OCR Text |
Show 8A Emery County Progress Castle Dale, Utah Tuesday July 20, 2004 Commentary OHV Management a Priority; WSAs Protected t By Sally Wisely, state director of the Bu- reau of Land Management, overseeing '23 million acres of public lands in Utah were all better off for it. Next let me address our 95 wilderness study areas (WSAs) managed by BLM to protect their suitability for congressional wilderness designation. Under national guidelines, motorized vehicle use is permissible in these areas as long as it is restricted to routes in existence at the time the WSA was established and it does not result in degradation that would impair the areas wilderness suitability. Crosscountry travel may be allowed under certain conditions, including use in sand dunes. Bottom line: our 95 WSAs are protected and managed to meet f As State Director for BLM in Utah, it was gratifying to see the Supreme ; Court rule to curtail unnecessary iiti-- ; gation and unanimously reject SUWAs ; OHV lawsuit. I was disappointed as I read various follow-u- p media accounts and felt compelled to provide s how-l-eve- r, . additional information and back- ground. I have three main points Id like to focus on: 1) the courts decision ad-- j dressed a specific issue but still allows , for legal challenge of agency decisions, (2) our Wilderness Study Areas ; (WSAs), are being appropriately managed and protected, and 3) OHV management is a continuing challenge that BLM is actively addressing. First, the Supreme Court ruling dealt with a specific question regardingthe Administrative Procedures Act. It clarified that courts should steer clear of judicial entanglement in the day to day operations of an agency, but still pro- vides ample opportunities for admin' istrative protests, appeals and legal challenges of all agency decisions. Thats appropriate in a democracy, and standards. All are still available to Congress. None have been precluded from consideration as wilderness. Do we have management issues and some isolated trouble spots? Yes. Are we addressing them? Yes, on a continuingbasis. I categorically refute the allegation that were sittingon our hands doing nothing. The San Rafael Swell and the WSAs within it are a case in point. The transportation plan has been completed, and new maps and signs have clarified where people can and cannot legally ride. The addition of an Emery County sheriff deputy through a joint federal and county funding agreement has greatly improved safety and compliance. Vehicle restrictions in all seven WSAs that encircle the Swell are now secure largely due to the monitoring efforts of our staff, local OHV clubs and individual volunteers. Moquith Mountain WSA, where we share a dunescape with the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park serves as another example. This area is a pressure point where escalating OHV numbers and concern for special status species prompted a reassessment. While the species of concern were certified healthy (by us, Fish and Wildlife Service and multiple judges), our 1998 study did identify areas of vegetation loss and new route development in portions of the WSA. This prompted a new plan instituting conservation measures from emergency OHV-us-e closure of portions of the WSA delineation of open routes; and most importantly, the development of a cooperative protocol between the BLM and State Parks. Admittedly, managing a growing OHV play area adjacent to a State Park in a way that maintains wilderness suitability is not an non-du- non-du- ne ne easy task. This situation is further exacerbated by the fact that the WSA holding pattern has now persisted for However, we nearly a quarter-centurwill uphold our responsibilities to maintain the area so its wilderness eligibility remains undiminished. My last point concerns OHV management. Improving OHV management on Utah public lands has been a priority is a of mine from day one. legitimate activity enjoyed by many people and certainly part of BLMs multimission. But there is no quesple-use tion that it is a major challenge. We have a statewide management strategy, the first in the bureau, and we are very active with our state and federal partners through the Natural Resources Coordinating Council to ensure a coordinated statewide approach to OHV management. We patrol, put up signs and barricades, issue emergency orders when and where necessary ( 10 in the last few years), monitor, take corrective action, have information and education programs, issue citations, and partner with other agencies, industry and user groups. We are currently developing transportation plans on over 10 million y. Off-roadi- RS-24- sues. I believe were doing a great deal, and you know what? There are still problem areas. Given the open nature of our terrain and the continually increasing capabilities of the machines, Pattons army wouldnt be able to guarantee some knucklehead wont bust a gate or joyride out of bounds. User responsibility and accountability must be absolute. Its unfortunate