Show Serving Utah’s Great Pahvant Valley Della Utah $15 00 in out ol county-- months S8 00 and $9 00 (In Advance) V Vol IM‘S Copy 25c 76 No 23 Dir 12 1985 Great Basin park debate rages Snake Valley rancher claims Utah professor wants park to educate the world Now is the time to create a Great Basin National Park says Robert S Waite a University Of Utah research professor who has been pushing the idea for nearly 20 years Waite who teaches geography and leads outdoor tours through the U’s Divison of Continuing t ducat ion first proposed establishing the park as part of his doctoral disseratation He thinks the time is ripe to rivive the notion In previous forms the park has been proposed m 1924 and 1955 The first bill was successfully opposed by mining interests The second died in the House after passing the Senate in 1962 In its latest manifestation a 174 (XX) acre Great Basin Park was approved by voice vote of the House National Paiks Subcommittee on Oct 31 In the past said Waite local people didn't realize what great tourist potential the park posed “They’ve got a tiger by the tail” The latest proposal is Waite's who often works until 2:30 or 3:00 am on the project writing letters drafting talks gathenng information Bv the time he received his PhD from UCLA he was so fired up about a Gieat Basin Park that he wrote 032 pages on the subject Today he’s just as excited about the park Designed to interpiet the deserets and mountains of the Great Basin it would cover 124000 acres and would be about 25 miles long and 15 miles wide near the border But that could be expanded or reduced as the political give and take requires Waite According to park themes would focus on geography geology climatic conditions anthropology hydrology biology archaeology and history of the Great Basin The region covers western Utah most of Nevada and parts of Oregon Wyoming Idaho and California That extensive area as large as the country of France has no national Waite wants Americans to park understand the scenic grandeur and scientific values of the Great Basin region “so people won't think it’s only sagebrush and rattlesnakes" The proposed park boasts famous caves a glacier the Lexington Arch a span 120 feet lang and 75 feet high the largest limstone span inthe world a waterfall abundant wildlife cluding deer and cougar six moutam lakes streams that have the rare Lake Bonneville cutthroat trout breathtaing bnstlecone scenery and pines the world’s oldest living trees At the top of Wheeler Peak a rock cairn and inscribed stones mark the site of an 1882 heliograph signal station In the heliograph network Morse Code messages would be flashed across the country by large reflecting mirrors Somebody broke the rock with the inscription on it about the station The vandals scattered the pieces around the base of a rock glacier on the mountain Waite and some friends collectd the pieces and reassembled them In Mount Washington’s Big Wash where white granite walls rise above the virgin stands of ponderosa pine “I almost fell on my knees it was so beautiful” The canyon looks like a “little Yosemite" he said Baker Creek Canyon has 21 caves some of them among the country's most beautifully decorated grottos The continual dripping of water allows stalacites to grow at about one inch per century he said Me has visited a ranch house where a box on the front porch contained broken rs stalacities and vandalized from caves in the area Establishing a national park would help preserve the wildlife scenery and cave formations Waite said Only one square mile of the proposed park is alieady under National Park chman Caves naService protection: tional Monument The park would also take in a third of Humboldt National orst a mountain range Just 2(X) miles from Salt I ake City immediately west of Delta in the southern pan of the Snake Moutain Range this would be Nevada’s first national park “Most visitor trail ic comes from Utah not Nevada" he said “This is closer to Salt I ake City than any of our five national parks in the stae It’s definitely geared to the Wasatch T ront” rom the top of Wheeler Peak the highest of the six major peaks and the a centerpiece of the park proposal hiker can see Utah Lake and Provo he said Waite climbed Ml Washington one night by the light of a full moon scaling the massive white limestone cliffs and stands of ancient seeing bristlecones “It was the most fantastic experience I've ever had to see those great tiees in the moonlight" he said A main put pose ol the park would be to tell he story of the bnstlecone Dr Donald R Currey of the I of Utah dated a bristleeone from above Lehman Bristlecone Ridge Creek in 1964 He counted 4900 tree rings About every century one of these great trees will fail to add a ring or add only a fragmentary ring "So we estimate the age of that tree is probably 5200 years and its in a grove with even older trees It's truly amazing" Waite said