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Show Page AS tmES-3nhjmxbj- Thursday, March 11, 1998 mt Slums htbepcnbct tt 'fibitatml Time to move project along AJURV oS-- PEERh -- The final briefs are in, and a decision is be- -' ing awaited on Summo Corporations copper mining project in Lisbon Valley south of Moab. The company, which is now completing a funding package on a copper project which would produce an estimated 40 millions pounds of cathode copper annually over an eight-yeperiod, has conducted extensive groundwater studies on the mine. Those studies, required last summer by the Federal Interior Board of Land Appeals after an appeal was filed by concerned residents who feared groundwater have convinced the Bureau of Land Management that the project should be allowed to proceed. Deep groundwater, which has been docu-- and good for mented as Class III, will not be industrial uses and only, agricultural constudies the On the contrary, degraded. and perched clude that rainwater, run-ogroundwater in pits after mining ceases, will , actually improve groundwater for at least the first 100 years after mining is completed. BLM has filed its final brief which defends its earlier approval of the mining plan. The area in question has seen copper and uranium mining activities off and on for over a hundred years. Its far from being a pristine, undisturbed ar f n, non-potab- le ' ff piece of geography.' A thirty-da- y period is required for appellants to file answers to the most recent brief filed by BLM, and on a supporting brief filed by Summo, which has posted a reclamation bond that BLM feels is adequate. Once that month has passed, the Interior Board of Land Appeals is cleared to make a final decision on the matter. Bureaucratic wheels turn slowly in the nations capitol. The IBLA can act quickly, or it can let the matter simmer for months on a back burner for months. It appears, though, that the Bureau of Land Management and Summo have acted in good faith following the filing of the appeal last summer. It is to be hoped that a positive decision might be issued quickly, clearing the way for an immediate start on the project by Summo. The fact that the project promises major employment opportunities for residents of Grand and San Juan counties is good news for the area. In the final analysis, we feel that concerns raised by those who filed the appeal last June were valid concerns. It is reassuring that professional hydrological and geochemical studies show that there would be no adverse impact to deep groundwater A YOUTH COURT HAS BEEN FORMED TO TRY MINOR JUVENILE CRIMINALOFFENSEP THE COURT WILL E MADE-U- Statewide Perspective by Robert Warnick I dont recall a legislative session in recent memory where such a concerted effort was made to avoid controversy. In spite of some noise control forces, the UEA, emanating from the anti-gu- n the government reform advocates, the Democrats, etc., t. the fireworks were Youd think it was an election year. Although, even that doesnt seem to adequately answer the calm demeanor of what turned out to be a very business-lik- e session. There were fewer bills introduced than usual (754) and more passed than is customary (463). And all that work was done without significant controversy. Even the Democrats who made every effort to create contention over highway reconstruction, the budget, private party caucuses, and morality legislation, couldnt stir things up. The two minority leaders, Rep. Dave Jones and Sen. Scott Howell, tried to focus public attention on the inadequacies of Republican leadership. However, Sen. Howell spent a good part of the session in Nagano, so his clout was somewhat diminished. Most local political pundits credit Speaker of the House, Mel Brown, and Senate President, Lane session. Both are up for Beattie, for the low-kethis year and they must not only win their seats again, but they may be challenged for their respective leadership positions. These concerns caused them to handle potential controversy out of the public eye and to work at solidifying their power bases. While the lack of fireworks has some positive aspects, it also suggests that some important issues were law (allowing pernot decided. The concealed-weapon- s mits without restrictions) remains in force even though Governor Leavitt has banned them from the ore-sessi- Many Trails by Adrien F. Taylor It is the policy with Grand County School Dis- trict that teachers (and I suppose other employees) with less than two years experience can be denied a contract for the coming year without cause given. I understand that this is district policy, and that administrators and board members are advised by legal counsel not to comment on any such teacher layoff. Read that firing. And so I am greatly troubled to learn that the music teacher Dr. Dan Pack, has been advised that his contract will not be renewed for the coming year. He has been here less than two years, and so there doesnt have to be any reason given for the action. My experience with Dr. Pack is not that he is the best director I have ever known. I guess that honor would fall to the late Maurice Abravanel. But Dr. Pack took a major roll in preparing the combined school and community chorus for both the Moab Music Festival last September and The Messiah in December. His work in that role was exemplary. I also understand that many young people (and their parents) these days are taken with music which is also choreographed, which is not a strong point with Dr. Pack. Music comes first, he says, and I, for one, agree. If they want a choreographer, then hire a choreographer. But, please, dont shortchange our students on the music basics. We have come a long ways here in Grand County, compared with