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Show Emery County Progress, Castle Dale, Utah Larry Craig Letters to the editor United Stcites Senatov fvont Idaho Recreationists beware of wilderness scam artists The National Monument Public. Participation Act Almost overnight, Presi- National Monument Public Participation Act of 1999, amends the Act to require theAntiquities Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to provide an opportunity for public involvement prior to the designation of a national monument. It also establishes set procedures to give the public and local, State, and federal governments adequate notice and opportunity to comment on, and participate in, the formulation of plans for the declaration of national monuments on public lands. Under the 1906 Antiquities Act, the President has the unilateral authority to create a national monument where Afterwards, I was immedinone existed before. Presiately approached by other dent Clinton used the AntiqSenators who wanted the uities Act on September 18, same protection for their 1996 to establish the Grand Staircase-Escalantstates. In response, I have inNational troduced legislation that will Monument. ensure the public has a say in In fact, since 1906, the law the management of our publhas been used some 66 times to set lands aside. It is imporic lands. This legislation, called the tant to note that with very declared nearly two million acres of Southern Utah a national monument in 1996. Without public input or consent from Congress, Clinton created the Grand e National Monument and left the local communities, and state and federal agencies to pick up the pieces and work out all of the details afterwards. Fearing the same type of unilateral land grab in Idaho, I introduced the Idaho Protection Act of 1996 which would have required that the public and the Congress be included before a national monument could be established in Idaho. dent Clinton Staircase-Escalant- e exceptions, these declarations occurred before enactment of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, which recognized the need for public involvement in such issues and mandated public comment periods before such decisions are made. few struck that allows jobs to grow and families to put Dear Editor: Recent newspaper articles substantial fears that the Wi- down roots while at the same time protecting Americas great natural resources. Federal lands take up nearly 64 percent of Idahos land mass. Within our boundaries alone, we have lderness advocates are restless again. Utahs popular red canyon country has been the major focus of the lock everything up crowd since the passage of the California Desert land grab in 1994. Buoyed by media attention to their efforts, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance This action has been a one National Historic park, p call to people all one National Reserve, two across America. We all want National Recreation Areas, to preserve what is best in and five Wilderness Areas. our states, and I understand This amounts to approxiand support the need to promately 4.8 million acres, tect valuable resources. close to the size of New JerHowever, public land deci- sey. Each of these designations sions should be made through an open and inclu- has had public involvement sive process. and consent of Congress beOur public lands are a na- fore being designated. As tional asset that we all trea- you can tell, the public prowake-u- sure and enjoy. No one wants the President, acting alone, to unilaterally lock up enormous parts of any state. Westerners are especially proud of their public lands and have a stake in the management of them, and they recognize that with common sense, a balance can be has encouraged other state Wilderness groups to push their agenda more aggressively. Wilderness advocates are al- ready talking about adding millions more acres of Wilderness to California. Wilderness groups are also become more active in Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico. Interesting to note on this list is that Idaho and Montana cess has worked in the past, in my state, and I believe it will continue to work in the future. In my view, the Presidents actions in Utah were beyond pale, and my colleagues and I will work to protect other states from suffering a similar fate. arent included. Idaho and Montana have sometimes been criticized for not Executive Director, People for the USA Earth Day is the celebration of a made up crisis anti-Vietna- m protesters, socialists, communists, societal dropouts, and discontents got together and came up with a truly brilliant idea. This liberal fringe rabble which had long looked for a cause that would be embraced by the popular media and supported by the general public had finally come up with one. Clean air Act and the environmental movement. Ive often wondered why we dont celebrate a Sun, Moon, or perhaps even a Gravity Day if we want to recognize something of significance to our continued existence over which our actions have very little effect, but Earth Day captured the publics imagination. For the inventors it was surely Bonanza Day because they hit the jackpot! Undreamed of money began pouring in and still continues to this day. The basic formula was simple: tell the public that mankind is poisoning the environment, throw in a few examples of localized pollution problems, exaggerate their significance all out of proportion and ask for money to solve the crisis. A gullible public that was already paranoid over the prospect of a nuclear war holocaust bought it, hook, line and sinker. As the years passed after that original Earth Day success followed upon success for those former social outcasts turned heroes. Since 1970 we have spent two trillion dollars to solve a crisis that really never was in the first place. You see crisis is a very scary word. Environmentalists use it for every situation and occasion. In fact, we have never faced a human caused environmental crisis in the sense that some widespread catastrophic event was eminent. Say jike...Mt. Saint Helens blow- ing up. Actually weve found that when you stop discharging waste into a sup- dead Lake Erie that natures restorative powers work miracles, and almost overnight. ' But through the 70s, 80s, and 90s the crisis beat has gone on and on. Its occurred to me that a child of the 70s niay well believe that environmentalcrisis is really one word. Earth Day has come and gone 28 times but there has been no change in the progress but rather to pretend that the crisis is still before us. For them the crisis can never be resolved because if it is, they will have to look for a real job. Earth Day has lost all touch with reality; it is nothing more than an annual fund-raisin- They called it Earth Day and it spawned the EPA, the posedly prosperous rural America, it is not enough. They use the annual Earth Day event not to celebrate environmental communitys doom tune. In spite of the fact that we have written strong environmental protections into all our laws, spent a fortune on enforcement and cleanup and damn near destroyed a once g event for