Show Ernest H Linford The Salt Lake Tribune The Public Forum Conservation Or Growth? Tribune Readers’ Opinions Grit Your Teeth Since enrollments in higher education are increasing dramatically de- Land is not just a few blocks of a city’s downtown or 20 square miles slated for a new airport Land is thousands of square miles of open space with a few towns sprinkled here and there cisions to discontinue academic programs were difficult and emotional Public demonstrations opposing these discontinuances should be strong evidence that there has been and is no “fat” to trim City and Denver concentrations and you are left with half that number occupying a vast region Or so declares Ed Marston publisher of the High Country News an environmental publication published monthly in Poania Colo The region is struggling today as fiercely as 100 years ago when the Indians were being pushed out The two most visible battles in 1986 according to the article were for land administered by the Bureau of Land Management in the canyon country of southern Utah and for alpine land managed by the US Forest Service In both cases environmentalists want to prevent development through wilderness designation by Congress while the agencies and their allies fight to prevent such designation The stakes are highest in the national forests because the Forest Service has in place a strategy toward undeveloped land Under Chief Forester Max Peterson it is engaged in a multibillion-dolla- r effort to push roads through most of the land that is eligible for wilderness designation The battle in Utah is less urgent because demand for oil natural gas uranium oil shale carbon dioxide and metals is weak Lack of wilderness designation in Utah does not mean as for the national forests imminent destruction It does mean however that the land will remain vulnerable The wilderness struggles are part of a larger situation The fight over the plan for National Forest in the Bridger-Teto- n Northwest Wyoming is not about wilderness Environmentalists and others are fighting to limit oil and gas exploration and large scale timbering the article continues The struggle is to preserve the forest for recreation and for all small-scal- e loggers ranchers guides and is the outfitters The Bridger-Teto- n most prominent example of the West’s struggle over the way the Forest Service has chosen to implement the National Forest Management Act It is easy to see the West as federally-controlled A newly visible struggle over access to public land illustrates the role private land plays in this area Throughout the region continues the article hunters hikers and environmentalists are furious over their inability to reach public land because of closed roads Wyoming’s Elk Mountain access fight has received the most publicity Private landowners there have charged hunters high fees for access to public land More generally it is believed that as much as half of the BLM land in the West has access problems Some land owners are profiting from their control of access others have used political pull with county commissioners or with the federal agencies to close roads and block off former public access Some landowners say they are acting as conservationists in protecting land from hunting in excess or other ravages Some say for example that they are fighting to prevent the kind of management the Forest Service performs with chain saws and bulldozers The intertwining of public and private resources in the West can create extraordinary situations A gigantic elk herd spends summers in Yellowstone National Park and winters in Idaho Its migratory path crosses land owned by farmers who want to Road built see the across BLM land in Idaho Because the road would invade the winter range of the elk herd local officials refused permission In retaliation some landowners threatened to build fences to block the herd’s migration Once the herd is destroyed there will be no reason not to build the roads The access fight is becoming more visible because of the plight of many owners of private rural land The decline in agriculture has caused many of them to seek additional sources of income or to sell out Landowners who control access to adjacent public land can profit from hunting fees or enhance the value of the private part bloc they have of the public-privat- e assembled The general decline in agriculture in the West's other traditional economics — oil and gas logging coal and copper — will have its largest effect if it changes the West’s agricultural base The Rockies are characculture resting terized by small-tow- n on an economy dominated by agriculand proture resource-extractio- n cessing That culture has been mostly hostile to preservation of land Mr Marston continues in his article With notable exceptions those who have tried to preserve land in the rural West have been outsiders who have influenced land use through purchase (the Rockefellers are an example) or through national legislation setting up parks wilderness areas and wildlife refuges Almost always these laws traded off preservation in one place against development in another with local interest demanding development and outside interests seeking preservation four-wheele- Egin-Ham- farm-to-mark- et In 1984 Imagine Reagan’s