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Show gS SES FHE CANYON ae os OR LEAVE a PO BOX 327 MOAB, UTAH 84532 JIM STILES, PUBLISHER 435.259.7773 THE ARTIST John Depuy HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS Herb Ringer (1913-1998) ZEPHYR PILOT & AERIAL RECONAISSANCE Paul Swanstrom TRANSPORTATION FLEET SPECIALISTS Gene Schafer Tom Wesson __ WEBMASTER Gary Henderson. spankme2times@excite.com Kathy Aldous THE ZEPHYR, copyright 2006 Las The Zephyr is published six times a year at Moab, Utah. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of its vendors, advertisers, or even at times, of its publisher. All photographs and cartoons are by the publisher, unless otherwise noted.’ We have been God-like in our planned breeding of our domesticated plants and animals, but we have been rabbit-like in our unplanned breeding of ourselves. Arnold Toynbee ate objectives;” yet the recent construction of Glen Canyon Dam was hailed accomplishment while conserving all our problems in “The Population Challenge”as a great that offered cheap hydro-electric energy water. Technology, it seems, would solve without any sacrifice. Nowhere, except Tees Jump ahead 40 years. All that Udall feared then is happening and this country is no better prepared to deal with the impacts of over-population or over-consumption than it was when Udall’s Department of Interior skirted the is300 MILLION AND COUNTING... sue in 1965.. The Secretary had captured the essence of the According to the Census Bureau, the population ofthe crisis when he said, “Our highest aims can be realized only United States will reach 300 million on October 17: That figure probably fails to include another 10 to 20 million il- if we face squarely the fact that we must have adequate resources if we are to have a quality existence. But now we legal migrants. Does anybody care? Iheard.a story a few years ago, just after a similar press’ must define the word ‘adequate.’ We are beginning to see release announced the world’s population had reached six ~ that it includes purity of surroundings, an opportunity to stretch, a chance for solitude and quiet reflection.” billion. It might have happened in New York or Chicago. Yet many politicians and scientists and even social sciMaybe Detroit. Or L.A. A reporter from the local television entists fail to see the real danger. They believe that populastation was conducting “Man on the Street” interviews, trying to gauge the public’s concern over this very monu- * tion no longer poses a significant threat to our future survival. But is merely “surviving” a noble goal here? Even mental announcement. TIME magazine, in a cover story a few years ago called A man in a suit hurried down the sidewalk. He was “How to Save the World,” quoted demographers who begulping coffee from a paper cup and had a newspaper lieved advances in technology would be able to feed, clothe tucked under his arm-it was turned to the sports page. His and provide water for our future human population. “Exother hand gripped a cell phone as if it were a natural experts” in that article advised it would peak at somewhere tension of his body. The man appeared to be pre-occupied, but the reporter was about to go on the air and needed a between nine and fourteen billion, a number they believed to be completely manageable. sound bite so he stepped onto the sidewalk and asked the man if he’d be willing to talk on camera. The man stopped, hesitated... Even my liberal friends fail to attack Well,” he said uncertainly, a have a¢ meeting in 15 the issue head-on. They talk about inminutes and I need to get to the office...I’m already late. creasing fuel efficiency standards and The traffic on the freeway was awful this morning...bumembracing alternative energy technoloper-to-bumper for more than five miles. How long will it gies, but always with the promise that. take?” these changes would actually expand the The reporter assured him the delay would be momentary. Jose Churampi Mark Anderson ris : The businessman paused, glanced at his watch, and then’ shrugged. “OK. just for'a minute. Will I be on ty to- SUBSCRIPTIONS & TRANSCRIPTIONS. Linda Vaughan & Nicole Whitney | CIRCULATION JA Bryan Lance Lawrence of high-voltage transmission lines.” Udall had railed against the “blind pursuit of immedi- vation” seriously discussed. Udall’s comments ultimately seemed frivolous and meaningless. He precisely identified the oe and then allowed the next 10,000 words to refute him py CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ken Sleight Martin Murie Ned Mudd Barry Scholl Lisa Braddock Scott Silver Lance Christie — Kathleene Parker Danny Rosen. Wendell Berry Erica Walz combined capacity of 1.8 million kilowatts, and 1,200 miles in the title of the yearbook series, was the word “conser- | cozephyr@frontiernet.net moabzephyr@yahoo.com ZEPHYR AN voir capacity of 7.4 million acre feet, 8 powerplants with a COUNTRY economy — it’s a self-defeating goal Even my liberal friends fail to attack the én head night?” othe