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Show PAGE 23 THE ZEPHYR MARCH 1991 The boom of recreation on Southeast Utah land has given the agency a chance to change Its direction and Image. Here In Moab, successful management of events such as the Jeep Safari and the Fat Tire Festival fit right In to the BLM's Recreation 2000 projections. And the potential of a national performing arts theater complex and huge recreation area near the Slick Rock Trail ("Just like Wolftrapl) has put the agency Into a position where they want to work closely with local officials here. rigid and obstructionist Image around the Jeep Safari could seriously damage that local BLM officials assured RRFW members that the permit for the event would be So goal. approved even before work on the environmental assessment began. Employees of the agency knew In advance what they were expected to find In their assessment The Irony of the situation Is that an objective EA probably would have established that the Safari does little or no damage to the land, that the benefits far outweigh the liabilities. At worst, a small number of trails, much smaller than the number proposed by SUWA, might have to be altered, causing some organizational problems but no noticeable effect on the quality of the event A study of the SUWA appeal shows that the central thrust Is a challenge of that EA. They criticize the speed of the study, and especially, the decision to look at no alternatives beyond outright denying the permit Recognizing that the Safari Is a positive event local environmentalists chose not to Join In the appeal, and In fact have publicly defended the event But they failed to differentiate themselves from county commission calls to open up all public lands to all uses, from mining to grazing to selling the land for condos and convenience stores. Even more significantly, they have failed to push for a more serious attitude on the part of the BLM to carry out thorough, objective environmental analyses. If you fall to criticize the BLM for the Jeep Safari assessment, what right do you have to attack the very same method when applied to the chaining of Amasas Back? If you refuse to demand the agency do Its Job because the RRFW members are good people, how can you call for the BLM to critically analyze the Impact of the Kokopelll Theater? You are either for the BLM doing Its Job or youre not You cannot pick and choose when to apply standards and when to bend them. The SUWA appeal has virtually no chance of success, with or without the support of Jim Stiles. The event will go on for the next 5 years, people will enjoy themselves, local businesses will make some money. Even an Interior Department finding that the local BLM did not prepare adequate documentation of its ruling In favor of the permit would not stop the event They would simply be told to do It again, and do It better. But by keeping quiet, by refusing to put forward their own Independent view, the local watchdogs of the environment have established a precedent that endorses fudging assessments and studies to fit pragmatic Interests. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance has served Its alms well. So has the county commission. And the Red Rock Four Wheelers. But local environmentalists have basically sat out the fight, when In fact there was a lot they could have done. The Wilderness Society Is one of the groups sponsoring the IBLA appeal. Publicly, the group stands four square behind the challenge. But privately a leader of that group told me of hopes that some sort of compromise that protects the quality of the Safari and pushes for better EAs could be reached. Some members of the RRFW have said they would have welcomed such a compromise. And that could have been the role of local environmentalists, not only to help solve the particular problem of this permit appeal, but to build bridges between regional and national conservation groups and Moab residents. As the wilderness designation process heats up In the next few years, those avenues of communication will become more and more Important It was an opportunity that was missed. Environmentalism Is now a dirty word In Grand County, and not Just among members of WALU. A Jeepers. the environmental groups' action, but It's more a question of style than anything else. Some of the questions they have raised are legitimate concerns that deserve scrutiny. And anyone who remembers last Easter has got to realize that we are fast But the simple truth Is, the Red Rock Four situation. approaching an Wheelers keep this event from completely going over the edge. If the Interior Department stays the Jeep Safari, a thousand Jeepers may still show up a week before Easter. And then. If you want to see environmental damage, find a high rock, sit back, and watch the carnage. Because the Jeep Safari Is an organized event, It Is required to have a permit, pay fees, and submit to rules and regulations established by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). But hundreds of Independent Jeepers are not affected by the permitting process at all. The environmental groups should have considered this before they sent out their to members for letters to the BLM, and before they filed their appeal. Instead why plea couldn't they have come to Moab and met with representatives of the Red Rock Four Wheelers and the BLM and try, face to face, to find a resolution to the problem? Its still not I am Irked by out-of-con- trol too late. This Is a dangerous Issue to take such a stand, because a victory for the Sierra Club may cause precisely the kind of destruction It Is trying to avoid. NELSONS HEATING and REFRIGERATION seruing Moab since 1962 RE-MODELI- NG BUILDING A NEW HOME? YOUR OLD HOME? (we do heating & air conditioning systems) publishers postscript Im not sure what exactly Ken Davey has said In his story, because we (tedded to put our differing opinions on paper without first comparing notes. AIM know for sure Is that Ken has taken Issue with the stand several local environmentalists have taken (Including myself) In at least partial defense of the Red Rock Four Wheelers. This Jeep Safari controversy has been batted back and forth for a year now. Itwas the Jeep Club that first considered Itself on the defensive last spring when It believed the BLM was trying to shut them down. When the BLM finally released Its environmental assessment, environmental groups screamed that the agency had "sold out to the Jeepers. Now, the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) have filed an appeal with the Department of the Interior to stay the 25th Annual Jeep Safari, scheduled for Easter Week. A letter-writicampaign by these environmental groups has generated over 400 letters from around the country, mostly opposed to the 1070 Bowling Alley Ln 259-562- 5 ng ARCHES REALTY 690 So. 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