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Show THE ZEPHYR/ APRIL-MAY 2004 for wild animals (like cougars, deer and elk), itis a hunt of sorts already—a hunt to eliminate the habitat that wild and reclusive animals like cougars need. Conflict is inevitable. New Westerners love to go backpacking and Two Diego. The cougar was promptly tracked down and shot by the authorities because the animal had become “a problem.” No objections were heard by New Westerners this time. Westerners. New Westerners build their homes farther into wildlands, so they can “live amidst Nature,” The Bush Administration has taken unprecedented steps to increase oil and gas but when a bear pinches off the head of a favorite French poodle, retribution is acceptable. development to a small town, they build an oversized home, complain about the lack of amenities and try to change everything. Most Old Westerners actually live the more modest and simple lifestyle that their New West adversaries claim to admire. Their homes are smaller and their cars are older. They recycle their junk (or at least don’t throw it away) and generally do without a lot of luxuries that a New Westerner could never endure. They despise the smug arrogance and urban ways of their new New West neighbors. But if they had more money they would probably live just as extravagantly. to promote. Every new convenience store, every condo development, every golf course, every four star restaurant in a town with a population of 5000, even every ATV rally is an extension of the “amenities economy.” Old Westerners long for the “good old days” of ranching and mining, detest the tourists and the New West image of their towns, but never hesitate to make a buck Westerner advocates insist increased from the “amenities economy” when the opportunity presents itself. Many Old Westerners are millionaires today because land they bought for next to nothing in the 60s or 70s is now worth a fortune. Old Westerners love seismic exploration work. It brings money to the rural economy. But it also leaves a swath of destruction in its path. While restrictions have reduced the amount of damage that seismic work once caused, its effects can still be seen years later. But once the work is done, the land returns to “normal” as far as the habitat goes. Wildlife is most adversely affected by constant human intrusions. The one good aspect of a seismic crew is that when they complete their work, they leave. New Westerners hate seismic exploration. They often hold on-site protests and to some animals, their long-term presence is more offensive than the thumper trucks. The fact that desert bighorns have vanished from the Gemini Bridges area near Moab is not because of the seismic work that environmentalists fought in the early 90s; it’s from recreationists, both motorized and non-motorized, that have driven them into hiding. And, of course, many seismic trails never get a chance to recover because bicyclists and ATVs keep using them. Old Westerners are unlikely to go backpacking or exploring for the sheer pleasure of it. Many of them would think such an effort to be pure folly. Sometimes they seem oblivious to the Beauty that surrounds them. But if they broke down or got stranded in the backcountry, they would probably be able to take care of themselves, because most of them have lived close to the land all their lives. is a nation of self-reliant farmers, craftsmen, hunters, ranchers and artists, then the rich would have little power to dominate others. Neither to serve nor to rule. That was the American Dream.” Despite such sentiments, they still despise him, and they stubbornly refuse to read his books. Most New Westerners love Ed Abbey, even though they despise half of the people Ed honored in the preceding quote. They’ve read all his books and possess cherished signed copies, but understand far less than they realize. OK...my thirty minutes are up...for now. But I’ve barely scratched the contentious surface. As long as Westerners, New and Old, refuse to acknowledge the fruitlessness of their own entrenched and inflexible positions, the West will suffer for our stubbornness. This is not about compromise, it’s about dialogue. Discussion. Ed Abbey once said, “What our perishing republic needs is something different...something entirely different.” He was absolutely right. The system is not working for any of us anymore. I can no longer tell the difference between the ‘good guys’ and the ‘bad guys.’ It’s become a standoff between well-paid lobbyists—each side trying to outspend the other in the quest for Influence and Power. For MAHBU, this is either just the beginning of a new global force akin to the “Alice’s Restaurant Anti-Massacree Movement,” or spit in a pond that never makes a ripple. All! can do is write this stuff... I do not present this alternative way of thinking with a great deal of hope or optimism. The Truth is generally used as a last resort, and surely this is the case here. If these words strike a chord with you, one way or the other, let me know. We invite your comments and criticisms. If you’d like to be a “member,” send me an email c/o The Zephyr. Maybe I'll start printing a Friends of MAHBU list in future issues. Membership is free, although the price one pays for being honest can be dear. I won’t send you a complimentary backpack with your membership. Or a coffee mug. Or ask you to leave MAHBU in your will. And I promise NEVER to offer “MAHBU Adventure Tours.” If that ever happens, you can kill MAHBU Forever. SHED YOUR FEAR Anticipation. Rapid around the corner. Awareness heightened. Where will | enter? How big? My mind is racing. Breathe. Shed my fear. Go! SERENA SUPPLEE PO Box 579, Moab, UT 84532 (435) 259-7630 Fax 259-8284 www.serenasupplee.com THEGLEN CANYON studio appointments 450 SOUTH 900 EAST, SUITE 160 SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH 801.363.4450 INSTITUTE available WWW.GLENCANYON.ORG E production Most Old Westerners hate Ed Abbey, who once said, “ If America could be, once again, New Westerners claim that the uncontrolled growth of the “amenities economy” is out of their hands, that market forces and the whims of American Culture are driving the New West, not them. As one Utah environmentalist said defensively, “It would have happened anyway.” In effect they now refuse to take credit for the extraordinary “success” of the very economy they claimed would save the West. They actually distance themselves from the — continue Oid Most Old Westerners love the owners and major stockholders and corporate heads of oil and gas companies who are mostly rich, arrogant bastards and personal friends of the Vice President. Most field employees of oil and gas companies are hard-working middle-class Old Westerners, trying to keep food on the table. Most New Westerners despise the owners and stockholders and corporate heads, not to mention the vice president. But they also detest the field employees, which is about as wrong-headed as the Old Westerners’ admiration of Dick Cheney. New Westerners long for the simple life and want to move to a small town...but complain about the lack of amenities and want to change evreything. Old Westerners despise the smug arrogance and urban ways of their New West neighbors. But if they had more money, they would probably live just as extravagantly. they on public lands. absolutely necessary to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Many of those same people mock efforts to reduce U.S. dependence through conservation efforts, whichis really stupid. Why would conservatives oppose conservation? Because they’re afraid to be linked with anything remotely supporting an “environmentalist” perspective. New Westerners oppose increased oil and gas exploration and advocate conservation efforts; yet most of them are bigger consumers of natural resources than the people who defend drilling in the public domain. And while they decry the loss of wildlife habitat, the fact is, most wildlife adapts quite well to inanimate objects, including oil wells. It’s constant human intrusions that can critically disrupt their lives. Most New Westerners long for the simple life and want to move to a small town. But they hold the Old Westerners in low esteem and abhor their politics. And when they move “solution” exploring, but many of them, urban dwellers mostly, simply don’t have the skills necessary to survive, if something were to go wrong. As a result, the search and rescue budgets of many rural Western communities have increased astronomically in recent years. Most members of Search & Rescue teams are Old ° mountain bikers were attacked and killed recently by a cougar in wilderness near San PAGEI3 oo |