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Show OTIjc PageAlO Cimrs-3!nbrpnf- Thursday, March 15, 2001 ut OUR. TOWN Community Comments by Sam Tav lor or the community and we intend to get it right, planner Hugie said Although not specifically mentioned in the plan, four mam topics and a host of smaller suggestions were ottered last Thursday Topping the list was the question of affordable housing That subject was already in the plan but more emphasis was requested It's a tough subject, but it needs to be addressed at all levels of local government Tfe Moab City Council recently approved a planned unit development on West Fourth North that con.es tne closest to affordable housing that have seen in the last four or five years. This is a step. More need to be taken Internet access was also listed, and will obviously be mduded m the plan. That commodieconomic ty could open the door for major development, something the community badly needs. As is ohen the case. Southeastern Utah is trailing the rest of the state in connection to the electronic world State Rep. Max Young stated last week that he has met with the powers and will to to work continue get that service here as quickly as possible A destination college campus was listed as a top priority by many of those attending the meeting Again, that item will probably find its way into the General Plan, although strong efforts in that direction have been ongoing for a number of years Dy the Grand County Higher Education Committee, and those efforts are moving into the action stage (see story, Page can say what you want about Moab s diverse citizens but thev turn out YveJnesday s County Planning Commission hearfur Jufinson s ing on trie proposed Cloudrot k proposal was as trowd a On drew Mesa Top expected large Up A unanimous vote in tuvur ut the proect came after developer M.chuel Liss agreed on twenty conditions placed by the Commission, plus toui additional ones presenled at the hearing Were not asking tor any " favors here Liss toid the Commission ano audience The prupusui riuw goes to ttie full County Council on April 2 tor consideration at a hearing again at Star Hall at 7 p m tor consideration by that body But if you though residents might have been meetinged out" a'ter ttie Wednesday night hearing You group of I High-spee- you were wrong Ttie next evening over Mty residents turned out tor Hiree-houa open house where the City Planning Commission presented trie new'y written Moab General Plan Ttie document, required by state law in all Utah municipalities, has been in ttie working stage tor over a year Planning Commission members have worked over a number of drafts of the plan, and most recently were assisted by Moabs new city planner, Robert Hugie in the final draft It is an important tool tor planning in the community and involves ample opportunity tor public involvement, as well it should Those who attended ttie open house wete able to drift around four working stations manned by Planning Commission and City Council members, to ask questions and make recommendations They did so enthusiastically As a member of the Planning Commission wondered how we would be able to fill up the three hours set aside for the gathering They went by fast, and the meeting finally had to be called to a halt so Commission members could attend a lighting stademonstration at a local convenience store-gation Now the plan will be revised, based on recommendations made at the open house before it moves on There will be at least two more official public hearings on the document before it is ready for formal approval by the City Council Revisions are expected afler each hearing This is an important document year-roun- d r long-rang- high-spee- d up-stat- e, e A1). Water conservation was also a priority item talked about Thursday night, although the draft General Plan addressed that issue in some detail. get less than carried away with this issue than some. Thanks to the foresight of city fathers during and following the uranium boom, Moab City, and later the Grand County Water Conservancy District, water rights far in excess of current needs were obtained. Some of those rights need to be developed, and building infrastructure to deliver the water will be costly But the water is there. Public involvement in local government decisionmaking is good Keep coming out to these meeting, friends. Your input is important. I Many Trails by Adrien F. I Taylor The Best Special Section entry of last year's 24 Hours of Moab took third place in the contest, and had a total of 96 points out of 00 possible. That means the top two had more than 96 points. Conversely, we had a third place for Best News Photography, and slid in there with only 75 points. Best Editorial came in second place with a mere 66 points. We are very pleased with Franklin Seal's work leading to first place plaques for Best News Story and Best Feature Story (99 points and 90 points, respectively), as well as Ron Georg's Best Sports Column (87 points). don't think the quality of our product has gone down since 1999, when we had General Excellence think it has improved, but in our group. If anything, that won't necessarily show up in contest results. Some of our good friends in the business no longer enter the contest at all. It's too much work for questionable return, they have concluded In other convention business, Sena was elected to serve on the Board of Directors, which will be her second there, having represented the Park Record when she was editor of that newspaper. We're happy for that, and will look forward to children- - sitting when needed, while she attends meetings. The trip to St George every March for Utah Press Association s annual convention is usually a peek into the progress of spring But although flowering almonds and other early blossoms were out last weekend, the weather was not very nice As usual, the company was good, as we see many of these fellow journalists only once a year, and there is always lots of catching up on what's going on. and exchange