the tight days of public (including school) buildings during the Uranium Boom of the 1950s it was put to use as teaching space. The flat floor lent itself well to several uses. Then the big renovation of the 1960s took place at Star Hall under the leadership of then School Board President J. G. Pinkerton. It could as well have been left to rot. It would be difficult (probably impossible) to go through and name all of the organizations which have used Star Hall on a regular bfisis in recent years. Moab Community Theater has made it home for years almost unnumbered Without Star Hall the Moab Music Festival now in its fifth year wouldnt be where it is today. And I couldn't start to count the number of political conventions and town meetings I have attended there. The addition of sloped floor gave new life to the structure, and it has continued in its present use, despite the threat from a couple of voices during the recent courthouse addition phase that it should be dozed down in favor of community progress. That didnt happen, thankfully. Progress, in my book, includes the continued presence of Star Hall for a variety of community uses. This roof is just one part of a needs list for the building. The largest, and most important, for sure, but just one. The Centennial Year may be finished, but Star Hall will continue as a community legacy which will need ongoing community support. That means this year, next year, and on into the 20th century. It is a very good thing. The dreamers (and I admit Im one of them) can see the courthouse lawn continuing around Star Hall, with flowers and benches adding to the atmosphere. The under-sizetennis courts might become part of the eventual development to enhance Star Hall among our community assets. It s probably something a committee should be looking at, along with other community amenities. We need to do this for ourselves. It seems like many things happen in our community for the benefit of our visitors. In the cae of Star Hall our visitors will also enjoy. last-minu- w d be represented in the appeal, send your name, address, and phone number to: P.O.R.C.; co Kay Howe; 368 E. 100 N.; Moab, arrived too late and the adoptive parents left with the baby. I am hoping a nurse or someone there in Moab can remember or recall a Navajo lady giving birth to a little girl at the hospital. My mother is Navajo. She worked as a housekeeper for a family in Moab soon after giving birth. My mothers name is Mae Brown. The baby girl could have been bom sometime in 1963, 1964 or early 1965. 1 am hoping someone can remember my mother and the baby girl. If anyone has any information please call or write. I can be reached at after 6:00 p.m. or between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. or if they want to stay anonymous my address is 2069 W. Kirkham Way, Taylorsville, Utah 84119. Thank you, Sandy B. Yazzie UT. 84532; or call 801 269 9314. Kay Howe Looking for sister ... Dear Editor, I am hoping you can help me locate my sister through this letter. I am trying to find my older sister who was given up for adoption at birth. Unfortunately my mother is unable to help me with the date or year of my sisters birth. My mother said she gave birth to a baby girl in Moab. Because she was young she did not feel she could take care of the baby and so she gave her up for adoption. When my grandparents were informed of the birth they tried to get to my mother and the baby, unfortunately they etten& to-The t6e edtt&i ftoticy . . . welcomes opinions from its readers con- Times-lndepende- cerning any subject pertinent to Southeastern Utah. Letters should be to the point and must include the writers name address and telephone number. Letters may not be used to replace advertisements, cards of thanks, or to list and thank sponsors or participants to a particular event. Letters to the editor will be not be accepted from any candidate who has filed for political office or from anyone writing in support of a filed candidate. Anything unsigned, of a libelous nature, or containing defamatory statements will not be considered for publication. All letters must be typed or legibly written, and be 800 words or less. Letters are subject to editing. Mail to Letter to the Editor, P.O. Box 129 Moab, Utah, 84532. Deadline is Tuesday before 12 noon. 1, rnm tm -n |