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Show THE ZEPHYRAPRIL 1991 beyond left and right by Jack Campbell Jeepers AND Environmentalists. Allies or Enemies? As a relative newcomer to the Moab area, It has frequently seemed that the true Moablan sport Is not Jeeplng, hiking, arch hunting, etc., etc., but Is standing toe to toe with a chosen "opponent and taking turns shooting each other In the foot Obvious common viewpoints, mutual Interests, shared concerns are conspicuously overlooked In order to allow the fight to continue. Such has been the case with the yearlong series of blunders and escalating antagonisms arising from the permitting process for the Jeep Safari. At times It has seemed like we were a group of spoiled children, trapped In a small rather than room, each spitefully pouring more gas on a fire which could annihilate us all It to Red Rock 4 out BLM, Wheelers, environmental groups, county put working together and kibitzers (yup, me too) have all made commissioners, media, and local serious mistakes. (One Interesting consensus point was that all the "other groups had made mistakes except of course, ones own.) There probably wouldn't have been an appeal If the various groups had been strong enough to admit their mistakes but then there Since all the various sins and blunders wouldnt have been such fun with the shoot-o- ut of the various groups have been listed ad nauseam, lets skip another repetition and get on to more Interesting territory. Finding common ground between RR4W and environmentalists has been easy and enjoyable. Over the past year, I've been on several Jeep trips (and committees) with Ber Knight and Tim Berry of the Red Rock 4 Wheelers and have been out on trails with other RR4W members. I thoroughly enjoyed being out with them! And what we share In common Is vastly more Important than our differences. People spend time outdoors for a wide variety of positive and negative reasons. to We tend classify outdoor users by categories such as mode of travel (driving, walking) or activity (biking, fishing, prospecting) and we talk about conflicts between these different user groups. But It Is actually the differences between Individual members, regardless of whether one shows consideration and courtesy for the group, that are more Important one Is out enjoying the beauty of the land or can of or whether thinks others only himself, only see ways to make a buck, whether one travels gently upon the land or leaves tracks, garbage, and fire rings to detract from the enjoyment of those who follow. For those desiring a little adrenalin this can be accomplished In ways that have little impact on the land (the Jeep Safari trails are exciting) or In ways that have horrendous Impacts (the California desert motorcycle races where thousands of bikes are out crashing through Desert Tortoise habitat). We can choose how the Inherent energy of youth Is directed many options exist that dont Involve destruction and killing (as has been the kayaking, historical outlet for the young male homo sapiens). Climbing, resources the amounts.of without adrenalin etc. can destroying yield huge motorcycle riding, these sports use. The "adrenalin Junkie can get his fix without having to "conquer nature. A strong similarity between Jeepers and environmentalists Is their enjoyment of some of the world's finest scenery, regardless of whether they are walking or driving. And theyd like their friends and children to be able to do the same In the future. Neither group Is out there to find more ways to make money from the public land. They both find their "profit and rewards In an appreciation of the beauty of our canyons, rivers and mountains. The opposite groups are the developers, land speculators, county commissioners, on-look- ers four-wheeli- ng, PAGE 13 and others who only see dollar signs, "economic opportunity, commodity extraction, and other modes of exploiting the public lands; although, of course, there are conscientious developers, loggers, miners and ranchers who are willing to sacrifice some short term profit In order to conduct their work using environmentally sensitive methods that do not cause the magnitude of destruction that these activities used to cause. The potential alliance between Jeep Safari folks and environmentalists Is so strong, I cant wonder If the rapacious faction of the camp hasnt found a way to set the two groups against each other, so that the money Interests can get on with their business of exploiting the area. So much of the conflict outdoors Is simply lack of consideration for others. Restrictions placed on an entire group are often the result of offensive behavior by relatively few Individuals. Noise Is a conspicuous example. A vehicle with little or no exhaust-silencican Impact other people miles away. The RR4W groups Ive ridden with have uniformly shown consideration for others, but unfortunately are often unjustly accused of Incidents they were not responsible for. If all outdoor users were more considerate, other folks wouldnt have to "grit their teeth and tolerate noise and other Irritants. Complicated systems segregating users Into different areas to avoid user group conflicts are Increasing. Motorized groups are losing access to areas they could previously travel In, because this Is the only way other groups can find sanctuary from noise abuse. Backpackers and river runners are restricted to specific camping areas to contain damage caused by some members of their groups. All mountain bikers lose some of their freedom because of the thoughtless actions of a few. When you love something, you try to protect It, not abuse It The desert Is a delicate friend. The RR4Ws have done more to show their members and visitors consideration for the land than have most other user groups I've .een In this country. They've spent their time, money, and energy doing this. They plan on returning next year to enjoy the same country. Why cant we be working together? One unfortunate similarity between the various groups Involved In the Jeep Safari was the tendency to fight and try to "win It all, rather than come together to ruckus permit find a solution. As the primary agency responsible for the permitting process for Jeep Safari, BLM had more opportunity than any other player to try to resolve the problem. BLM Instead chose the politically expedient course of siding with the locally stronger party and changing Its early position that there were Justified concerns on both sides. In fact major concerns about Jeep Safari were expressed by both BLM and RR4W months before subsequent blunders brought In the outside environmental groups. Despite hundreds of hours of work by several of the local environmentalists to find any other possible solutions, once BLM had chosen Its agenda, there was no other resolution possible. How did this agenda benefit BLM? If BLM had taken the obvious position that there were possible claims on both sides, and tried to Integrate these concerns Into a composite solution, both parties would have reacted to BLM as an adversary (If you don't support me totally, then youre totally against me!). No bureaucrat wants to be In that position. By completely siding with Jeep Safari (giving legal advice, etc.,) BLM could claim local hero status regardless of whether or not the Issue was decided In favor of Jeep Safari. If the case had been lost, the environmental groups would have been the enemy. BLM wins politically regardless of the outcome of the case. In the long term, this kind of strategy by BLM yields a much more Important loss for the entire community. Instead of searching for a solution that has a solid feeling of fairness and Justice, BLM has continued to promote the old "winner takes all fight to the death mentality. Uke the Biblical conflicts where the victorious tribe killed all the males of the vanquished tribe, this promotes the Irrational survival mindset so prevalent In Southern Utah. Eltheror total victory or total defeat No wonder were all fighting. BLM also lost a major opportunity to Increase Its stature as a true multiple use statesman-llk- e steward of the land. and manager Some of us hope that the damage done and the III will generated by this fiasco will not be permanent We are also disappointed that none of the groups could rise above the melee to seek a fair solution. Hopefully, some of the bridges constructed between RR4W and local environmentalists during this skirmish will still be available when the next problem arises. As we fill this country with more and more people, It will become Increasingly essential to resolve our differences, to listen to each other, and to avoid the "fight to the death ng mentality. PACK CREEK RANCH Serving 6 PM-8:3- 0 PM Sunday Monday Buffet 6-- PM Country Style Cuisine Tuesday entrees) BBQ Night Traditional Pack Creek Menu 8 (2-- 3 Wed-Sa- t RESERVATIONS REQUESTED 259-550- 5 |