other rural areas, in the teaching of music. How often do we have the opportunity to hire a teacher with a Ph.D credential in music, on our salary schedule? I know there are areas where Dr. Pack is less than perfect. Thats so for all of us. But he should as is the norm have been given the opportunity in private industry to know the charges of shortcomings and to correct them before being let go. Its a crying shame. As I said, with the policy which is in force in the schools, nobody is likely to know anything concrete about the reasons behind this action. That said, I also want to say thanks personally for what has been a good working relationship between schools and community, with Dan as the liaison. y life-wor- n y, single-handedl- m large-prin- in those decisions. They kept some other controversial measures from ever reaching the floors for debate. English as the states official language died in committee, as did numerous department budget increase requests, unfortunately including Corrections. The money dilemma was quietly handled by borrowing money for highway reconstruction and some buildings. These decisions were made near the end of the session and most of us knew nothing about them. Borrowing enabled legislators to avoid a tax increase. That tactic seems to work well in election years. Another issue that should have been tackled deals with gifts to public officials. Im surprised there arent enough legislators concerned about their public image and their questionable acceptance of gifts to simply say, No Gifts. We, the public, are obviously not getting a message to our representatives regarding the unethical practice of accepting such gifts. A bill was introduced that would have prohibited acceptance of gifts valued over $50. Im not sure why the $50 is needed, but even that bill didnt see the light of day. Status quo is that intangible gifts valued over $50 are permissible. That loophole allows tickets, meals, golf games, etc. It should be closed. Its an election year. Maybe if we ask our own representatives where tby stand on this issue well get some action in 1999. 1 would have heightened respect for the legislature if they passed such legislation before the 2002 Olympics. That, of course, may be the very reason they wont. Writers on the Range Wilderness is no handicap by Carrie Switzer 70-mi- le Capitol, and the University of Utah and other entities have banned them from their facilities. The legislature should have dealt with the conflicts inherent High Country News Writer's Notebook Recently back from a visit with my family in Northern California, where it has rained every day since Christmas (thats more than 40 days count em!). Five brothers and sisters, their children and their childrens children all live within a or so radius. Mv son and my mom live in the same town, about a mile and a half apart. I didnt announce my visit (to friends) because I was taking care of family and business matters and didnt think Id have time to check in with the community I had grown to love over the 23 years I lived in Mendocino County. So I stayed with my mom for a week and my boys stayed there with me, going to and from school from grandmas. What a blessing. A year ago my mother, in her late 70s and very and tired after raising this clan alill, defied her doctors prognomost sis and has lived well beyond reasonable expectation with a faulty liver, kidneys and other necesorgans. She maintains her sary, mobile home and lives by hersmall, self. She hasnt driven a car for several years, and over the last three or four years, there were days and weeks she couldnt get around by herself and needed to be walked to and from the bathroom, etc. It was several years ago also, when I worked more than 40 hours a week and was feeling pangs of guilt and major concern about my mom and how to take care of her, that I realized I was reaching a dilemma. As a reporter I very common middle-ag- e knew a lot about Home Health Care services in our area and had been an advocate of the program for years. I gave her a number to call and she received help; the kind of help I didnt even know how to give. Example: My mother had fallen going to and from the bathroom. People in the Home Health Care business saw this as a simple problem. They installed railings beside the toilet and a lift for the seat. Problem solved. My mother hadnt read a book in years, though I kept bringing them to her. Home Health Care nurses knew without asking that cataracts had stolen my mothers eyesight, and besides, she need a books. Surgery was t better lamp and scheduled, lamp obtained. Problem solved. S- OF YOUTH PEERS My mom could no longer get in and out of the bathtub by herself. My solution: Be there or have someone else there to get her in and out when she needed to shower or bathe. Home Healths solution? A plastic stool to sit on and a rubber shower head extender. And a walker. Simple, inexpensive improvements to my mothers home have allowed her to be for years. Now that her health has deteriorated even further, a nurse comes in every morning to check on her. These are not nurses; in fact it is a to work as an aide for profession very Home Health Care. But a brighter, more sunny and delightful face you could not ask for every morning. She brings jokes, makes greeting cards and loves my mother. She helps schedule appointments and makes sure there is food in the house. She does daily what my mothers own children cannot without taking mom out of her home, an idea she abhors. I heard at a recent meeting that massive cuts in Medicaid have or will necessitate the elimination of Home Health Care services for 75 percent of those who are currently receiving those services in the state of Utah. Without the particulars, and