of information on new technology It was a special pleasure this vear to have the whole family in attendance something that probably hasn't happened since when the offspring were children and had no say in whether or not they were dragged along This year there were six grandchildren there as well The final business of annual convention is the announcement of winners in UPA's Better Newspaper Contest Since there was so much happening in Moab last year, we had high hopes of walking off with the General Excellence plaque in our division, which includes newspapers, again this year. Sam did honors in announcement of the winners, along with the representatives of ttie Park Record (Park City) and the Blue Mountain Panorama (Bianding), as is exf)ected. We've learned over the years that the Better Newspaper Contest is not much better than a crapshoot, in mid-size- d 1 by Ollie Harris Civilized man So, I run into this friend and he says. Ya keepin outta trouble?" I think, Sure, rub it in why don't you?" Hut, I say, Yeah, you know me. I cant afTord trouble." And it's the truth. I never get in trouble. The cost of trouble has always been too great for me. Sometimes 1 regret it, though. I mean, it might be fun to just bust liKi.se on a binge of trouble for once. It'll never happen. I am the tamest, most domesticated man you can imagine. I am broke to collar and leash. I am broke to halter, to bridle, to saddle and to harness. I am broke to lead, to trail, to herd, to pack, to I am broke to come, to sit, puff, to plow and to neck-reito heel, to lie down, to stay, to point, to retrieve, to guard, to guide, to roll over and to play dead. I am CIVILIZED MAN. And, sometimes I get a little tired of it. I could tie the poster boy for the Boy Scout Law from Trustworthy all the way through to Reverent. Ive ben I've had all my shots. I'm house and broke. I have a haircut. Ive been poked, probed, prodded and pronounced sound. I eat on schedule. I sleep on schedule. I even smell good. Im bonded and insured, licensed and certified, typed and matched, legalized and customized. When I read No Trespassing" it means me. In matters of pleasure, I defer, delay, deny and demur. Whatever the assignment, I do my best to get it right the first time, on time, every time. I hardly even cuss. Ive been stressed, suppressed, depressed and compressed. Ive been numbed and bummed I've been ticketed and adjudicated (Aha! You say. Anyone who has bsn ticketed and adjudicated must have it trouble. Not so. Good old Judge Crist said, and I quote, Anyone who thinks you're going to shoot an elk with a .22 pistol in a Volkswagen Ixx'tle has got to be crazy." He rightly dismissed the charges.) There is a thought articulated by Sigmund Freud tx-e- I aft to more rain in Moab, and triplet lambs The two ram lambs were very lively, but the ewe lamb, bom some time after the first two, couldn't get in to the food source. She has gone out to Sam Cunningham terms of objectivity Press associations judge each other s contests, and what a judge may think about entries can be very subjective Such was obviously the case when the judge refused to even consider the entry of our Real Estate Weekly in the category of Best Promotion No points garnered there. In the case of Sam's column, which has been a consistent winner over the years, there were no points awarded, and it appears the entry may have not been read at all My column brought us 87 points, but did not place in the lop three Came home Sunday and Men Lawton, who have a lot of experience with bummer lambs. They named her Post Scnpt. Aptty. Had another set of healthy twins Tuesday morning, with just one ewe left to go. If Sam or Merv had any question about the virility of the ram we had on loan, it should be gone Weve had ten lambs from five ewes so far. (Luues-Jlnftcpeufrc- nt Entered as I ITS 6309-2000- 1 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 ail Postmaster: Send changes of address: editormoabtimes.com P.O. address to: The Times-lndependen- or FAX 435-259-75- Member t, Box 129, Moab, UT 84532 435-259-77- NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION and PRESS ASSOCIATION Samuel J. and Adrien F. Taylor, Publishers Sena T. Flanders, Editor UTAH Public lands need local innovation, not national mandates by Randal OToole Environmentalists are eagerly waiting for Interior Secretary Gale Norton to say something James Wattish that they can use in their next fundraising letters. So what should Norton do to improve public land management without provoking controversy and polarization? First, she should back off on plans to drill for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. There is little chance that Congress will approve such a move. Democrats will enthusiastically support environmentalists, as will Republicans representing environmentally concerned suburbanites. In the past four years, 40 Republicans in the House more than enough to block ANWR legislation consistently voted for environmental causes. Norton and her counterparts in the LLS. Forest Service need to look in another direction to do something positive for the quarter of the nation's lands they manage, one n that wont take them anywhere near the policy binge the Clinton administration indulged in with its Forest Roadless policy and new national monuments. The one point about these lands on which almost everyone agrees is that the federal land management sysmultitem has failed. It relies on agencies with hierarchies. It is funded chiefly out layered, military-lik- e of a highly politicized congressional appropriations process; and it forbids the land agencies from charging for most resources or to keep most of the fees they do charge. This model was developed a century ago by the Progressives, who assumed that agency managers would automatically make the right decisions about the land. Today, we know that agency employees are tom between loyalties to the resources they manage, the people who use them, the congressional leaders w ho fund them, and the agencies themselves. In this