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Show Page A9 (Dfe Ctmgg-31nhrpnihf- Professional medical staff saved youngsters life Letters to the Editor Moab should be proud about 4th of July event Dear Editor, I do not have a picture for you but this was the only way I found to send comment to you via email, am a resident of Nebraska. 1 was in Moab on vacation with my family from July 1 through the 6th. We were there to see Arches National Park. We stayed at the Slickrock Campground. We had not planned on staying as long as we did because we were looking for some place to spend 4th of July before heading back to Omaha. As it turned out, we were told by our camp hosts that Moab was going to have a celebration and we should check it out. During those first days in Moab, we visited several businesses in town and everyone, I mean everyone was telling us about this celebration and how there was going to be a great time and some great fireworks. Wre decided to stay and see it. We arrived at the celebration around 5:30 p.m. and made it to the info booth. Wre were given a very nice button (which is on my computer here at work) and the scoop about this celebration. My wife and our five children began moving around the park experiencing I Thursday, July 18, auu nt Moab. We had a wonderful time. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. My kids loved the games and hors&'mule rides. 1 even got a chance to try my hand at the dunking booth. We found a spot on the grass and sat down to try out the Taste of Moab." Having eaten at a couple of restaurants in town already, I knew this was going to be good. Dogs, Burgers, Corn on the Cob and a flank steak sandwich later, my entire family was happy and full. We continued with OUR celebration, watching, the Mutton Bustin," Tug of War and variety acts. What a full and fun day. It all ended with a short trip into town checking out a few shops while we waited for the fireworks. We were not disap- pointed. A great fireworks display during a very dry and dangerous time. The celebration truly put your best face forward. Your town did a fantastic job putting on a great 4th. Wre were outsiders who showed up and were taken right in like neighbors. Please thank everyone involved in putting on such a great time. MOAB, you should be proud. Burt Omaha, Nebraska Bob Castle Valley Comments Dear Sam and Adrien, Last weekend we experienced a very scary medical emergency with our son in the middle of the night. We want to thank Tim the E R. nurse, Dr. Hudgins, Dr. Kopell, Olga, Doug, Roseanne, the staff at Allen Memorial Hospital and especially Dr. Hoffmeister. Many of these people were w aked up in the middle of the night. Their professionalism and proficiency saved our sons life. Our community is very fortunate to have these competent, compassionate, professional people practicing medicine here. We are especially grateful to Dr. Hoffmeister. If he were not to here our son would have been which is what Grand Junction, happened years ago at his birth. Dr. Hoffmeister is truly a master at what he does. We w ere extremely pleased with the entire staff at Allen Memorial Hospital and want to express our gratitude to all of them. Thank you. The situation was a reminder to us of the fragility life and what is really important. Thank you to our friends and church family for helping us through this scary time. air-lifte- d 6-1- 2 God bless you all. -Jeanne, Bill, Lucas and Katie Veteto Moab Don't locals see the junk? Tburists do Dear Sena T. Flanders, visitors to your region, we are about the junk yards at both sides of surprised Highway 191, south of Moab, adversely influencing the beautiful nature of the valley and the rim of mountains to the west. Complaining about this while at the Visitor Center, Moab, on Friday, Dec. 2, 1 hear that As foreign my observation is not isolated, many, in par- ticular European, but also others, are shocked about this lack of respect of the nature, which is not in line with the principles in the charter of the National Park Service, applied in the adjacent parks, Arches and Canyonlands, giving course to the contrast. Maybe Moab citizens do not see it? The tourists certainly do. Is it within the activities of Moab City or Grand and San Juan counties to change and improve this situation, or can the state intervene? The measures to be taken are not necessarily costly for the community. They could include: Clean up (by owner). 2. Fencing (by owner) 3. Organizing public scrap yard (if not available) by the public. 4. Control of enforcement, 5. Penalties. 1. Yours faithfully, John A. RoaenhOj Drugs Diamanthuis, Belgium P.S. Brugs is a medieval city, one of the major tourist attractions in Europe, which has 4 million visitors per year, and where the city cares about the environment. by Ron Drake The hot temperatures and severe drought conditions bring unusual habits of our wild animal population, many of which we usually dont see very often at least down in the valley. We have a lovely little gray fox that hangs around our Rim Shadow Lane neighborhood that seems to make a daily tour of certain places to take advantage of food and water. The fox would go into our orchard and eat fruit off the ground. It especially seemed to like the cherries as evidenced by the droppings full of cherry pits. The deer population is not at all uncommon in the valley but they are found mostly in the extreme lower and upper areas. Lately however, three bucks still in velvet come around almost daily to the orchard, which seems to be an animal magnet, to taste the green apples on the trees. One walks around on his hind legs to get a better reach for the fruit. Usually after that, a single doe comes around to try the apples, crab apples and the flowers on her usual stroll through the neighborhood. It doesnt seem to bother her that two-poi- nt I am working a few rows over in the orchard. Last month, a guest at the Castle Valley Inn came face to face with a bear while soaking in the hot tub. They havent seen one since but there is plenty of bear scat around to remind them of their presence. The inn keepers, Robert Ryan and Ilertha Wakefield, remind guests to go to the tub in pairs and take a flashlight with them. Catherine Howells reported having close encounters with coyotes during her daily walks on the state lands above the town. At one point, they circled her, coming to within about 50 feet and chased her dogs. She thinks they were probably protecting their hunting area but they are definitely not as wary of people as normal. Last week, Otis and Zella Willoughby were peacefully 2 a.m. when Zella awoke to the sound of a cat climbing on the window trying to get in the house. She woke Otis who sleepily told her to let it be that it would go away. She then realized the cat was in the house trying to get out and saw a flash of white mere feet from her head. They dont have a white cat and realized they had a skunk in the house. Otis ran outside to take the screen off the window but Beared the skunk back sleeping about into the house where they carefully