Cabinet Baby-Sittin- Washington g King Features Syndicate “OK the way I see it is that we’ve got to have him say something about the cherry tree business Let’s get it out and get it behind him" “I say we stonewall He doesn’t mention the cherry tree At all Ever Sooner or later his old man is going to forget about it” "Josiah the cherry tree is lying there on the ground George’s old man could come home any night and trip on it Right George? George? George could you please pay a little attention? We’re trying to help you George” “And you're doing a great job This is the greatest collection of colonies in the history of the world because of people just like you: the Carolina planter developing great plantations with very little attrition in the slave supply the Massachusetts entrepreneur snookering the Indians out of most of New England the learned speechwriters and colonial right here trying to help a young boy such as myself get by this little mix-u- p with the cherry — ” “Fine George Great stuff As I was saying gentlemen let’s play to George’s strength: he tells a fantastic story Look how he put across that business about throwing a silver dollar across the Rappahannock” “I’ll admit he was terrific with that one — the way he looked right straight at that crowd down at the feed store and said ‘I threw a silver dollar across the Rappahannock and if we get the king’s tax collectors off our backs everyone can throw a silver dollar across the Rappahannock and soon the deficit will simply disapts pear’” “You mean I didn’t really throw a silver dollar across the Rappahannock?” “Of course you did George Great toss guy!” "Sure you did George You were marvelous George maybe you could just go back to staring out the window for a while until we’ve worked this thing out” “Look George’s old man isn’t going to fall again for that song and dance about the orchard being attacked by a pack of mad beavers” “Actually I thought George carried that off pretty well It was certainly better than the time the old man demanded to know what happened to a cherry tree and George said ‘What cherry tree?’” “You mean I've chopped down cherry trees before?” "Oh no George I don’t know what gave you that idea” “No indeed George You’re a fine citizen” “Yes citizens all: the Pennsylvania forge-ownimporting fine little bond servants from English debtors’ Calvin Trillin prisons the Connecticut land specu” lator “That’s great George But why don’t you just hold on there for a minute and we’ll let you know when we get this thing sorted out” “I still say we have George walk right up to his father say ‘I chopped down the cherry tree’ ask the old guy’s forgiveness and then try to get on with his legendary childhood Maybe we can set up an opportunity with George pretending to fling a silver dollar across the Rappahannock” “No I say we go back to the story we had at the start: mistakes were made and the kid down the road made them” "That story’s got problems Jede-dia- h First off the kid down the road doesn’t have an ax Also the kid down the road happens to be a slave and happens to belong to George even if George does have a little trouble remembering his name” "Well then George tells the old man that he’s going to get to the bottom of this as soon as he remembers the kid down the road's name” “Or maybe he says ‘Father I know we share the goal of fine cherries and I took the risk that chopping down the tree would help us attain that goal and I’d take such a risk again except that we don’t have any cherry trees left’” “No No George should take the responsibility because the old man already knows that George is in charge of the orchard — and that way he won’t get the blame because the old man also knows that George probably can’t tell a cherry tree from a large pile of crab grass” “He should just say 'I chopped down the cherry tree and I ask you to trust me anyway because I have never chopped down a cherry tree before and also I once threw a silver dollar across the Rappahannock’” “No no no no no You never use the first person in these things and you never use the active voice If George has to say anything he should say ‘Father I cannot tell a lie: A cherry tree was chopped down’” yes those are the people who have made these colonies great: the thinning out Virginia cherry-growe- r his orchards the New England whal” er courageously killing off “I still say we stonewall” Dick West 4Ronbo: The Movie’ United Press International WASHINGTON Give some thought to casting a new movie about the Reagan administration if leaks regarding Iran get any worse We all know the part that leaks played in bringing down President Nixon and who starred in the motion picture version of Watergate But a different set of actors probably would a be needed for a film based on leaks As Robert Orben a former White House speechwriter has pointed out the image of the hero has changed so much in today’s movies “Peter Lorre would be a leading man” I can't argue with that observation but I do quarrel with a poll that showed Rodney Dangerfield as the choice to play Secretary of State George Shultz Bert Lahr who first gained fame in "The Wizard of Oz” would have been my choice And what about the survey’s casting of Burt Lancaster in the part of President Reagan? Shucks not