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Show Page A-9- '0Jtmgg-f3lttfrgpgnftc- Letters from the People BLM campsites increasingly closer to I tun a public school teacher from inner-cit- y Chicago who has been Spring Breaking in Moab for the past 10 years. I have many wonderful memories of my travels here, quite a few with a motley bunch of regulars, many of whom I now count among my closest friends. I also take it upon myself, each time, to bring along a few new faces. A number of these folks, raised in man made urban jungles, were strangers to the outdoors at first. Moab has never failed to shake them of their indifference. And they return, again and again, to revel in its natural wonders and to happily spend their vacations on its economy. I was therefore quite shocked this year when a collision with Jeep Week's whirlwind nearly ground this magic to desert dust. Our crew had just returned from a full moon canyon hike to our campsite at Gold Bar on the Colorado. Five years ago it would not have been our custom to stake down in an official BLM campsite. As we have made our passages from young adults to young professionals, however, outhouses, fire rings, and designated tent plots have blossomed in their appeal. A few bucks in a collection envelope ho longer mean cuts in the rations of ramen or libations. In addition, such sites provide a welcome shield from the rambunctious spring breakers who still stake the uncharted territories from which we have reluctantly but humbly traveled in our ripening age. This year, Jeep Week not only rolled over these notions, it shredded the very idea of physical safety in an official BLM campsite. Our group had just dispersed for the evening toward their individual tents. Legs sore but minds tuned, all looked forward to another night of blissful rest in the silent starlight of Utah. Then came the sudden shout from Jen, the green horn from L.A., who had recently become a teacher on Chicagos South Side. Guys, theres something wrong with my tent. I think somebody cut it. There was a sea of flashlights, a flurry of scenarios, as we gazed at the long angular cuts in the tents fly. Then I spotted them, wide, heavy, where they had laid down the green grass like a mass at Gettysburg. A response from the , 46-1- see any place where the banks are caving off. But if you look across the river you can. The river is moving to the other side. In the late Today I walked a section of dry creek bed death's door . . . Tire tracks, all over our site, blazed right down the driveway, right past the entrance sign, right past the outhouse, right past the fire ring with its flurry of furnishings, right into the tree line, and right over her tent. The poles were smashed, the fly destroyed, many belongings inside smashed to sheet metal or bits. The final poetic insult came in the form of our camp cooler, rammed through the front door of the next tent over, the bumper gouge recording its push there as the bandits hammered their jeep into the reverse arc from which theyd slingshot off into the night. We had left at dark and returned at midnight. On another day, Jen could have been in that tent, and likely dead. I contacted the BLM and the sheriff. They were very helpful and sympathetic, and I have to add that not one began their dialogue without rolling their eyes in bewildered resignation and spouting Jeep Week. Regardless, the leaders of Jeep Week need to face an urgent fact. Other innocent bystanders will descend on Moab in the future. Many, as we did this year, will arrive with no inkling that it is Jeep Week until a motorcade of mud monsters rolls past. At that point, they are not going to hop a plane back to Chicago. They are going to seek out a safe haven to camp, such as an official BLM campsite. What Moab leadership is failing to see, is how close to deaths door these campsites are increasingly becoming. They are being pillaged by drunken g red necks that are displaying an No disregard for human life. party is worth this cover charge by wanted or unwanted guests. If the remedy lies in orange barrels and matching fence around every campsite with the ever-growin- words DANGER! HOMICIDE AHEAD!, so be it. Their erection should be ensured by every Moab citizen that benefits from the economic windfall of Jeep Week. No amount of dollars earned is worth an innocent life; especially when that person is not behind the wheel of a jeep, but is rather safely enjoying the federal lands for which a resident of Chicago pays as much in tax as any small business owner in Moab. -- Ross Freshwater Chicago, Illinois ... public land use. Use monitoring by the BLM during Jeep Safari indicates that up to 90 percent of the jeepers in town that week are not affiliated with the events : With regard to the specific incident you reported, I have asked my Recreation Branch Chief and my Support Services Chief to take a look at making the campsites at Goldbar less susceptible to the intrusion that occurred. But Im sure you can appreciate the difficulty of drive vehicle if stopping a serious the wingnut behind the wheel is intent on ramming into a campsite, be it in a commercial campground or a BLM site. I have also asked my District Law Enforcement Ranger to offer a reward for information leading to the arrest ofthe perpetrator. Unfortunately, although the BLM Ranger and the Sheriffs Deputy interviewed all the other Goldbar campers at the time, there were no leads. Most Moab residents (including BLM employees) live here by choice because we love our beautiful community, and some even feel an obligation to share it. Im sorry your groups attempt to enjoy these incredible public lands did not end happily. Please