tracked it down to a small room near the back door. Otis again ran back outside to open the door where the skunk finally sauntered out. There was no apparent damage or foul odors and Otis could only say thank God for little favors." Ann McLanahan had an awful experience earlier this year when she noticed one of her llamas was down and realized he was injured. Cloud, an animal she has owned since July 1987 suffered a broken neck but was still alive and had to be destroyed. Clues around the Beene and experienced judgment of the vet determined Cloud was probably brought down by a mountain lion. Thinking back, Ann realized it was about 5 a.m. when all of the dogs in the neighborhood went crazy," and probably scared the lion off before it could finish the job. Ann bought three llamas, Mike, Magic and Cloud in 1987 with the idea of starting new her business, Canyonlands Llamas. They were rented to hunters and hikers as pack animals and have many advantages over horses and mules, for instance, they require little or no water and they are light eaters. They will graze and browse on whatever happens to be growing in the area. She eventually increased the business and herd to ten animals before an unrelated accident for left her wheelchair-boun- d by buck peeks This three-poiaround the corner of the Drake home. nt several years. The herd was sold off leaving her with just two pets, Scotty and Cloud. She acquired two new llamas from Harley Bates who had them on his range with his herd of cattle. They will give Scotty some company, as llamas do not do well alone. It's official, the Permanent Community Impact Funding Board awarded the Town of Castle Valley a total of $195,000 to build a community center on the town's community lot. The funding comes in the form of a $45,000 grant 2.5 and a $150,000 30-yea- r, loan. Mayor Bruce Keeler stated that the architects would draw up the plana and put the project out to bid. Construction will probably start next spring. Although not official yet, the Castle Valley Fire District will probably be awarded a $90,000 grant to construct a fire on the commutentalot. PCIFB The nity sub-stati-on tively approved the request but the final approval will be at their August meeting in Richfield. Events scheduled for this coming week include a community potluck picnic sponsored by the Castle Valley Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterSaints. It will be on the -day cooler La Sal Mountains at The next meeting of the Castle Valley Fire Department will be Tuesday, J uly 23 beginning at 7 p.m. at the fire station. Their meetings are on the second and fourth Tuesdays every month. The department is in a high stage of alert this Ron Drake has been enjoying Castle Valley orchards. Photos by Jo Alston Superintendent, Grand Mason Springs picnic area. Take the Loop Road approximately two miles past Miners Basin turnoff then turn left to the picnic area. This gray fox guest editorial Times-Indepcnde- nt summer because of the extreme fire danger and is especially in need of trained Canyon National Park We are very fortunate to live near one of the world's greatest natural wonders, the Grand Canyon. For many of us, Grand Canyon National Park and particularly the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is a place of refuge, recreation and retreat. It is a special place, and we must work together to plan its future In such a way that generations to come will be able to have the same wonderful experiences in the Canyon that we enjoy today. The National Park Service has begun a process to revise the Colorado River Management Plan (CRMP), a process dedicated to protecting the natural and cultural resources within the park while providing visitors with a quality experience. Since the creation of the original plan more than three decades ago, the setting in which we plan for the river has grown more complex, but we now face the same basic issues public access and protection of park resources in the river corri- - dor. To update tt ie CRMP, we will be preparing an environmental impact statement (EIS). The EIS process will help us to clearly document the current environmental condition and impacts, assess the effects of possible management alternatives, and work with public input to develop an acceptable preferred alternative. This last component is a vital part of the EIS process gathering input from people interested in the future of the Grand Canyon. There are many longstanding issues that need to be resolved, and we know there will be many differing take all of points of view. us coming together to work through these issues to move this process forward in a timely and constructive manner. As Superintendent, updating the CRMP is one of my top priorities. I am dedicated to hearing your input and working together through an open public process that hears all points of It will view. Now is your chance to be heard. Between now and Sept. 20 we are seeking input from interested parties, and are providing several ways for you to share your ideas. Comments can be submitted by any one of the following ways: - mailed to CRMP Project, Grand Canyon National Park, P.O. Box 129, Grand Canyon, Arizona 86023; sent by electronic mail to -- grcacrmpnps gov; to Grand Canyon National Park; or - provided a! one of the pubhand-delivere- d lic meetings. On Aug. 6, we will host a meeting in Utah at the Salt Lake TrainCommunity College-Mille- r & Conference Center to give ing residents an opportunity to learn more about the guidelines under which ttie nver is currently managed and to provide input on how it should be managed in the future. The Web site will have all the details, and encourage you to attend. To find out more about the plan and our process, please visit our Web site at: www.nps govgreaermp. Our goal throughout this process is to protect our natural and cultural resources along the I river, while providing a quality With your visitor experience. help, we believe we can achieve that goal. Letters to the editor policy endorse the opinions puhSshed in letters to the editor and guest editorials. The t welcome opinions from its readers concerning any subject pertinent to Southeastern Utah. Letters should be to the point and must Include the writer's name, address and telephone number. Letters may not be used to replace advertisements, or to list and thank sponsors or participants to a particular event Letters to the editor wi be not be accepted from any candidate who has (tied lor political office or from anyone writing in support of a filed candidate. Anything unsigned, of a libelous nature, or containing defamatory statements wlK not be considered tor publication. AH letters must be typed or legibly written, and be 400 words or less. Letters ars subject to editing. Mail to Tetter to the Editor P.O. Box 129, Moab, Utah, to editor O moabtimei.com. The 64532. Deadline is Monday. 5 p.m. Letters may also b sent via may not eocept letters from persons who write mom frequently than once every four weeks. The doe not necessarily Timee-lndepende- nt T-- Timet-Independe- |