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Show THE ZEPHYR PAGE JULY 89 31 vehicles to get there due to age or Injury, but the majority did not and were perfectly capable of doing It with a bit more sweat and a lot less petro puking machinery. Barry Lopezs exhortations notwithstanding, I dont believe that It Is possible to simply "throttle the Beast. It Is too large and powerful. But maybe we can slowly starve It to death. Every one of us. Every day. Use your own power to transport yourself whenever possible. When vehicular transport Is necessary, use mass transit or car pooL Avoid beverages sold In little two gulp disposable bottles. Demand paper bags In City Market, then recycle them along with everything else possible. Look for food grown without petro-poiso- ns. Starve the Beast while you nourish yourself. Turn lights off, wash In cold water, dry them In the breeze or behind a sunny window. Bore clothes Ready Kilowatt to death. Starve the Beast, that's the only way he can be had. If we are Iterate enough to read and appreciate Edward Abbey, then we are literate enough, to read labels on consumer goods. Hopefully we are literate and committed enough to learn what Impact that the production or use of any such goods might have on the wiki lands we profess to cherish, as well as the quality of Dfe In generaL To whatever degree we are able to limit careless or superfluous consumption In our Ives, we will be helping to stem the tide of environmental degradation everywhere, and reducing the pressures tor development on wilderness lands. Starve the Beast Assert your Independence. Seek out and patronize, life It Is the conscious, creative, positive, giving, life sustaining quality. It to do. is Just as easy and In the long run far more patriotic thing effective than pulling up stakes or writing congressmen. It Is no longer enough tor us to Just sing and talk and write about wilderness and what "they" are doing to It "They" are us too. For me one of Abbeys most endearing traits was his ability to be . In a contrary sort of way; contradicting himself shamelessly, or rants (the heart of his prose) and then dismissing engaging In pages-lo- ng himself as a "macho, blustering fraud". A decade ago I guided a river trip for a group of British Journalists. One of these, a young fellow from London, displayed this same quality In his own way. He was very passionate and eloquent In describing his fascination with wilderness and a wild river, yet In his assessment of himself as a "completely spineless quite matter-of-fa- ct to unable truly enjoy the experience of It (or to stand up to his person, boss). This man, though so unlike Abbey, also left me with some words I shall always treasure Just for their sheer feeling;, a few verses that were his answered to my question "Even If you are afraid of It and may never experience It (wilderness), doesnt It mean something to you In London Just to know that , self-effac- ing It , exists somewhere?", Years later, I became curious as to who the author of these verses was, ' having not asked at the time ! first heard them. Out of the blue, I decided to write Edward Abbey and ask him. I sent him a postcard, not realizing until last Saturdays gathering that I was at the time swelling the already considerable ranks of Abbey postcard pen-pal-s. Terry Tempest Williams, Wendell Berry, David Quammen et aL He must not have received the card or known the answer, since he never wrote back. , . ' ' ' ' ' "What would the world be, once bereft ' of wet and wildness, let them be left Wildness and wet, 0 wildness and wet Long Ive the seeds, and4he wilderness yet May; ' ' ' i life Into - your remains be pushing up seeds, Abbey, and your spirit pulling new the sky. Happy Trails ' t ' t; (.v . . . " ' ' John Groo W war-.1,-'- . WATERING DOESNT HAVE TO BE A DRAG Simplify your irrigation system with drippers & mini-sprinkle- rs CALL KEN, and let him design your irrigation system keep your plants happy and MAXICROP FERTILIZER with GRO-GREE- P.O.Box 577 Moab, Utah 84532 N U.SJL 801259-859- 4 800874-448- 3 summer clearance mountain bike accessories THE BEST OF THE WEST! Canyon Nursery Ken and Alice Drogin, owners 259-827- 4 . 5 v't 7';v - ' . ! TRl-SAT-StJ- N i , i Opeii Most Days But - FOR SURE Whitewater Hirer Expeditions Guided Mountain Bike Tours Combination Ride & Raft Western Ranch Vacations with River Trips Jeep Tours 1 GroupWholesaler Rates Available tf. |