that the good standing of our WSAs and the yeoman efforts of our staff to keep them that way, as well as our OHV management efforts in general, is a story few other than federal judges get to hear about. By Jim Huber POLITICALLY CORRECT Give the Gift of Life acres through our planning process; this is extra challenging with the issue unresolved. We have identified OHV management as a priority issue to our national office and requested additional resources. Its interesting to note that the environmental community sued us saying we were doing nothing while at the same time the OHV community sued us sayingwe were doing too much. On a personal note, its disappointing to see our limited resources diverted to dealingwith lawsuits, rather than on the ground is- W. Howie Walz, Chief Executive Officer .Lewis and Clark Region American Red Cross Blood Services i i Longer, warmer days signal the beginning of summer and all its traditions, including the traditional decrease in the number of blood donations. Because 'everyone is busy with graduations, vacation plans and lazy summer days, fewer ;people make time to give blood. ' A decrease in donations could lead to blood shortages, but the American Red 'Cross does everythingwe can to make sure that doesn't happen. When you are -vacationing, we are hard at work, scheduling donors who will help us assure a stable community blood supply. Because of generous blood donors, hospitals and communities supplied by the Red Cross in Utah have not experienced a iblood shortage in summer or any other time of year. 1 Patients and hospitals count on the Red Cross to have safe blood products ready and waiting in the hospital blood bank both for emergency and routine .medical needs. We are the primary blood provider for more than 40 Utah hospitals, which provide health care for residents all over our state. Other hospitals 'call us for emergency blood supplies when their primary blood provider can't meet their needs. ' If you have the opportunity to vacation away from home this summer, look ; around as you travel and take a moment to reflect on your definition of "commu-fnity- ." Is it just your immediate neighborhood, the town you live in, or does it encompass every city in our nation, even those thousands of miles away? Who are your neighbors, just the family next door or all of us who live in this great country, including people you don't even know1? The American Red Cross believes, and we think you agree, that the community blood supply is the blood supply for everyone, those of us close to home and everywhere across the coun- -- ;tiy j Whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, whether enjoying a picnic in your back yard or traveling across the country, one thing is certain: the Red Cross can be there to provide the blood products you might need. 'Not only for you and your loved ones and neighbors nearby, but everyone knows ! someone who lives far away and w'e can be there for them, too. But we can only do 'that with your help and your blood donation. Establish a new tradition this summer by donating blood. Take a relaxing hour out of your busy summer schedule, donate a pint of blood, and help save lives. We think it's worth it. Won't you give the gift of life? Call the American Red .Cross at Together, we can save a life. From the Editors of EThe Environmental Magazine Dear EarthTalk; I heard that sea turtles are developing cancerous mors at an alarming rate. Whats going on? tu- j Brendon Hunt, New York, NY. Editors Notes By PATSY STODDARD werent held. Recently Emery County citizens have been involved in acts of service. Not only now, but it is an ongoing year-roun- d project. Two people I have talked to recently, that are living in our area, but are not originally from here have commented on the number of fundraisers and benefits we have here. They said they have never seen anything like it, in the places where they came from, A benefit for Greg Huntington was held last Friday and Saturday as well as the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Both events were well attended and large amounts of money raised to help the cause. During my years of working at the newspaper, I have covered a good many of the fundraisers for county people. It always amazes me how much time and effort goes into the planning of such an event and the countless hours spent such wide spread fundraising events collecting items for the auctions. Our local businesses are awesome the way they support the events in our communities. With a limited number of businesses in the county I know they are called on time and again to donate. I have my old reliables that I call on when I need prizes for my PTA kids and their Reflections contest. They are always willing to help out and I think that is the main reason why Emery County is a great place to live; people helping people. i Sea turtles have long endured the pressures of hunting, intensive fishing prac- tices and habitat degradation, including loss of nesting beaches due to human