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Show SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS WEDNESDAY JULY 26, 2000 Opinion Dixie Speaks I The Kane County Resource committee met with Kaibab Forest rep Jill Leonard and Dixie National Forest rep Ron Wilson, along with their staffs last week. (Read their comments, this week's SUN.) The land managers expressed frustration over not being allowed to do their jobs as they see fit. When we first moved here eight years ago, I took a tour of the Kaibab Forest with timber manager Scott Nannega. He showed me beautiful, healthy forests which were scientifidown to each tree. He told me of the cally managed-righ- t myriad of rules and regulations the Forest Service had to follow to prepare each sale. Nannenga said the lumber companies were used as a management tool. They paid for the lumber, and performed the thinning and reclamation situation. work essential for healthy forests. It was a win-wi- n all the far After between. But timber sales became few and time was spent preparing a sale, some environmental groups would file a protest. By law the Forest Service had to present a response... which made the sale more costly. If the groups still ng objected after the response, the sale would be challenged in additional costs. The Forest Service would usually prevail in court, but the price of the sale would skyrocket. Regardless of the court outcome, the environmental groups would point out that logging wasn't making the Forest Service any money. This wasn't court-addi- a big revelation-th- e nomical. court costs tacked onto the sale were astro- Cutting trees was no longer profitable for the lumber companies, so many closed. The F. S. lost not only the timber sale, but the management tool they used to operate the National Forest. Our forests have become much more at risk to catastrophic fires. Everybody loses. Many common sense people work locally for the federal land agencies. They're trying to do their job as good land issue even managers, attempting to balance the multi-us-e Have made forces outside so doing nearly impos- though sible. They are our friends and good allies to have. Good science has been lost in the equation. Money and power have become the dictators on land use. Special interest groups from both sides have made the issue so polarized, there is no middle ground. So, what's the answer? Some would say a new Washington administration. While that'd be nice, I don't believe it. No politician. Democrat or Republican, is going to jeopardize angering the environmental groups or more succinctly, their money. Neither party can afford to. But perhaps both parties could agree on a more rational way of dealing with court system abuse in land use litigation. What about creating a panel which would of approve or disapprove court challenges? Many states use it to determine five validity of medical malpractice suits. The panel considers the litigant's charges and determines whether they're valid or frivilous. If valid, the issue would be heard in court. If frivilous, no court challenge is allowed. If the courts only had to deal with issues which had merit, land management costs would go down and confidence in the system would go up. Common sense would prevail. Wouldn't it be nice to once again enjoy a winwin situation in federal land management? CAUGHT do this for several reasons. The lakes are becoming polluted. HOW? Boats leak oil and gas into the water. The exhaust pollutes the surrounding air. People throw trash into the water. People discharge human waste into the water. Swimmers urinate into the water. People wash dirty clothes with lake water and throw the used water into the lake. Fisherman and campers build campfires on the beaches with wood collected in the near vicinity and will not be tolerated. Fishermen throw pollutant materials into the lake. The government determines that all the fish in the lake are endangered species and prohibits all fishing. Now the Government can not allow this to happen, so what do they do? Every lake will have one interpretation center. All visitors will have to check in before any activity can take place. If you can give documented, certified evidence that your boat is 100 What is your opinion? This newspaper welcomes opinions from its that you have environmenreaders concerning any subject. Anything of a libelous nature or tal protection agency approved defamation of character will not be considered for publication. sanitation facilities and you sign Please limit your letters to 300 words or less. We reserve the right a document that you realize you to edit for clarity or length. Letters must be signed and include your are subject to a $1,000 fine if you full name, address and telephone number. are caught violating any pollutant regulation set by the EPA, all lieve the less truthful than will then be given a daily you Lake analogy rhetoric they are fed by the feds use permit. and environmental groups. Yes, this sounds extreme and Dear Editor could As I read your Dixie Speaks Maybe you give them an stupid as does most governmenColumn I understand how people analysis concerning lakes. The tal mandates that restrict the outside our area think about government decides to make all use of public lands. Glen Martin National Monuments and Wil-- lakes in Wisconsin, National Kanab derness. Unfortunately they be- - Monuments or Wilderness. They non-partis- IN A TRUTH -A- GAIN be hard to believe that only 100 years ago... It may Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the union. SOUTHERN Utah news AAA Deadlines AAA FRIDAY 1 PM an Letters to the Editor non-polluta- ; nt, The Southern Utah News (ISSN No. 0049-165is published every N. at Main 26 Utah 84741 . The SUNews serves St., Kanab, Wednesday Kane County, Utah, and the Arizona Strip. Address communications to 26 N. Main St., Kanab, Utah 84741 , or telephone Fax Advertising rates available upon request. Second Class postage paid at Kanab, Utah 84741. Newsstand price is 50c per qopy. Yearly subscription rates to Kane County addresses and Fredonia and Moccasin, Arizona, $22; others $30 (out of U.S. $50). The SUNews reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement or submitted items. 9) 435-644-290-0, Dennis Brunner 435-644-29- Carol Sullivan Lauraii Noteman Reporters Myma Cox Valley News Dixie Brunner Publishers and Editor Sharlotte Brewer Production Staff Michael Evangelista ProductionLayout Barbara Pyles Feature Writer Postmaster. Send change of address cards to 26 N. Main St, Kanab, UT 84741 -- |