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Show THE ZEPHYR/OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2007 But no sooner had I called to Herb than the eddy released him into the free current. As he floated downstream, Herb Ringer raised one hand and waved goodbye. The next morning, I felt very good. Bill Benge’s sudden death last October, at only 60, was much harder to accept. He’d been plagued by bad health for decades (though he rarely complained) and had suffered personal losses of his own, including the early death of both his children. Still, last autumn, he was as happy as I’d ever seen him. From the neck up, Bill was at peace with the world; it was his body that failed so badly. When I learned late that Friday night, that he had died of a mas- sive heart attack, it was a shock but not really a surprise. flyer miles?” I told him I really didn’t know. “Well,” he explained. “Find out what it would cost and I'll deduct that from the price of the shed.” “Huh?” T said. “That's only fair,” Ron said. “That was the deal...that you could use your credit card.” I didn’t know whether to hug him or call the mental health authorities. I refused his offer of a discount because his honesty was worth more to me than 2500 frequent flyer miles. He finished the job on schedule. I now have all kinds of empty space in my house that I can fill up with new detritus and finally, I have found, albeit kicking and fighting all the way, one more reason to not give up totally on the human race. IN THIS ISSUE OF THE ZEPHYR VOLUME 19 NUMBER 4 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2007 4...POINTBLANK War & Population By Michael Carter 7...THE BULLETIN BOARD of DOOM FINALLY...SUWA CALLS IT WHAT IT IS: WILDERNE$$ If you are a regular reader of The Zephyr or if you've 8...LOSING SOLITUDE By Martin Murie “Empty Houses” had a chance to read my book, Brave New West, you know But having to adjust to a world without the dry wit and sardonic observations and loyal friendship of my old pal Willie Flocko was almost unbearable. As if to help me along, a few weeks later, I’d swear Bill dropped by in the middle of the night. Bill loved to hang out at Andy Nettle’s Arches Book Company in the mornings. It had become his new hangout—the coffee was strong and the conversation was easy. In my dream, incredibly, this is where I found him. The that I’ve had a long running disagreement with the mainstream environmental community in Utah and elsewhere over the impacts of the “amenities economy” and their responsibility to deal with those impacts. _ The response from my old friends has been bewildering. Over a decade ago, they touted the amenities economy as a solution to the economic woes of the rural west. On the other hand, they've refused to link the exploitation of beauty itself to their quest for a wilderness bill and have steadfastly turned a blind eye to the impacts that eco-tourism creates. Or they insist that they have tried to mitigate these problems but that the “amenities economy” is something bigger than they can deal with. Take your pick. As recently as last year, in High Country News, SUWA‘s executive director Scott Groene explained, “The environmental movement has not advocated for this new economy...We have raised concerns about guidebooks. We have raised concerns about agencies creating user areas that will only draw more use. But the new economy is being driven by forces that are far greater than we are.” I was almost ecstatic. I missed my old friend so much and now, here he was, back at his regular place, sipping a coffee and enjoying the ambience, basking in the warmth of all his friends, even if they couldn't see him. I turned away for a moment, to the large crowd around him, but when I looked at Bill again, he’d changed. It was still Bill, but he was a young man now, maybe 30 and in the peak of health. I said, incredulously, “Bill...is that still you?’ He looked up at me and nodded and said, “It’s what happens.” And then I woke up. According to the KCPW article, “Groene says being eco-friendly isn’t just for activists like SUWA. 16...MYSTERIES of ARCHES NP The Man who saw gold under Salt Valley...the Dead Man at the Three Gossips..Where is Roger Maki?? It’s also good business.” Well that’s ing user areas heartedly) but opposition to opposed them not exactly true. They have protested creatthat expand ATV use (and I agree wholethey duck and cover otherwise. As for their guide books, the staff at SUWA publicly a decade ago. In an article in the Salt Lake Tribune in 1995, Groene even said, “We have not actually over the weekend. And he could do the job for a reasonable price. come out yet and started burning guidebooks, but given our goals of trying to protect the land, we felt we had to adopt this policy to be consistent in our position.” Or, to put it more directly, guidebooks contribute to the destruction of the very thing we are trying to save. Then their board overruled them. Not only did they do a 180 degree turn, SUWA hired one of Utah’s most prolific guidebook writers, Steve Allen, to tour the country on its behalf, with an almost embarrassingly self-promoting slide show called, “Canyoneering Chronicles: The Legend Speaks.” So much for “being consistent in our position.” But now, finally, it appears environmentalists in Utah are ready to embrace the amenities economy publicly and even acknowledge that the money generated by all this madness makes their job easier. According to an August KCPW public radio story, “The Outdoor Industry Foundation says outdoor recreation has an annual economic impact of $6 billion a year in Utah and accounts for 65,000 jobs. That’s making state officials more receptive to conserving wilderness, says Scott Groene of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.” I knew this man must be insane. l asked him if he took credit cards but he was a checks or cash only operation. I explained that I used my credit card almost exclusively so I could collect frequent flyer miles and get free flights to other countries in order to escape this scenic pesthole every winter and Ron could not have tried to be more accommodating. He proposed that I use my card to cover his building materials costs at Home Depot, which for several projects was about equal to the cost of the shed. It sounded like a good idea to me. On the proposed work day, Ron showed up, all of three Outdoor Industry a couple years ago spoke up about the importance of their industry and threatened to pull the [Outdoor Retailer] tradeshow from Salt Lake City, they got the governor's attention. And it changed the debate from one that protecting lands would devastate local economies to not only would they not devastate local economies but there was actually a benefit to protecting lands.” According to the KCPW article, “Groene says being eco-friendly isn’t just for activists like SUWA. It’s also good business.” So what happened? Did my brain invent all this, to help me cope better with the loss? Was it, in both instances, wishful dreaming? Or did my dear friends somehow find a way back, just to let me know everything was okay. What would you prefer to think? RON RICHARDSON.... AN UNUSUALLY HONEST MAN Most of the time, I have to admit, I’m not much 14...THE NINETEEN LIVES of TOM WESSON guy who takes a licking... another...and another... and keeps on ticking By Jim Stiles The and place was full of Bill’s friends, but no one else could see him. He was sitting on the end of a couch and J almost fell over when he looked up at me and smiled. “Bill?” I said, “Is that really you? You're alive?” Bill just nodded. 13...STRANGE TALES of the CANYON COUNTRY... and BEYOND of a cheerleader for the human race; the story that follows this one will attest to that. But every once in a while, my own species pleasantly surprises me. I'd been looking for a shed—one of those pre-fabs—to put in my backyard. My home is overflowing with the detritus of my life...junk that I cannot, nonetheless, seem to part with. I finally called a hardware store in Cortez who directed me to a guy named Ron Richardson. Ron explained that he built sheds on-site and could be over here in a week to do the job. He said he could have it finished minutes late, with a trailer load of materials to build the shed. We called Home Depot and I tried to use my credit card to pay Ron’s bill, but they thought the whole deal sounded odd to them and refused to accept my card. Then things got really weird. Ron says, “How much does it cost to buy 2500 frequent 3 In KCPW’s interview, Groene explained, “When By Jim Stiles 18... A STRANGE OCCURRENCE at THOMPSON SPRINGS By Peter Haney 20...FROM the CRAWLSPACE of HISTORY notes from the desk of Ned Mudd the So finally, we've located the bottom line. In fact, accord- ing to SUWA, the bottom line for wilderness really is...the bottom line. Those “far greater” market forces that Scott complained about just a year ago, are now the same forces he and the environmental community finally embrace. It’s why, with a heavy heart, I spell it “wilderne$$.” 25...HERB RINGER'S AMERICAN WEST The woman who sat under her own horse. 29...UFO HILL! 28...FEEDBACK The Readers Respond |