a bunch of deceitful political opportunists. How can we change all that? I began this editorial by saying that Earth Day was a very good idea. The problem is with who is running the show. Think about it for a minute. Who has borne upon their backs the heavy weight of all those environmental rules and regulations passed over the past 29 years? Who has adapted to new policies, modified old practices, invented new technology and made great personal sacrifices to protect the environment? The people who produce our manufacture and nations natural resources, So who I ask you is more entitled to lead an Earth Day that celebrates thats who. of environmentalism beyond the quagmire of todays destructive debate, and provide Americans with a vision of hope they need. He sees earth Day as the natural platform for this message and has managed to convince the Alliance to focus on this idea during this years Fly-I- n for Freedom, 9 in Washington May DC. The conference theme is Get a Grip on Earth Day! Bruce believes that Earth Day represents a rare opportunity for grassroots leaders to take the media, schools, civic groups and others to the ground based operations in their areas and highlight three decades of achieveenvironmental ment. He says that, Logging sites, pulp plants, mines and farmers fields all hold a wealth of stories of industry and individuals meeting the challenges of protecting the environment. Im fired up over Joes and Bruces ideas. They represent a new and much needed direction for our movement. Taking the powerful environmental lobby head on, as we have been, is like getting in the way of a runaway bus. Its a painful, bruising experience. It also makes it easy to characterize us as anti15-1- rection. In other words, let's take Institute, Vincent, from our board and over the environmental the Alliance for America, movement folks because we have been in touch with me are the true stewards of the recently regarding their indi- land. Im asking each and evvidual plans for our troops eryone of you to participate to hold special Earth Day in Resourceful Earth Day events. The idea I have been 1999 in some way, whether it ranting about comes from be by: Writing articles, new rethem. PFUSA wrote editorials, letters disleases, Joe asking to join the Resourceful cussing the importance of Earth Day Coalition, a net- natural resource production and public lands access to work of independent orgaour customs and cultures, think and tanks nizations created to inject sound how the natural world is getting cleaner and safer over scholarship and healthy debate into Earth Day cel- time, andor how environebrations across the coun- mental protection is compatible with economic try. I agreed. Joe is concerned that en- growth. Make a civic presentavironmental groups nationon these subjects. use tion to are wide planning Join in Earth Day celEarth Day 1999 to launch a campaign on climate ebrations with a booth or change, which they hope will demonstration showing the reach a crescendo on Earth relationship between human Day 2000 with a major push ingenuity and environmenfor legislation to drastically tal protection. Read The Resourceful limit fossil fuel use. Our Resourceful Earth Earth or any other book by the late, great Julian L. Day campaign will counteract this by celebrating hu- Simon. Conduct a civic project man ingenuity and the confor the environment; human that prosperity cept is not only compatible with projects could include builda protected natural environing public restrooms and kiosks in parks; cleaning up ment, but even a prerequihighways, parks and rivers; site. Bruce Vincent has been maintaining municipal promoting the idea that our parks, flower beds and buildrural based grassroots ings; restoring historical movement is in a perfect po- landmarks; conducting forsition to take the discussion est and ranch tours, etc. Wilderness designation is not good for recreation. Still, advocates for Wilderness continue to tout the benefits for recreationists of this This really confounds the Greens, who like to portray us as Earth-raperSpeak to an elementary ness. The USA already has 104 million acres of Wilderness. million acres are Twenty-fiv- e the seven states with the in most vocal Wilderness groups, yet these are the very groups insisting they need much more. And theyve got millions of dollars to pay for high priced public relations firms to promote their agenda. Unfortunately, some of the money to fund this effort came from misinformed recreationists. Understand what Wilderness designation really means. Wilderness designations is not good for recreation. And remember, this is not just a Utah issue or even just a Western issue. Wilderness advocates want it all. We need to let the people know! Clark Collins Executive director, Blue Ribbon Coalition Passing the buck: classroom about environmental protection balanced with economic growth see to it that the kids are hear- ing both sides of this. Im also asking everyone to make a special effort to for attend this years Fly-IFreedom and meet Joe Bast and Bruce Vincent in person and find out how we can make Earth Day 2000 and beyond our own! n drive to Ferron or Castle Dale. (Continued from page 6A) to Provo and picked up the Now, there has to be a point tire that had been gathered to all of this. And the point, as up for me. My car had been I see it, is noting the national down all that time. I did have popular game of Passing The a spare; one of those Mickey Buck. 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SATELLITE TELEVISION limited unit per time offer lor new household residential subscribers who purchase $10 activation fee opplies DIRECTV, Inc., a unit of GM Hughes Electronics ?o$ Corporation o DIRECTV System ore not included other between Programming, trademarks ore the 31 199 pricing, pioperty and terms of their 42599 ond ond subscribe conditions respective i. t restrictive classification. Its a bait and switch scam and more and more recreationists are wising up to it. Mountain bikers are wising up to it they are not allowed in Wilderness. Equestrians are wising up to it they are being kicked out of favorite areas in Wilderness. Outfitters are wising up to it they are being pushed out of Wilderness areas. Of course, motorized recreationists have always been unwelcome in Wilder- s. the remarkable achievements that we have made in environment. Getting involved in Earth Day is like environmental protection? Great minds often think hijacking the bus, Gus, and alike. Two good friends, Joe starting to drive it in our diand sup- porting comprehensive Forest Service Wilderness bills during the big nationwide push in 1984, or since. All seven of the states on the list passed major Wilderness bills between 1984 and 1994. It appears these attempts to appease the Wilderness groups didnt resolve. Jeff Harris Back in 1970 a group comwar prised of Tuesday, April 20, 1999 7 A subted owners by to 5799 chonge Standard May not professional be combined instoilohon with only any other offer CompJa OJIEflY Installations ond may result tn additional lea One total Choke are registered trademarks of |