having heard this at a Grand County Hospital Service District meeting, and having so recently been reminded that the last year of my mothers life has been one of her best because of the dignity she has preserved by overcoming illness and taking care of herself in her own home, I felt compelled to write. Somehow the question of whether or not we can afford to make life comfortable for our elders should never be asked. And our society has grown too far from the living situations which assistance less neceswould make high-pai- low-payin- d by Paul Larmer finally learned how to ski this winter. It took the prodding of a friend and the skills of an instructor who specializes in helping people with disabilities, but now, at 37, I have experienced the joy of swishing down a dazzling white slope in the Rocky I Mountains. I needed the special instructor because I have only one functioning leg. Like every other sport I have tried, skiing took some adjustments. My instructor showed me how to use modified crutch skis, dispensed timely hints as I clumsily fell a dozen or so times in a very flat practice bowl; and then set me loose on the bunny hill. What a blast. g multi-generation- sary. Gliding down the gentle hill, I could hardly imagine the adrenaline rush people experience on the exd skiers and pert runs high above. Some rise to that challenge, but I felt just fine where I was. Ive learned over the years that you do what fits, and you dont hold a grudge against those who can do more. Ive come to think about wilderness in the same sled-skie- one-legge- way. long-close- More than a year ago I attended a conference in Salt Lake City sponsored by the Western States Coalition, a group of conservative western legislators who have pooled their resources to better fight off environmentalists and federal land managers, whom they see as the biggest threat to the western way of life. One speaker got up and spoke disparagingly of the elitist environmentalists who were pushing for legislation to protect more than five million acres of roadless wilderness in Utah. Why, they want to lock it all up as a playground for the young and healthy, he said. Most people, including our old people and the disabled, wont be able to hike into that beautiful country. Is that fair? Good question. I have felt the frustration of not being able to do the things others do easily. In high school I watched d brothers star on the basketball my two team. I could sink nine out of 10 and hold but I had to accept my own in a game of that I would never be a player on the team. I remember my angry embarrassment as a kid when, after waiting an hour in line, I was told I couldnt ride Space Mountain at Disney World because there was no place to put my crutches. Last year, I took my children to Disney World and was happily surprised to see that all rides are now accessible to able-bodie- Ive sat in on enough budget hearings to know that every program is vital to someone, but independence, dignity and the safety of our elders, unless and until we come back to living, is something I for one will be forever gratemulti-generation- al ful for. I used to worry about my mom a lot. Now I just enjoy her. And she enjoys me, in her own way, in her own home. people with all kinds of disability. Activists have accomplished much over two decades. But, still, the question pulls on me: Is wilderness unfair to people who will never be able to visit it? Though I respect the idea of equal access to public resources, I have to answer with a resounding No! The people who created the Wilderness Preservation System more than 30 years ago werent elitists or prejudiced. They recognized that wilderness is about more than equal recreational opportunity. Its about clean water, habitat for wildlife and keeping some vestige of the wild to feed our hungry souls. I feel used when people with an agenda categorize people like me as victims. I should have told that man at the conference, If you think that every last acre of public land should be roaded and developed, fine. Thats at least an honest if misguided opinion. Just dont hold me up as your shield. As it is, I have plenty of access to public lands. The national forests alone, have more than 400,000 miles ofroad carved through them. And national parks have wide, paved roads and trails and handicap camp sites within easy rolling distance of restrooms. d I am glad doors have been opened to the disabled. My parents made sure I could play little league baseball. The coaches bent the rules so that I could bat and have a teammate run the bases for me. I was a decent pitcher, but I knew when my last game ended at age 13 that my competitive hurling days were over. High school ball was like the big leagues, and I couldnt imagine pushing my right to play under a different set of rules from everyone else. Wilderness has its own rules, too. High in the mountains or in the desert the weather can turn from bucolic to bombastic in an instant, and a hillside can give way before you even take a step. Everyone who enters takes a risk, and thats how it should be. No or snow mobiles to make the experience easier and safer. Its the big leagues. I will never take a week-lon- g solo hike into the Sawtooths of Idaho, the Maroon Bells of Colorado or the Aldo Leopold Wilderness in New Mexico, but I revel in their existence. Its OK that I cant go everywhere and do everything. Still, I cant wait to hit the ski slopes again. Sitting here, the possibilities seem almost limitless. Maybe Ill try that black diamond run yet. Paul Larmer is the editor of Writers on the Range, a service oHigh Country News, a newspaper based in Paonia, Colorado, covering natural resource and community issues in the west. free-thro- four-wheele- |