even Ronald Reagan could play that part Taking my cue from Orben I could - Iran-Contr- actress who could do jus- tice to the first lady’s part Not High on Bagley of Jan 16 on the editorial page which portrayed a Conrail engineer smoking what appears to be a joint is a cheap shot and absolutely indefensible The fact the Conrail engineer involved in the Jan 4 collision with an Amtrak train tested positive to traces of cannabinoids in his system is incidental to the accident itself and may eventually prove to be of no consequence whatsoever To even suggest this engineer was smoking marijuana at work is a personal affront to every railroad operating employee in the United States Thousands of freight and passenger trains are operated safely and uneventfully every day in this country and to comically capitalize on an isolated tragic accident smacks of tabloid journalism ral program that has proved quite successful on the Union Pacific Employee referral committees system-wid- e report almost complete cessation of occasional drug and alcohol use by employees while a reduced accident rate complements this picture of success Bagley’s portrayal of a railroad operating employee in an explosively compromising situation is unfair and unwarranted JB MILSTEAD III Member Local 1336 United Transportation Union Forum Rules 84110 Give Us a Break I feel people who send their children to private school should be given some kind of a tax break They are helping the public schools out by paying the extra expense to send their children to private school Therefore they are paying double to educate their children The problem with the funding of public education could be solved if the public schools started charging tuition or people paid an individual tax according to the number of children attending school CHRISTINE COLLINGS Magna Impeach Reagan As we approach the 200th anniversary of the US Constitution it is well to remember a major feature that has made it so enduring is the separation of power into legislative executive and judicial branches of government with the resulting checks and balances Now in the arms affair Iran-Cont- — it may be possible to dismiss the whole problem by making a few colo- nels the scapegoats but it should be obvious to all that the will if not the provable authorization to defy congressional law goes all the way to the top In the interest of preserving tripartite democracy from a president who shows ample disrespect for national and international law in Central America and elsewhere and a great disposition toward military domination it is none too soon to start con- sidering impeachment It might also be well for current mqgressftnzd committees its view of how many military and CIA employees seem to place presidential priorities above the law to review military training procedures carefully to make sure our armed services can be counted on to defend the Constitution and a government of law rather than a lawless commander-in-chie- f REV ARTHUR TALBERT I don’t think we solve most of our problems by just “throwing money at them” We must insist on administrative and other efficiencies But some state programs just must be more generously funded Education is one of them We have one of the most effective education systems in the nation We must maintain that quality We must increase the individual income tax sales tax gasoline tax and some of the excise taxes The soda-po- p tax and dispenser tax would cost more to administer than they would raise and would be more a nuisance than a source of funds Property taxes may already be too high This proposal if enacted would cost me a few hundred dollars So be it REX G PLOWMAN Lewiston Bombs Away! For the past the Soviets have observed a unilateral nuclear testing moratorium Meanwhile the United States conducted 24 announced underground nuclear tests at the Nevada Test Site This demonstrates President Reagan’s insistence on holocaust The Soviets who have urged the Reagan administration to stop testing announced Dec 18 they would end their moratorium with the first US nuclear test of 1987 The first nuclear test of 1987 was detonated Feb 3 is schedule for Feb 5 at the Nevada Test Site 60 miles northwest of Las Vegas Only 90 Utahns have been arrested at the site The indifference of Americans is frightening LESLIE ROBISON Midvale lf Why Are We Giving Away Our Nationally Advertised STRRFkRE sv3£ LASER BEfifTT Electronic Target Game for only $10 of a nationwide publicity campaign one of g America’s most publicized marketers of toys will give away its exciting electronic target game — our CHALnationally advertised STARFIRE LASER-BEALENGE — for the astonishing publicity price of only $ 0 to every person who writes to the company address (below) before Midnight February 25 1987 This original publicity ad must accompany your request Copies or photostats are not accepted As part best-sellin- 1 These are our one and only nationally advertised STAR-FIR- E LASER-BEAGames — the same ones currently being nationally advertised by us in leading media all over America Electronic laser target games of every kind have and most f5 become one of the fastest-sellin- g expensive new luxury toys of the year If you've ever shopped for them you know how expensive they can be Yet