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Show I Page (Thr AS fXinifS-3nbrpm- Thursday, July 26, 2001 mt It's decision time for public lands fee demonstration program by Cactus Shepherd T-- I gram" in effect since 1996 Its a balancing act, said Paul Henderson, chief of interpretation of SE Utah group Tins intern makers are considering whether to continue the recreLaw ation fee demonstration group includes Arches and Canvonlands National Parks, and Hovenweep and Natural Bridges National Monuments "I'm not implying that we make new trails, the infrastructure is already there The Windows Section is the heav part of Arches Henderson said that in the past, there were numerous social trails there, so the Park Service diminished tl m and marked the current trails to channel visitors pro- gram. The Park Service rUims the fee program is a success, as well as many fee backers But others disagree, sa ing the fee is not in the best interest ot the nation's parks, but in the niter est of big business The Park Service, established by Congress in 1916, was directed to administer parks as well as provide for the tnjov ment in such manner and bv such means as to leave them un impaired for the enjoment of test-use- d here they should go Without a doubt the fees are a good thing, Henderson said Fees are not new, they have been collected forever, he said However, before the recreation fee w future generations. Some organizations and developers lean toward the words, provide for the enjoyment Others emphasize the words "leave them unimpaired The Park Service believes it can do both with the help of the recreation fee demonstration pro demonstration program was implemented, all revenues went into general receipts of the nathe same place income tax tion went Now user fees are dedicated to support the areas people are actually Using Twenty percent of the fees are retained by respective agencies, these are the II S Forest Serv ice, the National Park Serv ue, the L' S Fish and Wildlife S rv ice and the Bureau of Land Management The area where the user fee is collected of every dollar can use 60 collected About live years ago the of parks, with a build-unidintem nee, were given the opportunity through the fees the and to chip-sea- l facilirestroom new build roads, ties and a new water and septic system Last year the fees produced an estimated $17 million, much more than congress approback-logge- d p re-stri- priated It sounds like a positive fee program, which was desperately needed by the parks. However, resistance is high The opposition is backed by pay-to-pl- (FOR MOAB AREA RESIDENTS) AT LMjwgiy Buy a Family Pass for $10 any time during the month oimj your family rides free for the rest of that month. Plus , your out of area guests will each get $ I off when riding with a member of your household. mwmmmr With Zion National Park currently reporting a 20 percent drop in visitation, the slight 1.4 percent drop at Arches makes the tourism climate in Moab appear almost robust by comparison. As reported in the Salt Lake Tribune Tuesday, LTtah's five national parks Arches, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Zion together are down 10 percent for the first six moiiths of the year when compared to the first half of last year And last year had seen a dow ntum from the year before. more than 200 national and regional groups. Several Utah organizations, w hich oppose the fees, are the Western Wildlife Conservancy, Save Our Canyons, the Utah Environmental Congress and Glen Canyon Action Network. Many gioups argue the fees amount to double taxation. The U.S. Forest Service has faced many complaints, with the most resistance from people who are not willing to pay because fees were never charged in the past, said U S Rep. Jim Hansen's staff director of the House public lands subcommittee. In agreement with the taxation argument, U.S. in a Rep. Peter DeFazio, Salt Lake Tribune article said, Its a tax, particularly on Westerners who live near the public lands, without any legislation, any deliberation or a public hearing... Its not equitable. Its just not fair." DeFazio and other lawmakers have sponsored bills to repeal but never have gotten a hearing. Some people argue that the fees are too high, when looked at from the standpoint of a family: $10 to enter Arches, but another $6 for adults and $3 for children to tour the Fiery pay-to-pla- y low-inco- - Furnace. Lower income families dont go anyway." said Hansens staff director, who refused to give his name. Hansen wrnnts the fee program to continue and is supported by the 450,000-memb- prLf vm. er We can do banks these days I that hat is, unless you happen to hank at have the power to Like personal responsibility for a problem, or a It rsonal srrvu e II .ions 1 hats because unlike your accounts a right there in the branch So if you have a question, another state