understand that for most of us it isnt all about economics. Feel free to call me if I can be of assistance. four-whe- el Sincerely; -- Maggie Wyatt Moab Field Manager Bureau of Land Management What's been going on at the tailings site Recently personnel at the mill site called me and asked me if I would come out to the mill site so they could ask me some questions about some of the things at the site, which I did. I was then taken for a tour of the site. There has been a lot of work done at the site. They have removed a lot of tamarisk, and removed more contaminated soil, and are still removing more and putting it upon the tailings pond. They have made the evaporation pond bigger and put in a lot of sprinklers on top of the pond, and they are in the process of putting lines in to pump fresh water into the contaminated water wells and flush the contaminated water and pump into the tailings pond. They have not removed the spilled tailings yet, but I think until that is removed the ground water will be contaminated. If there is as much snow in Colorado as they say there is, the river will be high this year. It , may overflow its banks and backup from the ' portal and rise to the foot of the tailings pile. In the 2 years I worked there, it has done that four or five or more years, but when it does there is no water movement. It is like a lake. There is no erosion. I would like to say if you go to where Moab wash empties into the river and you look up and down the river on the Atlas side you cant Questions ethics of Castle Valley water diversion that until this week ran full all winter. A recent Bureau of Land Management Dear Mr. Freshwater: As the Field Manager for the Moab Bureau of Land Management office, I would like to respond to your recent memo addressed to the Citizens of Moab, dated 462005. First, I was appalled to read the details of your groups experience at the Goldbar campground. Employees in my office whose tenure greatly exceeds my own six years in Moab, cannot recall such a malicious incident ever occurring in any of our 22 campgrounds. We are all truly grateful that no one was injured since this incident could easily have had tragic results. The real tragedy would appear to be your loss of trust in the safety of BLM campgrounds, and your disappointment that people who should care, do not. I can assure you that the Moab BLM does care about the safety of our public land users, especially those with the reasonable expectation that fee campsites will be safe from reckless drivers. Jeep Week in Moab includes various activities, not all connected to driving jeeps. The combination of Easter vacations, spring break for numerous colleges, and the annual Jeep Safari, results in a wide variety of recreating publics descending on Moab. Your account of your conversation with David Adams, a representawho sponsor tive of the Red Rock We found this me. have Jeep Safari, surprised conscientious to and be highly extremely group motivated to educate jeepers about responsible -- Thursday, April 14, 2005 nt ... 60s or early 70s Atlas had to put a dam on the other side of the island to get water to operate the mill. If that dam were to be taken out there would be more caving in on the other side of the river. Mr. Lance Christie, I also asked them about the radon concentration now, and they told me they are still having problems with radon. I also calculated the dose to the nearest residence for many years, so I know what they were. But during those years there was tailings solution on top of the sands and slimes. The tailings is made up ofsands which are the coarse particles, and are deposited first in the pond. The slimes are fine particles that are deposited further down in the pond, and the tailings is drained from both of these into the middle of the pond. The tailings are a 20 mesh and weigh anywhere between 0 pounds per cubic foot. Atlas tailings are not just slimes, as Mr. Christie stated: Atlas never had any radon problem until the wicks were put in. The radon gas is coming up through the wicks along with the solution. Tb me this shows that just keeping the tailings wet wont do the job, or that would not be hap-- 80-10- pening. I will stand by what I said in the letter. Lets do what is best for the Moab residents and cap the pile. -- Dale Edwards . Moab improvement" project permanently removed the water. I walked over the tracks of animals and beside plants that have now had their life support system removed. I recalled these words of Albert Schweitzer: A man is ethical only when life, as such, is ... sacred to him, that of plants and animals as that of his fellow men, and when he devotes himself helpfully to all life that is in need of help. And I wonder why the conversation is only of Terri Schiavo? Sincerely, -- Lisa Katz Castle Valley Thank you students of Grand County . . . I would like to thank Chris Becker and the art students of the Grand County School District. Every year in March the MARC displays the artwork of local students. This is one of the most popular exhibits we hold each year. There is nothing quite like coming into the building and seeing lilies, sunflowers, mummies and masks. It certainly brightens everyones day to see the colorful and creative display. We receive many comments from visitors and I wanted the students to know that the community appreciates their efforts. We at the MARC appreciate all the hard work by Chris and all the teachers who spend time setting up the displays. Were already looking forward to next year. -- Debbie Hughes Administrator - Moab Arts & Recreation Center The Renaisance man has retired We came home for a visit several weeks ago. My son needed to