reporter nodded. “That’s S great. We just have one question and we’d like your impressions.” He checked" with his cameraman to be sure tape was rolling. The cam- on. They talk about increasing fuel efficiency standards and embracing alternative energy technologies, but always “This is Jack Bannion with Action4 News. We're with... What is your name sir?” stuff—becomes. No one talks of trying to live a simpler less eraman waved. The director at the studio cued the reporter through his earpiece. with the promise that these changes would actually expand the economy —it’s a self-defeating goal. The more expansive the economy becomes, combined with an exploding population, the greater the demand for products—for:’ materialistic life. “Bernie Osterholt,” the man said. For a moment consider Moab. What do the more “Thank you, Bernie for stopping to chat with US a e= “progressive” elements of Grand County advocate? They plied the reporter. “NNe're asking citizens this morning — praise the wind energy program, in affiliation with Rocky to respond to last night’s announcement that the world’s ~ Mountain Power; yet Grand County, with its stunning and population has now passed the six billion mark. At the seemingly never ending construction, must be the largest beginning of the 20th Century, planet, earth was occupied consumer of natural resources of any county in SE Utah. by only one billion humans. My question to you is, ‘If They promote recycling, and light ordinances and bike you were to wake up someday and discover there were so paths, but aren’t these just band-aids? Let me ‘put it this many people on Earth that there was no room left to stand, : way, if Grand County could use alternative energy sources what would you do?” like wind and solar that allowed its population to double Bernie blinked at the reporter, “ ..0 many people that ~ or triple, while keeping energy ct at curreritlevthere was no place to stand? ‘That's easy...I’d go back to els, most “progressives” would consider that a success. To me, contemplating a Moab with 30,000 people in 30 years, ora U.S. Population of 500 million by mid-century, The story may be apochryphal. But it does point out or a world population of nine to fourteen billion people by the indifference most of us exhibit when confronted with 2050 is a nightmare. Rats in a box...that’s the future, if we the most critical, devastating crisis to ever face the human don’t address the issue NOW. Numbers that large can be race and the planet upon which we reside. managed, but only if enough force and fear are imposed to Four decades ago, the U.S. Department of the Interior _ keep them under control, and aren’t we already seeing that published and widely distributed a remarkable glossy, fulltoday? In a world of only six billion? And a nation of only color, 80 page booklet called, “The Population Challenge: 300 million? What it means to America.” The periodical was available If there is a personal silver lining to all this, it’s the for one dollar at national parks and monuments across the comfort of knowing I'll be long-gone by 2050. But if you’re country and from the government printing office. Stewart reading this and you're under 35, you should be scared to Udall, then Secretary of the Interior under President Lyndeath. don Johnson, wrote the forward. It can be found in its en- tirety on page 15. (You might want to pause here and read Udall’s words). With great insight and vision, Secretary Udall stated the challenge that awaited us and I fully expected the next 78 pages to honestly and bravely weigh the crisis ahead and to examine the choices we needed to make as we dealt with this ticking time bomb. But visionary thought ended with Udall’s forward. The rest of the publication failed miserably to deal with overpopulation and over-consumption. It failed to offer ways to re-discover the “richness in simplicity” that Udall longed for. Instead it proposed a list of untapped natural resources that could be exploited and used to meet explosive future water and energy needs. In particular, USDI praised the Bureau of Reclamation’s “18 new dams with a total reser- 2 A GENERATION SHIFT AT NATIONAL PARKS? Longtime Zephyr subscriber Hank Ramsey sent me some disturbing information lately. He introduced me to an organization called “Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Units” or CESUs. According to CESU it is, “a network of cooperative research units (that) has been established to provide research, technical assistance, and education to resource and environmental managers...multiple Federal agencies and universities are among the partners in this program. Ecosystem studies involve the biological, physical, social, and cultural sciences needed to address resource issues and interdisciplinary problem solving at multiple scales and in an ecosystem context. Resources encompass natural and cultural resources.” At a joint meeting of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains CESUs in April, the topic was “Tourism Break-Out.” — |