encroachment. In the last 20 years, marine turtles have also been the victims of a deadly tumor called Fibropapilloma, a bulbous growth that primarily affects Jhe skin but also appears in the turtles mouths, on their eyes and on internal ; organs. The tumors can grow as large as a head of cauliflower, making it difficult for the animals to swim and find food. Internally, they can constrict the lungs and ; heart and affect the kidneys. In the 1980s, the disease began to reach epidemic e ; waters off Hawaii, Florida and Barbados, proportions in shallow, The disease is now also present in Australia and the Pacific coasts of Mexico and i Costa Rica. t The tumors have mostly been found on both young and adult green turtles, but have recently showed up on the Loggerhead, Hawksbill and Olive Ridley species. Sue Schaf of Floridas Turtle Hospital, which treats and performs surgery on ; afflicted turtles, says, We were seeing 50 percent of green turtles with tumors, but now it is closer to 70 percent and gettingworse. In Hawaii, some 60 percent of the turtles are affected. 'While progress is being made to understand Fibropapilloma, scientists are still puzzled as to what is causing the tumors. Their high prevalence in marine habitats near areas of heavy human use would lead one to believe that some form of pollution is the cause, such as runoff from fertilizer or farm waste, but j ; research has been inconclusive. Some scientists speculate that a virus might be giving turtles the disease. Other marine experts blame the tumors on global j warming, with increased water temperatures weakening the turtles immune systems. CONTACT: Turtle Hospital, (305) f; www.turtlehospital.org; Florida 'Marine Research Institute, (727) www.floridamarine.org; National 'Marine Fisheries Service, www.nmfs.noaa.gov. ; near-shor- i 1 1 743-650- 896-862- f y l; 9, 6, GOT AN ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTION? Send it to: EARTH TALK, Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; co EThe Environmental or submit your question at: www.emagazine.com, or earthtalkemagazine.com. us at: Harriets World By HARRIET BISHOP make has come to my attention that stress seems to be the big factor of the century. Everybody around me, including myself, seems to be bogged down in stress. We seem to be stressed about everything. There are all kinds of ideas out there for ways to relieve stress. Doctors have their theory. The food industry has its theory. Physical education people have their theory and on and on and on. It w'ould stand to reason that pretty soon some form of this information would come to rest in my universe. It did, the other day, in the form of one of my nurses aides. Recently it This particular lady is as smart as a whip and comes up with some pretty good ideas off the top of her head. This was cool enough for me to share with you. So as much as I would like to take the credit for this, I will have to bow to Deborah ORafferty. Here it is: A new way to relieve stress. Stand up straight and tall and take two long breaths in and let it out slowiy. Now open your mouth and put your tongue on the back of your front teeth. Breath in and while breathing out an nnnnnnnnnn sound. Relax your tongue. Take another breath in and while breathing out form your lips in an O position and make the of sound (jiiraraxraiD Now put the two sounds together. You will have nnnnnooooooooo. Ever heard of the word before? Sure you have. We all have. We are just afraid to use it. The stress will fly away from you. Thanks, Deborah. Only use this method when you are feeling overwhelmed, overburdened or overpowered. I would like to add this. WARNING! Be careful who you use this method on as it could backfire. The person you shared this method with might well try the no out on you. I speak from experience. A1 kidding aside people, sometimes we just have to say no to people. Most people understand and if they dont then they were not your friend to begin with and carry no human understanding. What good does it do for us to make ourselves physically sick because we cannot say a simple word like no. I learned this concept a longtime ago and try not to practice it too much but have done so when I have felt the need was there. I might add that when I say no, I do not let myself feel guilty about it. That is the key. Learn to say no when you need to and dont feel guilty about it. Explain that your plate is full and move on. Things will get accomplished. You just might not be the one to do it. I am well aware that some of you who are reading this might well disagree with what I have said. You may argue that too many people say no and not enough people say yes. You may be right. I have not found that to be the case in my world. You are probably the ones feeling overburdened, overwhelmed and overpowered. From sayingyes all the time I might add. So whatever your preference is until next time remember these infamous words of Erma Bombeek: If life is just a bowl of cherries. Why am I in the pits? |