during this pub-i- L P licity campaign we will y give you one for only $10 plus shipping There is no further obligation Full electronic synchronization in every set All guns and targets are electronically synchronized The Laser Gun is master switched and power-grade- d to run on an ordinary 9V flashlight battery (not included) About the size of a 357 Magnum it is precision tooled entirely in matte black except for its safety-re- d trigger Meticulously detailed and beautifully balanced it is a sheer joy to hold and heft All targets have built-i- n laser beam sensors — simply clip one on your opponent and fire away! Every hit on the target is electronically registered —and instantly sounded by a piercing sonic alarm ar leopard You’ll quickly develop the eye of a hawk and the trigger-fingof a gunfighter er A perfect game for runners golfers tennis players and weight trainers laser target games are becoming a “cult” sport among executives and computer buffs all over America In fact they may be the first toys in history that are buying faster than children! grown-up- s CHALLENGE is Although STARFIRE LASER-BEAfastest the be and to most selling expected profitable electronic toy ever sold by this major New York firm you can buy one for a song—just $10— during this special publicity campaign ar Our nationally advertised STARFIRE LASER-BEACHALLENGE will not be sold at this — or any — price by the company in any store There is a limit of two (2) sets per address at this price but if your request is made early enough (Feb 17) you may order up to five (The more sets you have the more people can play at once! Each set is covered by the company’s full one-yemoney-bac- k guarantee TO ORDER: Mail this original publicity ad (no copies or photostats) together with your name and address and $10 for each set Add $2 shippingoreacTi set (New York residents add sales tax) Allow up to 8 weeks for shipment Make check payable to ADV Ltd Mail to: ADV LASER-BEABox 256 CHALLENGE Dept 632-16- 2 Jericho New York 11753 (D46420) 6-- high-visibili- ty Think quick! Move Mae West ra All 9 1987 Willing to Pay Public Forum letters must be submitted exclusively to The Tribune and bear writer’s full name signature and addAss Names must be printed on political letters but may be withheld for good reason on others Writers are limited to one letter every 10 days Preference will be given to short typewritten (double spaced) letters permitting use of the writer’s true name All letters are subject to condensation Mail to the Public Forum The Salt Lake Tribune PO Box 867 Salt Lake City Utah y cast Boris Karloff in the role As for Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger the survey is strangely silent However if I were in Hollywood I would hire Mickey Rooney for that part For the role of Attorney General Edwin Meese I would have contracted Sidney Greenstreet based on his performance in “The Maltese Falcon” I realize poll participants envisioned Ed McMahon as Meese but it would be worth the price of admission just to hear Greenstreet as attorney general chuckle over some of the leaks That brings us to Nancy Reagan Although Jane Wyman who once was married to Reagan received the majority of votes in the poll I can think of only one Southern Utah zx3£cnV? State College before the 6 percent cut the college equipment budget would have to be increased by 124 percent to equal the average budget of 12 comparable four-yea- r colleges selected by the Regents The SUSC library budget is 44 percent behind the average library budget and SUSC faculty salaries are 22 percent behind the average faculty salaries of these 12 institutions Yet in spite of these funding inadequacies SUSC increased in enrollment by 10 percent the same year its budget was cut by 6 percent I recognize a quality educational system represents one of the few competitive advantages Utahns enjoy and is critical to provide education for employees and to create new businesses and industries resulting from basic research and technology Thus while Utahns have sacrificed and dedicated themselves to support quality education for cultural religious and other philosophical reasons we now have another purpose — our economic survival and continued growth I pledge my support to legislators and ask them to vote in support of increasing my taxes at least to the level advocated by Gov Bangerter’s proposal TERRY D ALGER Provost SUSC Cedar City Pat Bagley’s cartoon the United Transportation Union and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in cooperation with the Union Pacific Railroad pioneered Operation Red Block an innovative employee drug and alcohol refer- February Monday fast! Shoot first! Welcome to the elite sport of the 2 st century! Trying to tag your opponent’s target with a narrow beam of light travelling at 186000 miles per second is not child’s play! It’s a stimulating physical and mental workout designed to make you think like a fox and pounce liVe a 1 The role of the sodden reporter drenched by all these leaks I would fill with Humphrey Bogart OK So some of these actors are dead Some administration officials aren't all that lively either i ytLSMU J4k? )V J l?tm Shimo lnu Wcslhun Each set includes one Startire Laser Beam Gun and one Starlire Laser-Bea- Sensor |