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Show Page All (Die Cimfg-3nftrpgnhr- Thursday, June 13, 2002 rtt Letters to the Editor Times-Independe- Watch out for cows, they have more rights than humans Hello folks. Welcome to cow land, where cows have more rights than humans. I gather my assumptions from witnessing cow behavior in relationship to human activity in and around Grand County. Why just take a look at the grazing areas around Kens Lake. Here the cows have overgrazed the state lands so badly that the only thing growing now is prickly cactus. If I did that much damage to state land, lets say motor bike, ATV or bullwith a I be would in dozer, big trouble, if caught. This just points out that humans better not have any impact on that land, but cows can destroy it through overgrazing. Cows have more rights when it comes to defecating. They can poop in any desert or mountain stream they want in water that supplies our reservoirs. Whereas if I get caught doing this by a ranger, T m sure I would get fined for not using a portable toilet. Heck, just drive up the mountain road to the La Sals and watch those cows poop right in front of my wife and children, a right I dont have. I usually close the bathroom door or hide behind a tree. vehicles are only limited to certain roads and trails in the La Sal National Forest But cows are allowed everywhere in National Forest land, even in the campground in which they are supposed to be fenced out of. How many times have g in Warner Lake? you seen cows Thats another right I don't even have. Camping in Geyser Pass is always a treat. four-wheele- r, Off-roa-d skinny-dippin- especially when a herd of cows stampedes through your campsite. Now, if I and some rowdy friends did that to someones campsite, we would be either reported or shot at. Again, cows have rights we dont have. If I choose to camp out in a certain mountain meadow for over 30 days, I would be told by a U. S. Forest ranger that my time is up and to move on. But cows cannot only hang out there for three months or more, but they also can destroy every wild flower in that meadow. Now I think thats plain discrimination against humans. Arches and Canyonlands national parks are not exempt from discriminating against humans in favor of cows. I dont know how many times Ive seen cow herds encroaching through fenceless or broken fence areas, again destroying fragile desert environments. Most of the time this goes unnoticed by park rangers, so it happens again and again. But just let him see you with your dog in the park, and youll get a big fat fine for it. Again cows rule. The list goes on and on about how many rights cows have over us humans. Why cant the rules that apply to humans apply to cows? What gives cows special rights over humans? I wonder if the administrators of our public lands ever ask these questions to themselves. Its time for us to stand up for our rights and, oh yeah, watch out for that cow paddy as you stand. Michael Scherer Moab Youth thanks person who found him Dear Editor, Hi. My name is Cody and that is what I said to the guy who drove the He asked me if I had any water and I said no I hadnt, with a moan because I had gotten lost in the swamp and brush at the Matheson with my dog by my side. He asked if anything was broken. I said no, four-wheele- r. Wet-lan- ds nothing but scratches and scrapes. I was just glad to see someone. I had been lost in the brush for three or four hours. I was returned to my mom after he found me. I would just like to say thank you for finding me and my dog. Cody T. Schale Richfield Youth's mom also thanks rescuers Dear Editor, Thank you just doesnt seem like enough coming from a mother who was worried sick. You hear about the rescue teams out working to find lost boys among their many other duties, not to mention they have their own lives and most of them do it as volunteers! But I have to say without their help, I would have never found Cody and he, well who knows where he would be with all the trails going in every direction not knowing the area at all. I have found a new respect and appreciation that will last a lifetime. Thank you, all of you! I pray God will keep you safe while helping others. Donna Stevens Richfield, Utah Clean up the doggie dumplings Howdy Moab, First off Td like to say I'm sorry to all the seniors for whom during my run for city council I let down by not thinking through my approach on how to make it possible for them to remain at their current location. I went before the county council and put forth the idea of remodeling and enlarging the current Community Center and using the monies saved for health care, prescriptions and maybe a hospice for spouses who need to be near their loved ones while they were in the hospital. For I felt that if a building can be restored for historical value that it would be possible to do the same for that building. Needless to say I was spanked and villainized by the council, that carried to the persons running the center and I still feel bad about the way it turned out. I do still believe however that saving tax money and adapting that building to the needs of the seniors is a good idea instead of building a one somewhere else. grandiose Miracles are possible with todays building materials and equipment. And I would still strap on and offer my help for I think thats my how communities should better things other than looking to Uncle Sam and other forms of government solely for help, and would challenge other trades and construction workers to do the same. over-price- d tool-be- lt Q Its a very worthy cause, and with the savings they could do much to make things better for those who currently use the center and those who will, for you know we are all just young seniors. I should have talked with the people in charge there first. I see that now, and instead of just polling the