Currey said “ It s true that there are lots of old bristlecone pines there not only on Bristlecone Ridge but elsewhere in the range The 4900 years is a minimum" That sample was taken about three feet above the ground and the tree must have needed years to grow that high Wheeler Peak has the most ancient trees according to Waite “There are no trees older anywhere else in the world" But people cut dow n these old trees Some collect and haul off dead bristlecone wood and sell it Waite knows of a man who was using a pickup truck “bundling all this wood away for lirevvood" Because of the natural preservative m the wood branches and trunks ol dead bristlecones date back to the Ice Ge "There is wood in there that's be 8(XX) probably 69X) or years old" The bristlecones alone are “reason enough for making this a national park" Waite said "But you get all that beaut it ul scenery with it" Plants and animals or six distinct life zones live in the proposed park reaching from the desert at the base of the mountains through ponderosa fir Lngleman spruce and pine Douglas bristlecone forests to Alpine meadows tundra and rocky mountaintops "That would be comparable to going from here to the North Pole" Wane said Presently 35 (XX) to 40fXX) people visit I ehman Caves National Monument every year The monument would be incorporated into the park A Great Basin Park would vastly crease visits to the region he believes Waite thinks 250 (XX) people would e drawn to it every year "That would bring in about S20 million to S30 million per year to help the economy ot Nevada and western I tah" he said Fillmore merchants offering The illmore Area (hamber ot ommercc is sponsoring a huge “Shop Home and Save" campaign this year In years past the chamber has sponsored drawings but this sear's will be bigger and better than ever “The illmore Area ( hamber ot C ommcrce is offering two grand prizes this year" said chamber President Duane Maycock The grand prizes at avvav imue spues dition at business lieie is moic than one lensoti to oppose a Gieat Basin National Paik at W heelei Peak claims a in Nevada allev ranchei whose Snake lamily business may be threatened bv the paik development Owen Guilder opetates out ol Utah just this side ot the bordei rom W heelei Peak and the Humboldt National orest on the Snake Range which is the focus of an effott to establish Nevada's fust national paik Though there are several ranchers in the area Guilder runs he most cattle on the east side of the range If the propaik were posed 272 created it would encompass his entile a summer grazing business that has gone through live genet at ions of (winders and one in which Owen hopes to pass onto two sons Sponsors ot the paik proposal sav Guilds’! 's teais aie groundless because unlike otliei national paiks this one will allow “grazing at the level it cm rent ly exists” senior staff member lor Rep whose Bruce Nento to the Nevada Wilderness Bill brought the park poposal to light said that (he Congressional in October can only stale that the ptoposal Secretary of Interior "may permit" grazing but that it is the clear intent ol the Parks and Recreation Subcommittee that he do so "In our report we stated that rather than a distraction to the park grazing should be considered a theme of the park as part of the aiea's overall history and develostall pment" said a subcommittee member who asked to remain anonymous But Gonder fears that even it the park proposal allowed grazing it would likely be so restricted that cattle running would be economically unfeasible “One thing we expect is that they won't allow any improvements oi watci development That would be a setback lor us Each generation ol our familv has improved the operation so that was a little better when it was handed on 1 hey may let us continue to giazi but unless we can work it to our advan tage it may become unfeasible operate" Mr Gonder said Other restrictions possible undi park grazing permits might be limit' oi access and transportation and u quirenients prohibiting cattle runnii m specilic areas “All of this wouM amount to increased labor costs and could put us out of business" tli Snake Valley rancher said Beyond the question ol Ins ow economic survival Gonder said tha: would oppose the park any wav “1 S whole park idea defeats one ol it niai purposes which is to preserve resource If they develop it so that Inn dreds c'l thousands of people come thev will destroy the wilderness" said notes that ascoiding (ninder Nevada otest Service olticials two the principle creeks on the moimti Baker and ehman are alreadv be” used at maximum capacity II it came to a choice of wild or park designate ( Hinder said he cither area reside perter wilderness "W ildetness des’e” lion wouldn't destrov what vom ”v to pi cserve Hunt mg and lisli oo could continue as well as gran ' then all the things par ptopom want to preserve would be id' natural state" he said T shop