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Show THE ZEPHYR/FEBRUARY-MARCH TWENTY YEARS continued 2009 ever buy you dinner, it’s on me. 2004: KEEPING SECRETS From June/July 2004: Trying to keep a secret is almost impossible these days, but rancher Waldo Wilcox kept a good one for half a century. Last month, when his secret was finally revealed, it became the second biggest global online news story of the day. Since 1951, Mr. Wilcox has protected one of the most remarkable archaeological treasures more deceptive, but it’s still the same arrogant world view that America cast upon this - continent so many years ago. George Bush can’t imagine a soul on Earth who wouldn't want the same wealth of material benefits that Americans appreciate each day. Bush sees another society without the huge infrastructure of America and he sees “squalor.” He observes a nation without interstate freeways and he sees “poverty.” It is not his choice, or his government's, to impose American affluence on the rest of the world population. A global growth economy requires an ever-expanding access to the earth’s natural resources (including but not limited to oil), an expanding affluent population to buy the products made from those resources, and a docile and easily manipulated Third World population to produce those products at a price the rest of us can afford. Beyond the rhetoric, beyond the 21st Century fears of terrorism and instability, beyond the heroic calls to “free” the oppressed peoples of the world, the United States’ unstated desire to fulfill its manifest destiny on a global level cannot be ignored. This, more than any other motive, is the power and the inspiration behind our government's world strategy. Whether they think it’s “for their own good,” only makes that strategy more disturbing. ever found in the American Southwest— —the Wetherills would have been impressed. He protected them simply by not telling anyone. Like Wilcox said, “The less people who know about this, the better.” Strung along 12 miles of a mountain creek, deep in the rugged Book Cliffs of southern Utah, is a series of prehistoric Native American villages that have remained untouched and virtuallly unseen by anyone for a thousand years but Wilcox and his close friends and family. : Iam convinced that, for very un-selfish reasons, rancher Waldo Wilcox protected this - priceless treasure for half a century. For those who will argue that he did it for the money, remember that he sold his land for less than.$600 an acre—not exactly ranchette prices. Also consider how many government bureaucrats, at how great an expense, and with what degree of success will be required to perform the job he did alone. ~ To all of you reading this...please...take comfort that the Book Cliff sites are there and forget about it. Just leave it alone. Do it for the Fremont and do it for Waldo. 2005: GREENING April/May 2004...THE AMAZING JENNIFER SPEERS ~ Over the years I have made disparaging comments about wealthy people. IfI recall, Icalled some of them “rich weasels.” Repeatedly. I’ve even been annoyed by the “benevolent rich weasels” who try to assuage their consciences by making large donations to their favorite environmental group while simultaneously building obscenely extravagant, absurdly consumptive dwellings OF WILDERNESS and other stuff News from the Future: THE BATTLE OVER UTAH WILDERNESS CONTINUES....April 2025 — — — — ears, and some wonder if this impasse will ever ie overcome. But Scott Groene, for themselves, longtime director of the hoping for recognition in Architectural Digest and Sierra magazine, all at the same time. And consid- | oday at a sparsely attended press conference, that ering the compromised, money-hungry attitude of UWA and the Utah Wilderness Coalition were on outhern most.enviro groups these days, such dual recognition is not beyond the realm of possibility. Then along comes Speers. I’ve never met this woman, but I will, right here, right now, get down on my knees and grovel for forgiveness. I will lash myself with wet leather straps. I will allow you to bury me in sand, pour “That is mostly true,” Groene said guardedly, “but we are going to allow some cherry stemming _ of Temple Square sidewalks and we are fairly certain the Temple itself does not have all the compo- lots. Then he built a $600,000 home on the banks of the Colorado River to, I would guess, prime the ents for wilderness....we just don’t think there’s nough solitude in the Celestial Room.” real estate pump. But nobody was interested. The Meanwhile, anti-wilderness advocate Brian Hawthorne, former director of AccessUSA and the languished for the last few years, until Jennifer Speers came along. She bought all the eader of the Blue Ribbon Panel for Open Access ofered his organization’s own proposal at a similarly ear-empty press conference in Cedar City. “Our people have been out there on their ATVs and we've gone up one side of the state and down lots, the whole damn subdivision. And then... She tore down the house. . Ms. Speers sent in contractors to salvage what and reused-doors, windows, is more ludes Temple Square in its wilderness inventory. Adjacent to the bridge itself is (was) the Dewy Bridge subdivision. A developer bought the river frontage land several years ago, put in a road and services, and carved up the acreage into expensive removed | the huge wooden beams—anything that could bere- _ cycled. Then she had a bulldozer knock the adobe _ walls down and.cleared the premises of any debris. the other, and we've been able to locate 317 acres of There is not even a hint that a monstrous, out-of-place abode mansion, just across the river from a public campground, ever existed. I hope that Jennifer Speers becomes a role model for other wealthy people. Even if she owns other large homes elsewhere, this is precedent-setting. If all rich people would tear down just ONE of their mansions, I will sing their praises.as well. And to Ms. Speers, even though by all rights you should pick up the check, if I can real wilderness. That’s what our inventory says.” Hawthorne identified the inaccessible pinnacles of numerous rock spires and monuments throughout the state, including several wellknown climbing rocks near Moab, Utah as “possibly having wilderness characteristics ..we couldin’t get our ATVs up them, so they must be wilderness. Otherwise we stand by our count.” g : In the early 1990s, pro- and anti-wilderness forces lined up along respective acreages of 5.4 million acres verstis 1.3 million acres. Today that gap has clearly grown signifi- HUB OF MOAB CYCLERY ‘ <i) & Sees a YY lO a. oe eck MOAB’S FIRST & BEST BIKE SHOP 94 WEST 100 NORTH MOAB, UT 259.5333 rimeyclery.com said ment to this bill. We simply included properties in _ other states that are owned by Utah residents.” Rod Decker, the senior correspondent for KUTV in Salt Lake City asked if it was true that SUWA in- heard Of. be (SUWA) tions, “ I am well aware that the number open space would never be condominiumized. That was good enough, but she didn’t stop there. And this is where we enter the realm of The Un- could Alliance he verge of a major breakthrough by finally offerng a wilderness bill acceptable to Congress. “We believe that after our latest citizens’ inven‘ory, we have a real handle on the wilderness that’s till out there.” Groene told a stunned audience that the invenory reveals more than 86 million acres of available wilderness in Utah. “Yes,” Groene replied to ques- maple syrup on my head and cover me with fire ants. I’m sorry. Here is what Jennifer Speers did. First she bought Proudfoot Bend Ranch, north of Dewey Bridge on SR 128, to assure its cow pastures and “development” Utah Wilderness CALL US TOLL-FREE Stra Peet aes (as laa Roane Mase atcs18 <5 eee Da) A\ MERCHANDISE t i A sc ( ot oY 1a i : |