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Show THE ZEPHYR AUGUST 1990 from the western association of land users Defining Multiple Use by Jane S. Jones PAGE 21 Castle Valley Inn Bj Tli multiple um concept of administering public lands has always niMnt that thi le put to many uses. In fact, federal agencies are mandated to see to It that domain public as many uses and activities as possible are accommodated. Fees, royalties and other receipts that come from leases or sales of public land resources amount to almost a billion dollars each year. The huge tourism and recreation Industry utilizing public lands Is big business for many western states, Including Utah. Multiple use la also a philosophy of land management based on flexfclllty. It Is responsive to change changes In the wishes of the public, changes In economic In climatic concBtlons, to name a few. Because of this responsiveness, conditions, changes In the last twenty years multiple use has come to mean utilizing the earth's natural resources In a way that doesn't wreak havoc on the environment Now, both environmental and economic concerns are supposed to be of equal value. Or at least thats what the regulations say. In reality, a form of reverse discrimination occurs today. Industry and commodity production have become dirty words, even as consumers reach to the shelf for the next Item they want to buy. But thafs another story. It Is a fact that for many years, multiple use In southeastern Utah has allowed flourishing tourism, hunting and recreation of all types, exploration and development of It obviously Is a system that commodties, successful wildlife and watershed management lilH Relax in sophisticated comfort amidst some of the Canyonlands most splendid scenery. Seven rooms, most with fine indoor and private bath ($35-60outdoor dining for registered guests, six acres of orchard, lawns and fields ... full breakfast included in room ), works. By definition, the opposite of multiple use Is single use. Let's say Congress designates a million acres of southeastern Utah for strip mining. Well say It Is part of the Strip Mining Preservation System. This Is an example of single use Instead of multiple use. Is It excessive? Of course. It Isn't Intelligent to permanently withdraw Immense tracts of public lands solely for a particular economic use. It would be wrong because of the size of the withdrawal, because of the rigidity of the decision, because of the subordination of all other valid uses to that one single use. By the way, multiply our strip mining exanqle by 5 and you get the acreage proposed by Rep. Wayne Owens to be withdrawn for wilderness preservation In Utah, almost all of It In southeastern Utah. So let's look at wilderness preservation. Is It a part of the multiple use spectrum? No. Actually, If multiple use Is man's use of the land, then wilderness preservation Is nonuse of the land. If s also definitely a single use of the land. In an attempt to fit the square peg In the round hole, wilderness advocates cleverly out the "uses of wilderness: It does fill up space, It can be photographed and looked point at, wildlife and plants can live there, water can run through It, biologists and other can study there, and a minuscule segment of our population can hike or ride In there. In "-I- sta" carefully regulated numbers, to experience the naturalness and solitude they seek and cannot find on multiple use land. Only non-usland will satisfy them. This non-u- se may have Its place. The public seems to want some wild areas where the deer and the antelope can play. And, of course, we do have these areas now: approximately 90 million acres already In the Wilderness Preservation System. Many wilderness advocates even wish for a return to an America before It was settled. These are the ones you see on television blockacflng roads, getting their cars blown up by bombs, talking about Industrial sabotage. Their leaders have said many times that they hope man, the Intruder, will die out and everything will become "natural again. This threatening philosophy should have no place In America yet, because of free speech, we are obliged to tolerate It But I digress again. I wasn't much concerned about wilderness back In 1963, Being a one year before the Wilderness Act was passed Into law. But Congresa was, and the Senate Interior Committee had complied a report on wilderness. Back then, everyone, Including senators and representatives, was very concerned about the economic Impact of withdrawing lands from multiple use. The committee report cites their attempts to minimize the Impact on local and state economies and the country as a whole. The 14.3 million acres they recommended as suitable for wilderness designation were lands In the National Forest System that were already withdrawn from multiple use. Managed by the Forest Service as primitive areas, these lands were considered to be the best choice because there would be none of the resulting economic havoc that could be expected If multiple use lands were rates. Featuring: THE GRANDVIEW HOT TUB Redrock to mountain top views" Innkeepers: Eric and Lynn Forbes Thomson. CVSR Box 2602, Moab, Utah 84532. 801-259-60- r Scrimshaw Engraving Jewelry l(o)hop 57 North Main Turquoise Dinosaur Bone Moab, Utah 84532 Souvenirs Jewelry Repairs Let us be your silversmith baby-boom- er, lane S. Jones Is SecretaryTreaaurer of the Western Association of Land Users, Moab Chapter; an organization fonned to stop further wilderness f the Mining Law of 1172. The public Is Invited to their roffilar monthly meetings on the ast Wednesday of each month at the Councfl Chambers of the County Courthouse, 7:30pm. 12 DON & KAY SWASEY ed considered. The same reasoning should be valid today. but we have now ballooned from 143 million acres Perhaps If s a death wish In wilderness to more than 90 million acres already designated. An addRIonal 150 million and acres of wilderness Is currently on the table to also be removed from multiple use still counting. These figures don't Include current and proposed special recreation areas, wildlife refuge areas, military and Indbm reservations which are also removed from multiple use. Congress has taken a good Idea and destroyed the original Intentions, disregarded the original and obvious concerns over economic Impact, pushed multiple use aside and fallen In love with the Idea of preservation, preservation, and more preservation. We know Congress can make mistakes. Look at the savings and loan crisis. We watch now as $500 billion flushes down the toilet -- - or perhaps Ifs already gone, I'm not sure. This particular problem seemed to become evident gradually, but no one was paying attention. Somehow and Im not sure how this works either a mess this size doesn't seem to be stoppable. It cant be made right again. The wlldeniesa mistake will take longer than the S & L crisis (fid to become manifest and to begin Its certain destruction of our economy and lifestyle. But once begun. the mistake will become Irreversble even more quickly. First locally, then statewide, the effect of the shutdown throughout the West of multiple uses such as commodity production, tourism, recreation, etc. will begin snowballing and resounding throughout our country. Thi wlkliintu iitm has many paralMs to tha S & L crisis. No one scams to ba we pay for our millions minding the store. Again. Or asking the question: What price shall of acres of naturalness and aoBtuds? hfu!i Custom Orders Welcome 001-259-53- 60 WestLight yflP Photography 750 S. Main Moab, Utah 84532 259-794- 3 deslgnatloiwpnrep WE DO COMMERICAL PHOTOGRAPHY FOR ADVERTISING WE'LL DO DARN NEAR ANYTHING (except weddings) |