Its vshat makes Zions a different kind of bank And its our commitment your bank isnt making that same commitment, maybe its time you give us a al According to Wild Wilderness, environmental group, the ARC member list inan Oregon-base- is a d cludes dozens of motorboat, RV, motorcycle, ORV and snowmobile manufacturers and associations. The remainder of the coalition includes ski area associations, sporting equipment manufacturers, tour associations, public-land- s concessionaires, petroleum companies and the Walt Disney Company. Not one hiking, backpacking or environmental organization is on this list, according to Wild Wilderness. jet-sk- i, The late Edward Abbey wrote in his book. Desert Solitaire, about industrial tourism," being a big business with a lot of money. He referenced manufac- turers and associations, along with motel and restaurant owng ers, gasoline retailers, road-buildin- contractors and the automotive industry. These various interests are well organized, command more wealth than most modem nations, and are represented in Congress with a strength far greater than is justified in any constitutional or democratic sense," he said. politics are expensive power follows money." The most important issue for Abbey was accessibility. The de- velopers insist that the parks must be made fully accessible not only to people but also to their machines, that is, to automobiles, motorboats, etc. The pres- ervationists argue that wilderness and motors are incompatible and that the former can best be experienced, understood, and enjoyed when the machines are left behind where they belong" on the highways and in the parking lots. Abbey said. This idea hasnt been taken lightly; the Park Service has already implemented it in several parks in America. One example is close to home at Utahs Zion National Park, where people have to leave their cars behind and take the bus. The same idea has been in effect even longer at Denali National Park in Alaska, formally known as Mount McKinley. Congress doesnt want Arches to shut the gate, Paul Henderson said. However, they are going to test a new transportation system in a study next year to see if it is feasible. It is not necessarily the solution," Henderson said. Many questions still remain. Right now, Arches is admitting more cars than there are parking spaces. Transportation options might reduce the impact, Henderson said. Now, the numbers of people are almost up to one million per year. Thats a lot of fee money Bpent on repairing roads and collecting fees. Not nearly as much money could be spent on guided tours and nature walks, as well as horse and bike rent- als, Abbey wrote. Odor leads police to dead body The Moab Police Department has reported that on Monday, July 23, a dead body was found in an apartment on the east 100 block of 100 South. Police were notified about 3 p.m. Monday of an obnoxious odor coming from the apartment. Officers responded, and found a badly decomposed body, according to a press release issues Wednesday morning, July 25. "In checking with the landlord, it is believed that the body was that of the resident to the apartment, ld difh rente to Lt. Scott Mallon. Tara Richardson Moab, UT 'b Mod-er- n a male," said the release. press "In checking with the neighbors and the landlord, it is possible the body may have been there for up to two weeks. There were no signs of foul play, but as standard procedure, the body was sent to the State Medical Examiner's office for an autopsy," read the release. The name of the victim is being withheld, pending a positive identification and the notification of next of kin, according i loser look Just tall 1.888.723.9719 or your local Zions Branch, and let us show you, there really of lot of other plaies, our employees situation with special iiriumstanies.they tan handle it for you Without passing you off to someone else in another brain h, or to you Its not something you get used to hearing in a lot Of the five, only Bryce Canyon has seen an increase over the first half of the year 4.8 percent. Zion, on the other hand, saw 216 fewer visitors pass through its fee booths this June compared to June, 2000. The park was down 18 9 percent over the first half of the year. In the nearby gateway town of Springdale, some lodging owners said they were experiencing a 15 percent drop in business. Put other businesses, such as the Zion Park Inn and a convenience storegas station reported only slight decreases. National Parks and Conservation Association (ARC) of Washington, D.C. Hansen has refused bill to have a any he as the enoversees hearing, tire House Resources Committee. Recreation is big business in America. The ARC represents the interests of more than 100 industry organizations. Want lower fees? Quick decisions? Balances on your receipts? Statements you can actually read? w drop in visitation Zion reports 20 |