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Show .1 i VS- O'.- -' THE ZEPHYR JUNE 1991 PAGE 24 the canyon country watch dog Ladder! Talk the recent popularity In Laddering! around Moab It Is Increasingly Important that we all enjoy this activity In an ecologically sound manner. The limits of this relatively young sport are being pushed to new heights. But as the pros know, areas with cryptogamlc soils are out of bounds for Laddering! Laddering! novices should stay at least one Ladder! length With Editor's Note: This Issue marks a change In the "Public Lands Watchdog column. ed and not, have been slipping through the cracks because Too many Issues, there was no appropriate format In this paper to report them. Beginning this month, we have expanded the scope of the watchdog page and changed Its name to the "Canyon Country Watchdog. land-relat- Controversy at the Dan OLaurie Museum away from cryptogamlc gardens. There are always plenty of myths spread about designated Wilderness and It hasnt taken crowd to claim that Laddering! would be prohibited In long for the Wilderness areas. But the fact Is, Just like grazing and hunting, Freestyle Laddering! Is permissible In Wilderness, and Indeed Wilderness designation would protect some of the best Ladderingl areas In southern Utah for ourselves and future generations of Ladderersl. ent The next time life has you rung out, clear your head with a shot of Ladderingl But please stay on the trail. Scott Groene decision by the Board of Directors of the Dan O'Laurie Museum to sell an old sheepherders wagon to a private buyer for $400 has raised the hackles of some of the museum's members. According to Board President Keith Montgomery, the decision to sell the wagon was made because the museum had no way to property store the wagon, and as a result, It continued to deteriorate and be vandalized. Records show that the wagon was purchased In November 1980 for $500. It was used once, In a Pioneer Day Parade, In July 1981. According to Montgomery, the wagon was never assigned an accession number and was never displayed. For years, the wagon was stored behind the museum on property owned by the library. When that space became needed by the library, the wagon, and other museum Items, were moved to a piece of fenced property owned by First Western National Bank. There, It has remained for years. The Board claims that Its sale was proper according to the They also state that since the wagon was never property accessioned, they know little of Its history except that It was purchased somewhere In Colorado. Board member Bill Boulden does not believe the wagon Is representative of those found In the area. A - 1 by-la- Moab office of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Just as youd expect, those dam environmental groups started complaining, as soon as Laddering! became a sport to be reckoned with. Please take note of the diagram below, comparing the environmental Impacts associated with Laddering! versus mountain biking ws. He maintains that the Former Museum Curator Uoyd Pierson disagrees. sheepherders wagon style changed little If any over the years, and that If the Board needed a history of the wagon, "all they had to do was call. Moreover, Pierson Is Incensed that the Board would sell a piece of Its collection to an Individual buyer. No attempt was made locally to find a better storage facility, or even a local buyer. He also questions the economic wisdom of selling the wagon for 20 less than It paid over a decade ago. Pierson wants to know H the Board had the wagon appraised, but speculates that It could as much as $2000. have brought a far higher place out-of-to- I wn The wagon Is now a moot point Board member Merv Lawton made the motion to sell seconded by Mark Bond and approved by acclamation. Its new owner Barbara truck. Jacklln hauled the old sheepherders wagon out of town two weeks ago In a flat-b- ed But a broader question persists for the museum. What Is Its role In acquiring historical artifacts of this area? According to Keith Montgomery, It Is very limited. "We are a display museum. We do not have the storage facilities or the staff to maintain large collections. What that means Is that local citizens wishing to donate historical materials to the museum cannot be certain that those Items wont be discarded, sold, or simply refused. The museum board has no plans at this time to acquire better storage facilities In the future. In fact, the museum Is considering other artifacts Including a tum-of-tcentury thresher, several old mining Jacks, and pieces of forges. The history of this area Is rich. Our link to the past often lies In everyday Items of that time that have survived over the years. To the casual observer these artifacts appear to be so much worthless Junk. But to the historians eyes they are priceless. To let them end up In the back of someones closet, or, even worse, at the bottom of the landfill would be a tragedy. If anyone has some thoughts on Just how we can preserve our past, speak up.... soon. It, It was he t Obviously, there Is no comparison. And now, by adding a very clever accessory, environmental degradation Is eliminated altogether. The new "Ladderingl Critter Tracks Is a rubber-ca- st mold of your favorite small animal; It Is attached to a durable steel sleeve which slips over and attaches to the base of your Ladder! Now, your Ladder! tracks are clearly disguised as a furry little critter. You'll feel good about yourself, and those who follow will never know the difference. (Available In fouK species: coyote, bobcat, gray fox, golden retriever.) -- Jim Stiles Jim Stiles Hey! You subway WGtlOlEs! WHY Don't our Stoo yoURJJORjeH rttetxn Her a op ArlD KNjaafc SAKDWitH , WHY WHY, , t 265 so. main 259-634-5 I OOMTA... |