at home bv the ( hamber of ( om are two one minute shopping Duane’s ood Town In ad a gieai mans other prizes will be given awav at the ( hamber's drawing bv the various illmore merchants ticket toi the drawing is being given awav with cadi SI0 purchase made at most ol the retail merchants stores lor a list ot participating given park could put him out of merchants please see the ( hatinv ' like-add elsewhere in this paper be given away until Dec 21 tlu the draw mg All a customer has to is sign his or her name to the baA the ticket and place it in a iickd b" available in the store where thev re " their ticket The drawing will be held p on Saturdav Dec 21 m the do' vje dollar senior housing project slated lor completion next ear Construction is by Valley Builders of (iiinnison Utah Million f Delta senior housing project under construction he new West M liulSr llousinc I’loicct makne' cal pioeic" at a Delta site noiili ot ’he Wist Millaul with con aie ( entei told u pit a s'liktion well m'o o second month aid a lonnal ”io ndbicak me Lot eel bv the Hospital Distiid and Boaul and then assumed bv the hllnd ountv Housing Disti id Board due 'o tinkling technicalities tie million dollai low income scmoi liousme protect is heme built bv allev tah Bmldcis ol Gunnison It Ici'lh lute io n a aie headed tic development ol 'Lc spe sciioi housing idea and sewned the to loan Home Adinimstiation atmus lund the pioted at no cost to the we I! 's'” M la d h oi no u: "h 'lie ulhoinv oopckinon cst Milluid Hospnui Don d B utd hosted the cciemonics The pi o cc wo mitiallv conceived t V'J laxpavei he silicic stoiv 2' unit piitmenl complex will scive a need Ioi low in come sen lot housing that has become mote and more critical ill Millaul Dell cooidmutoi ( said (ountv 'hbv he a pu incuts pi ov id i on lot st and 'niiritv m cimgrignie living with the cot vemcikc ol most semecs and personal needs being within walking distance ol the apattmeni' i ’icr -- rm 2- I thi- Senior Apartment's groundbreaking last week were former County ( ommissioner current (ountx (ommissioner Warren Jensen hospital board members Leigh Mayfield Mel Scoyy Dell Ashby Gloria Walker June Reid Nell ( Blister Delta Mayor Grant Nielson Gordon Nielson Quinn Shepard Ned Church and Roy Olpin Af County fund declines while mill levy goes up wo The Millaul t ouo'v presented to 'Ik public luc'div r a public hearing wheu putticipuno wi'i' d tu: ' the (iciicial ed that while decline bv U M pocen m lu'(' take a 4(l percent itkteoc r levy tii scciue the ii'iimi' iucdi cover the expenses That lew increase will amo m about 4 mills oi an mcKoc ot s mills m 19s to 'omcwlce nulls tor I9S6 to meet he p oroS3 '21 (131 l9Vs hack'd Millard ( ountv ( omni'ioi man Mike St let plained the a lew o needed to make up 'o’ d "'caviia' ( mgcounivicvenies pcnod between the endinc o’ i'I linn at IPP and I9M when ll’t’ m lieu taxes ’o ko begin pa n districts m the counts oniim"' Stvler said TUI’ cor lie decline in means the counts o not cd e 'a o No and use taxes it did hen I’l’ w on me corner ot Mam ml streets 3 on or a member ot vo o u mediate" tamilv must K pic'd e ’N drawing to wir In addition to the ( ban he N p hi mg many ot the meridian1' holdi their own d'awu vs or ins cc Dave's Sales A Si o ottering a microwave ever ami a oi sion set as grand prizes in e o o hu ekeb'k i ut kisii ui p’uent to build and II but mg to the tailors ioi om 'v icvc’ics is the ptras o 'edera1 c' mk sharing pio m O’c Adnumstra Rear r lc o ( ommissionci o d” e Delta looking for volunteer firemen Ik lc b a olui mem is lookmc tor a k d omen to ill 'cv the tou Ik Ik pa cood men rul poo 'ions on c m uci noted the budget or st else ' I' a pose o” and 'ha' ill tad the budge' could well be f mined lain and d i' "hen the uil nature ot the hudm ' Giown "We cime up with on onset value estimate a so 'ha' we would no' be 'or e could wdl be iiiiilc be sikt l i wi "loner S’vlci said that whin ll’l’ bn pawns taxes n ldss iN ' Oiilcl see a eencrous bcnelit to o ' Where one nub ax ’nation lai''s a' on' (6i) (Xxi now when IPP c'ai's poire taxes one mill will iri'c sa x'oood" he d Ilk d a ii lor ‘o' d aw i”e values an K obtained lllmo'i 'his ( hri'tmas loa: cor'i't are easier plan to do vou' t hristmas e a' home ‘x usv a" 'osphen o! so own honu xopooial 'em! s' d ' i” o k ' 'hoppr cel' tow a n a m a depr 'lk n a oss or ( n uspoild to I’tkUk’ cks iked peop e " ho will ed m and larn how to operre 'he equipment a’ld be read' 'oicspoikl BrVii’sIld The Del’d i’i Dipwtmcnt iirren' is opetr me wrh iuw equip'’int a ot the it 't’h’er s is issued si'e o dk Hall ”W tv o equipment Special deadlines 'special ( hriinnli' Progress deadline' weeks m been sc tor the last December Due ’o holklav ' tailmc on mid week is ni’ci'ssd'v io have a tmal date' deadline ot ridav December 2d lor the ( h'l'tmas week issue and a final den tie ol ndav December 2' tor 'lie New 3eat's wetk issue hae ’o |