seniors at lunch about them wanting to stay or not stay at that location I should have asked them how we could make that happen together. Talks I had with several of the seniors were very enlightening and I learned much about what has happened here in Moab in the past e was for town and how bad the last in the 80s, and also how they are treated today. I'd like to thank them and the staff of the center who were always nice to me. I truly appreciated that and I hope you can forgive me; my intentions were good just my delivery was bad. With that Im off, with one final dumb observation. Did you ever notice while in the process of walking their dogs people stand and watch the pooch do their business, why is that? Me, I just wish people would clean up the afterwards and dispose of it. Adios till next time, Rocky Borreson bust-cycl- doggie-dumplin- gs Moab nt guest editorial Satellite merger offers hope for rural Utah by Senator Malcolm Wallop (retired), Chairman, Frontier of Freedom Ive seen a lot of sights over the years on our family ranch in Wyoming, but I never expect to see a cable company crew stringing wire across miles of grazing land to provide us with cable TV and the option for broadband digital services. It not going to happen in rural Utah either. The cost would be prohibitive, even if the cable companies were interested. And having represented a rural state in the U.S. Senate for 1 8 years, Ive heard more than my share of empty promises. So Im somewhat skeptical when I hear the regional Bed companies promise that they will provide rural America with broadband services if Congress will gve them just one more huge handout and shield them from the horror of fair competition. These are the same companies that have been selling off their rural exchanges as fast as they can find buyers. Yet Im confident that rural Missourians wont be left on the wrong side of the Digital Divide. The reason for my confidence can be summarized in two words: satellite communications. The satellite industry has a strong track record of serving rural America, not with promises but with programming. This is especially true in the Midwest Satellite proriders here deliver service in are is that other companies literally wont go near. Now the two leading satellite providers, EchoStar and DIRECTV, want to merge into one company with the combined capacity to offer broadband digital services via satellite along with TV programming. Counties , S1TLA need to address Spanish Valley issues by Monette Clark Two weeks ago, you published a letter about illegal dumping and unsafe firearm practices in upper Spanish Valley I, too am concerned about this and have been since last November when started going out to the area just across Spanish Valley Drive from the Kens Lake road, and south of the gravel pit. went out there initially to get some winter sun close to town and explore the many washes crossing the area. It took me a few visits to realize that amid the beautiful juniper I I trees, sage, and blackbrush along the deep wash I was exploring were shards of grocery bags, buckets, cans, and other garbage. It was when I began exploring the land out of the wash that I truly saw the place for what it is, a bone yard of carcasses, yard refuse, and rusting-awaappliances - an of y them pumped full of bullet holes. walked the flat terrain of the upper valley, I found targets of old wood, boxes, appliances, etc. spread all over, extending into the foothills. Mounds of spent bullet shells litter these sites, like weird, As I fluorescent deer droppings. Most of the "shooting ranges I found are located so that a stray bullet would plow into a hill, but some are just out in the open. One of the dangerous places is where a tributary wash runs alongside the big wash was walking in. There is about 100 yards between the two washes. A small garbage dump exists on the east rim of the tributary and trash targets" have been propped on its west rim. The problem is .that the bullets have to go across both the washes before they are stopped by a hill. People could be in the big wash, unseen by the person shooting yet possible targets of ricocheting bullets. It was late February before I explored a road had seen taking off to the west of the main dirt road just beyond the grave! pit. There is a refrigerator lying on its back at the fork. Most times when Id driven by, vehicles had been parked up there, partially obscured by a hill. Once, saw a man with a rifle accompanied by a small child. When drove into the parking lot," all had seen before seemed a rehearsal compared to the hideous Granddaddy Dump before my eyes. I counted at least eight large animal skeletons, with ribcages attached to spines; scattered around were cow and deer skulls, pelvic bones, and legs with hooves attached. I I I I I This merger is a solution to the Digital Divide problem. It would make affordable broadband digital services as easily available to rural ar- way a competitive free market is supposed to work. TV programming is now. its in the interest of all rural states to see that the Fed- broadcast spectrum would give the new company the technical ability to carry many more local channels. And, of course, that spectrum would let them offer nationwide satellite delivery of d Internet access and other broadband digital services. Satellite delivery of those services by the merged EchoStar and DIRECTV would be a competitive sweetener for areas already served by both cable and satellite TV companies. For many rural areas of the Midwest, however, this merger offers the only affordable ticket to the digital future. AH government has to do is of the way and let this out stay merger happen. Malcolm Wallop is a former U.S. Senator from Wyoming and chairman of Frontiers of Freedom, an advocacy group for free markets and opposed to unnecessary government regulation. free-mark- Times-Independe- et