| OCR Text |
Show SUPA are CAN aa Most of Spanish Valley, once a bucolic, laid-back mish-mash of alfalfa fields, cow pastures, junk cars and funky homes is rapidly vanishing in a sea of condo developments and faux adobe second homes. Who can suggest that Rim Village is more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than the alfalfa field it replaced? x And out of that shift comes a vital question for all environmentalists. When we talk about highest and best use of a piece of land, just what exactly do we mean, particularly when it comes to water and farmland? One morning last summer, a friend and I were discussing the fires sweeping the West. The conversation turned to water and my friend, the owner of a recreation-based company, complained bitterly about the amount of water devoted to agriculture in Colorado. Tex's RIVERWAYS 3-D RIVER VISIONS, "Did you know," he asked bitterly, "that 80% of the water in Colorado is used for Canoe Outfitting . and Rentals Shuttle Service Jetboat Tours INC. DEVIN DEMANDS RETRACTION! agriculture? Yet farming and ranching only constitute 14% of the economy?" (my numbers are estimates--I can't recall the precise figures but that's close) A decade ago, I es have nodded sympathetically and joined the chorus of dissent. But instead I said, "So what "| would like to take this opportunity to repudiate comments made by "So what?" he growled in disbelief. "What are you talking about? You think it's GOOD that farmers use so much water? the cartoonist in OUR ad in the last issue. At NO time have | ever ‘SOILED MY SARONG' due to the excitement of the New Season. "Well what would you prefer?” I answered. "Take the agricultural lands in many of the valleys in Colorado. Would you rather see them save the water for human consumption and encourage 50,000 people to move into the area? If you shut down the farms, surely there will be plenty of water for massive urban expansion.’ "No," he replied. "I don't want that either." "Perhaps there MIGHT have been some ‘BLADDER EVACUATION, ' but NEVER more than a HINT of SOILAGE." THANK YOU. PO Box 67 691 North 500 West Moab, UT 84532 435.259.5101 info@texsriverways.com www.texsriverways.com A 'cow free' West as an end-all solution to resource degradation is foolish and simplistic. Never underestimate the greed of American Entrpreneurialsm. WHY SUBSCRIBE TO THE ZEPHYR? BECAUSE IT’ S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. I shook my head. "Well, it's going to be one or the other. As B. Traven once said, "This is the real world, muchacho, and we are all in it.’ Do you think they'll just let the water flow slowly to the sea? This is America, pal. Somebody's going to make money off that water." So this is a hypothetical question about highest and best use of the land that all environmentalists need to consider. Imagine a 100 acre alfalfa field that requires 100,000 gallons of water a week to produce a healthy crop. But what if a condominium complex of SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ON PAGE 6 300 units could be built on that same 100 acres and the water use by all those new condo residents could be cut by as much as 75%. Would the new construction represent a "higher and better use of the land" because it used less water? It's a question we all need to consider. Istill understand the points made by "cow-free" advocates. I still recognize the damage caused by reckless grazing practices. I know changes need to be made. But at a time where HIGH DESERT GARDENS SUMMER underestimate the greed of American Entrepreneurialism. As to who might be a candidate for a Cloudrock future, the proposal could not be clearer: We will use a highly-targeted approach, planning intimate get-togethers at the homes of our friends and initial clients, as many second home real estate purchasers are often as interested in who their eventual neighbors might be as in the property itself. It really said that. And to add insult to injury to anyone with a net worth less than $10 million, the marketing plan promised that: Johnson’s Up on Top will be marketed as a vacation community for affluent families and individuals. The Moab real estate market does not currently serve this segment well, with most developments targeted to a somewhat lower economic bracket....the lodge and condominium units that will comprise this mesa village will form a dense complex in the 7 Za fe = <a) Ee my ee fa om Sect to return time and time again, finally deciding that this is where they want to build a second or third home...We plan to spend the time, money and creative energy necessary to create a real estate development that will deliver top prices. gee JRA\NY eer eee tion is to create a world- class wilderness destination resort community in the for people who enjoy the beauty and cultural legacy of the region. The centerpiece of this communityIs the Cloudrock Desert Lodge, an intimate luxury wilderness lodge that will set the tone and standard for the entire community...We expect our guests IS HERE! And we'll get you through the HOTTEST weather with the LEAST amount of WATER...AND make your yard and garden BLOOM!!! PENSTEMONS Of all the entrepreneurial efforts that might fall into the “amenities economy” status, nothing is as grandiose as the proposed “Cloudrock Resort Development,” first introduced to Moab citizens four years ago, after months of secret negotiations by the developer, the State Institutional Trust Lands Administration and local elected officials. Cloudrock, as originally proposed and to be built on a mesa south of Moab called Johnson’s Up on Top, called for three luxury lodges with 198 rooms, 50 condos and 75 homesites—lots would start at $600,000. According to the Cloudrock Development Proposal, assembled by the project coordinator Michael Liss and obtained by The Zephyr in 2000, the plan was stunning. It reported: wa 2971 S. HIGHWAY 191 (next to the 435.259.4531 era spirit of the Italian hill towns like Siena and San Gimignano...The Phase Ill condominiums will be builtin the spirit of the Anasazi Cliff Dwellings of Mesa Verde. Nena continued on next page... S400 )00, Se: | the commodification of beauty, where the "amenities economy” is rapidly creating an entirely new threat to the beauty and solitude and health of the American West, a “cow-free" West as an end-all solution to resource degradation is foolish and simplistic. Never TREES 6 BUSHES Iron) |