situation, gridlock is sometimes the best result, since anything else can result in environmental damage at taxpayers' expense. This isnt the only way to manage public lands. Many state forest, wildlife, and other resource agencies rely on very different models. Many state wildhfe agencies are organizations, funded exclusively out of their license fees and other receipts. Many state land agencies are trusts, earning a profit for schools and other beneficiaries. The results are often better both for the environment and for taxpayers. The question for Norton is: How do you reform giant federal agencies without simply making them more centralized and top heavy than before, as the Clinton administration did? The best answer comes from several different groups in the West w here mot of the federal lands are located each of which more or less independently devel top-dow- non-prof- Tom Taylor Zane Taylor Ron Flanders Franklin Seal Lisa Church Kari Gibb Circulation Manager. T- Maps Press, Production Manager Jed Taylor Came Mossien Systems Manager News Writer News Writer Sports Editor Advertising Rep. Real Estate Weekly. Design Sadie Warner Mai1 Room Supervisor Anderson Dorothy Jose Churampi, Stan Zook V Kelly Ericson, Bobbie Domenick. -l . Layne Miller. Betty Bailey Ron Drake Ron George Oliver Hams .. Distribution . Backshop News Writers Regional Correspondent Green River Correspondent Castle Valley columnist Columnist Columnist cryp-togam- ic Writers on the Range top-dow- Vjr'XfC where he explains that the more civilized a person, the more distanced he becomes from his instincts, and the more out of touch one is w ith his instincts, the more neurotic he becomes. There are many theories of personality and of the nature of man. It is difficult to discuss the nature of man outside the context of civilization. One field of thought says that man is essentially good and that it is only w hen his needs are frustrated that he resorts to violence or other negative behavior. The opposite field of thought says that man is essentially evil and that only by overcoming his nature can he become good. It seems to me that our civilization takes the latter view. Why else would a governing body, whether town council or federal congress, be so bent on passing so many laws? Being the thoroughly civilized man that I am, I try to live within the law. However, a year or two ago it occurred to me that there is no way that I can keep all of the laws. For one thing, I am unaware of a great many of them. And, for one so thoroughly civilized, I had a disturbing thought. It came to me that if I cant keep all of the laws, why keep any? Of course, I knew the answer to that before I scarcely had the question formulated. It was just a momentary lapse. But, even my treasured hikes in the canyons become encumbered with the baggage of civilization. Dont build a fire. Dont walk off the path. Dont step on the soil. Don't leave tracks. Close the gate. Leave the gate open. Dont drink the water." Dont pick up artifacts." It's enough to make a civilized man completely neurotic. Well, enough of this complaining. You shouldn't have to listen. It isnt your fault that I am grouchy and feeling picked on. Its Barbaras fault. She has been gone all week tending grandkids in Arizona. I am not cut out to be a bachelor. The only thing worse than being home alone would be if I had to be down there helping with the kids. High Country News I d CLlte Idle Thoughts from Mt. Waas it oped similar proposals. These groups propose that alternative institutional structures be tested as pilot projects on selected national forests, national parks. Bureau of Land Management districts, and other federal land units. Most of the groups proposing pilot projects included a balanced combination of commodity interests, environmentalists, policy analysts, and agency officials. Environmentalists, timber industry, and Forest Service leaders on the Forest Options Group have proposed five national forest pilot projects; Policy analysts and interest group leaders on the Idaho Federal Lands Task Force proposed three pilot models and five sfiecific projects; A consensus group of environmentalists and ranchers proposed a pilot project for BLM and Forest Service range lands; and The University of Montana-centere- d Lubrecht Group has also proposed pilot projects for national forests. The range and variety of the pilot proposals reflect the fact that not everyone agrees on what should be done: Some of the pilots are budget-driveproposing to fund land managers out of a share of the receipts they produce. Others are governance-driveproposing to replace the multi-levbureaucracy with some sort of board of directors. The most intriguing combine budgets and governance, such as the proposal that federal lands be managed as a legal trust obligated to produce a profit for some beneficiary (which could include endangered species). With more than 1,000 national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and other administrative units of federal lands, there are plenty of opportunities to test pilot projects in many different situations. Tb work, pilots need the support of the local congressional delegations, iocal agency managers, and a variety of interest groups. Norton should seek this support by encouraging land managers and interest groups to step forward with project proposals. They should then ask Congress to grant broad authority to experiment with pilot projects or at least to look the other way when projects slightly bend bureaucratic rules. n In contrast with the reforms of the Clinton era, pilot projects can reform agencies from the bottom up. This will improve conservation of public lands while adhering to traditional American principles of decentralization and innovation. Randal OToole is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News (www.hcn.org) He is senior economist with the Thoreau Institute in Bandon, Ore. For more information about public land pilot projects check the Institutes U'ebsite at www.ti.org. n, n, top-dow- |