eas as satellite eral Communications Commission, the U.S. Department of attorJustice or any state-levthis block dont neys general it unreaor with saddle merger sonable conditions. el Besides the fundamental benefit of delivering broadband service to rural America, the merger would be a competitive shot in the arm for the whole market. pay-TThat market was a cozy monopoly held by the cable companies even 10 years ego. Satellite TV changed that. Today EchoStar and DIRECTV have a combined market share of 17 percent, compared to 80 percent for cable companies. The competition from satellite put the heat on cable providers to roll out new services tor customers, including digital broadband services. Thats the V guest editorial nt The proposed EchoStar DIRECTV merger is a winner for everyone. Their combined high-spee- range for Grand County, but Near a torn-u- p sofa'sleeper were three large deer decomposing in a common mound. A freshly bloated back and white goat with a red collar around its neck reposed at the base of a pile of Christmas trees, tires and pruned tree limbs. In all, I listed 55 separate items andor types of junk at this site and I was only counting the big chunks! Leaving, I got out to count the bullet holes in the reThere frigerator at the turn-of- f. are faded messages written in having one could relieve the shooting that is now occurring Since SITLA seems willing, why doesnt the county put a gun range on the front burner and get something m place? e As far as SITLAs plans for the upper valley, Parmenter told me SITLA has e no plan and wont until Grand and San Juan counties get senous about joint planning efforts." He reiterated that, We want to be in concert with Grand and San Juan counties." Again, that sounds good, but nebulous. Why doesnt Grand County initiate some joint planning lor the upper valley and use this piece of abused SITLA property as a focus? A few simple procedures could turn this situation around. As administrator, SITLA needs to pay to get the land cleaned up and post conspicuous No Dumping signs right now. Grand and San Juan counties could work together to provide more patrolling, catch violators and issue littering citations, which, by the way, carry fine. Special a $1 of management the area could possibly be set up maybe the Granddaddy Dump could be turned into a campsite or into a "clean" target range jointly supervised and managed by the two counties. Those who are taking carcasses to the desert may claim it helps provide food for wildlife, but in fact it promotes unhealthy numbers of scavenger animals, beyond what the environment would naturally support and leaves horrible, decaying sights for months in this dry climate. It is unfortunate that if dead animals are taken to the transfer station for the Klondike Landfill, they are crushed along with other garbage and poured into a ditch. This is not a respectful method of carcass disposal, either. Is animal cremation by the Solid Waste District a possibility? How about having a designated area of the Klondike Landfill where animals can be buried the old fashioned way? My letter to this newspaper is the fourth within two months calling for trash control in the Moab environs. Last week, I read a quote by Martin Luther King, Jr., There comes a time when silence is betrayal" I'd willy-nil- ly long-rang- long-rang- magic marker, which the shootists have preserved. One says, We need a range;" the other, "Courtesy of the Sportsman's Lounge" While there's plenty of garbage in upper Spanish Valley, it seems that "No Dumping" signs are as rare as hens teeth. I have been able to find only one. Its much farther south overlooking a gully where there is a "petrified dump from the past. Obviously, this is not a recent prob- lem, but one thats been here for decades. The land Im talking about is school trust land in San Juan County, administered by SITLA. It is part of a three- - to parcel of re trust land that extends south of Kens Lake, from rim to valley rim. In early April, I talked by phone with Jan Parmenter at the SITLA office in Moab. Mr. Parmenter is aware of the site and he at least 25 just like it" Grand and San Juan countiesl He revealed that he was putting together a reclamation plan and Granddaddy Dump told me there are other dump sites on SITLA lands in will hire someone, "maybe Bob's Sanitation or the Boy Scouts" to clean up the Granddaddy Dump. His target date" for this was now and I see Its no signs of any cleanup. In fact, things are worse. A brown plaid sofa was dumped along the road about five weeks ago. It broke the desert crust for a new dumping site. People are now feeling free to hurl full sacks of kitchen garbage into the cactuses and yucca near the sofa. The sun breaks down the plastic quickly, so the wind soon has free rein to blow trash across the landscape. Recognizing that there is no rifle range in Grand County, Mr. Parmenter told me he is working a gun range" to be located on SITLA land somewhere in the Moab Valley." think it is commendable that he's thinking of it, even though perhaps the idea is floundering due to lack of interest by county officials. It certainly is not SITLA 's responsibility to provide a gun mid-Jun- e. mid-Jun- e appreciate some reciprocal, open and honest communication from Grand County, SITLA, and San Juan County regarding their intentions for upper Spanish Valley. And to those who are illegally dumping up there, how about giving I it a break? Monette Clark is a Moab resident Letters to the editor poucy The does not necessarily a odors The opinions published in letters to the editor and quest editorials. The T--l welcomes opinions from Its readers concerning any subject pertinent to Southeastern Utah. Letters should be to the point and must include Ore writers name, address and telephone number. 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