do some research on Justus for Noyes Corbin, his third his history fair project. Never being much interested in family history myself, I sent my son to his Grandma Ann. All of my family roots run deep in the Southeastern Utah area, some lines go back nearly 125 years. In helping my son on his project, we had a good opportunity to talk about the history of the Corbin family businesses and the contributions to the foundation of the community we will always call home. I couldnt help but think about all the times heard about J. N. over the years. The foundId ing of the newspaper, Grand Valley Times', the establishment of the phone company, Midland Telephone Company; even his law practice that led him to serve as the county attorney for a few years. The thing that has had the most influence on me and many of the other J. N. Corbin descendants is the phone company. I took some time to reflect on my own memories of growing up at the office. The office where most of the employees knew my name and would regularly see me hanging out and running around the halls from the time I was very great-grandfathe- r, small. An end to another chapter of Grand County history came to a close on February 25. My dad, George Carter, retired after 38 years of committed service to the phone company that has been such a founding asset to Southeastern Utah. The phone company, as you both know, is Moabs second oldest continuous business, shadowed only by the My siblings and I have joked that George would be the last person to turn out the lights and lock up the building. Well, he is the last descendent of J. N. Corbin to leave the building. George left the office with no fanfare, no acknowledgement, no marking of the years of service. George wouldnt have wanted anything . Times-Independen- t. ... ther is an asset that is irreplaceable. My dad has always been a man. didnt have the opportunity for a formal education, but he is one of the most intelligent people around. He learned his trade from working at the family business. There were many missed family activities, dinners, and somefor times holidays due to his call-ousomeones communication crisis. We always knew that when the call came in, dad went, because thats how J. N. would have wanted it. Now dad has earned his time and opportunities to do what he wants to do. He says there is always something to be tinkered with on his self-taug-ht He ts bulldozer. Something that needs to be known about my dad is that he is the most ethical and person I know. He can honestly, and comfortably, look anyone in the eye and know that he has always remained true to himself. In the course of our research for the history fair project, my mom (the family history nut) referred to J. N. as a true Renaissance Man, meaning he could, and did, a little bit of everyhigh-charact- er thing. Personally, I think the Renaissance Man lives on in George. He can figure out anything, fix anything, and is the only one who knows how to push all of my buttons. My dad plays no games, what you see is what you get. And what you get from George is 100 percent every time (bad back and all). So, Sam and Adrien, the next time you see George please tell him hello and wish him good d health on his retirement. He has known you both all his life, and you both have known my family for generations. You too have carried on for J. N. Oh, and please tell George that no matter how crazy he makes me, I am proud of him and I love him. Best of luck on your communication crises, Southeastern Utah. The Icon has left the buildwell-earne- ing. Sincerely, said but thanks. What Id like the current management and staff to know is that my fa -- L. D. Carter Nephi Widow needs info about husband's work in Moab . . . am looking for anyone who worked with my husband, Dick Stickle at G.P. Decker Trucking and Moab truck center. Unfortunately Dick has passed away and I am in need of any information about his work record between 1957 and 1961 for radiation exposure compensation pro- I me at need any information to prove he worked there. Thank you, -- Phyllis A. Stickle Healy, Alaska gram. You can guitarmtaonline.net. E-m- I Thanks for a great time! . . . For over 10 years my family and I been coming to the Easter Jeep Safari. Living over a k event is thousand miles away, this one of the highlights of the entire year. Its a once a year opportunity to come to your area and enjoy the beauty and experience the outdoors that most folks in Moab probably take for granted. for Thanks to the Red Rock event. at on this Each their safety year putting meeting, Im impressed with their concerns for safety and also their concerns and instructions on how to take care of the land we use and how to use it responsibly. Thanks to the Grand and San Juan County Sheriffs departments and the UHP for their support ofthe event and for enforcing the laws. Those of us who register and attend the Safari one-wee- really do care for the environment and are as appalled as most others are, Im sure, when we folks having little regard for your see town or the environment. We fully support all your local agencys efforts in dealing with those who disrespect the laws or the environment. Thanks also to the BLM for allowing us to use existing public access roads and for monitoring (and hopefully prosecuting) illegal use. I hope that we will be able to come back to Moab for many more years to enjoy the scenery, the camaraderie and the escape from city life each spring. The one or two delightful weeks spent in Moab each spring are cherished throughout the entire year. Thanks to all who make that possible! Dave Christensen Warrenville, Illinois non-Safa- ri - aeL w- - i n. vrs, -- ,r ti - - - |