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Show IYR/ AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2007 ere eK gO) eS Vee aise a fs oS PO BOX 327 MOAB, UTAH 84532 JIM STILES, PUBLISHER 435.260.1273 WWW, CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ken Sleight Martin Murie Ned Mudd Scott Silver Gary Orona THE ARTIST John Depuy HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHS Herb Ringer (1913-1998) ZEPHYR In Utah, the story is the same; our population is Ska to double by 2020. The Utah Rivers Council notes that, “the State of Utah Division of Water Resources plans on meeting future water needs for Utah through a combination of water conservation and development of new water sources.” URC proposed “meeting future water needs by raising the water conservation goal to 30%, a 5% increase Dro} lA SEES A GLOBAL WARMING UPDATE: By most accounts, Al Gore’s “Global Earth” concert was an underwhelming success. While large crowds turned out for the concerts, most of them were there for the mu- sic and understood little of the message that came with it. Outside the USA, the young crowds blinked blandly at Gore’s impassioned message and failed to grasp or even consider his urgency. Many didn’t even know who he was. Rock bands arrived by jet and limo and left the same way. Madonna fake strummed her guitar and then went back to her castle. Worldwide, television audiences were meager at best. According to the BBC, ratings in Britain were abysmal. In the US, the three hour event finished last in the Nielsons. So was it the hypocrisy of the event that turned people off or is it simply a matter of global apathy? I vote the latter. struction. So what is the broader, more long term purpose ‘of conservation? Clearly, it’s not so we can somehow bang this consumptive madness to a halt and get back to our simpler roots. We're conserving in 2007 so that we can help assure the very nightmarish future we fear the most—a nation and a planet so overpopulated as to eventually assure its destruction. PILOT & AERIAL RECONAIGSANCE TRANSPORTATION FLEET SPECIALISTS Gene Schafer Tom Wesson WEBMASTER Gary Henderson spankme2times@excite.com Consider these observations on population by former Senator Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, in a SUBSCRIPTIONS & TRANSCRIPTIONS ‘landmark 1997 essay, _ Linda Vaughan CIRCULATION JA Bryan Lance Lawrence Jose Churampi Mark Anderson THE ZEPHYR, copyright 2007: 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. Life is just a bowl of cherries. Don't take it serious; life's so mysterious. You work, you save, you worry... But you can't take your dough when you £0, go, go. Life is just a bowl of cherries, So live and laugh at it all. What Will Happen Rock bands arrived by jet and limo and left the same way. Madonna fake strummed her guitar and then went back to her castle. to Wildlife Habitat? Population growth has already destroyed half the nation’s wetlands and the major portion of habitat for birds and other animals. There is something wrong with a society which remains complacent while this kind of irrational destruction erodes its life-sustaining resource base. With twice the current population, will there be left any wilderness areas, remote and quiet places, and habitat for songbirds, waterfowl and other wild creatures? Certainly not very much. New Cities, Suburbs, Housing Developments: At the rate of urbanization since 1977, the urbanized area of HERETICAL THOUGHTS _ I've always considered myself a conservationist, but I’m not sure my reasons for conserving have been as lofty or high-minded as the likes of many affluent mainstream environmentalists. I’ve conserved out of necessity more than any politically-driven agenda. I don’t conserve to be hip; I conserve because I can’t afford to do otherwise. I have determined to live modestly and conservatively so I can still _ screw off and be lazy, as is my preference. I live in a small house because it’s easy to maintain..I can vacuum the cat hair in ten minutes. It’s economical to heat in the winter and easy to cool in the summer. I live alone and don’t use much water because I have better things to do than worry about my lawn. I go to the laundromat once a month, whether I need to or not. I flush every third time on average, because I forget to flush the other two times. And no, I don’t put the seat down, which has nothing to do with energy conservation but is.an enlightening aside and a warning to any woman out there who wants to make toilet seat positioning an issue, political or otherwise. Lately I’ve been having some thoughts on conservation, however, that most of you will find shocking, even heretical. Recently I scanned the headlines, searching for con- servation stories and what I discovered was noteworthy. In George Gershwin with other creative ap- proaches such as water reuse and agricultural water transfers as a mnore cost-effective approach to pee future water needs.” So what is the broader, more long term purpose of conservation? Clearly, it’s not so we can somehow bring this consumptive madness to a halt and get back to our simpler roots. And it’s definitely not so we can have more time to goof off. No indeed. According to all these studies and warnings, our duty to conserve is based on the absurd notion that we have some obligation to maintain a future population almost double what it is now. We're conserving in 2007 so that we can help assure the very nightmarish future we fear the most—a nation and a planet so overpopulated as to eventually assure its de- Paul Swanstrom ZEPHYR 638,936 in 2000 to about 1.2 million in 2030 and in 2050.” It determined that massive conservamust be initiated soon, in order to deal with the explosion that is already underway. over the current goal, combined com cezephyr@frontiernet.net moabzephyr@yahoo.com crease from 1.3 million tion efforts population almost every instance, proposed water and energy conservation measures were always linked to future population growth. In Tucson, Arizona, for example, a report noted that, “the population to be served by Tucson Water is projected to in- the United States will double by about 2050 from 155,000 square miles to about 312,000. This is an area larger than Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan combined. If we permit that to happen, what will our country look like and be like? National Parks, National Forests, Wildlife Refuges, BLM Lands and Wilderness Areas: With twice the population, what will happen to the last of our great natural areas which are already experiencing serious degradation from population pressures? The short answer is, they will be gone--rare and special places like our national parks*and national forests will evolve into modified theme parks and Disneylands--the process is already underway. Despite water and energy conservation efforts, population growth will still cause urban, suburban and exurban sprawl. Turning down your sprinklers ultimately only assures more lawns. Cranking down the thermostat only guarantees more air conditioners. Does anyone out there in the environmental community advocate smaller homes? Or fewer gadgets? Of course not. How could they? Environmental groups are funded by some of the most consumptive billionaires on the planet. Take a drive past the Moab hospital to see David Bonderman’s. latest 15000 square foot mansion. Bonderman, one of the most successful corporate raiders in the world, also sits on numerous environmental boards and has been called “the greatest conservationist in America today,” by one of his donor recipients, the Grand Canyon Trust. As sprawl consumes more habitat, what chance does wildlife have by the end of the century, if population |
