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Show PAGE 22 THE ZEPHYROCTOBER 1991 sacred cow flop the canyon country Grazing decisions are generally made quietly and without notice to the public. An Individual must be granted "affected bitaresr status by the BLM In order to of grazing permits. receive notification of actions such as the In The Public Land's Watchdog explained May how a citizen could request "affected Interest" status. Wall, maybe you bettor forget about those suggestions. It appears the BUYTa D.C. office has decided to remove the "affected bitaresr opportunity BLM watch dog minors are like tumors Moab Is wall known for its outlandish rumors and vicious gossip, particularly around olsctlon thnsi But ovsn during the slow months, you can hoar soma pvotty good stuff, the kind of Junk that makes for animated conversation at your favorite cafe' or coffee stop. In the last month I've hoard some remarkable stories about Mayor Stocks, Commissioner Torres, and a City Council candidate. The foot that none of the rumors was based on even a grain of truth was Irrelevant Why spoil the fun with reality? Ifa difficult to get a handle on these rumors or discuss them h any detail In a newspaper. To pass the details along only perpetuates the rumor Itself, and ends up as a counter productive gesture In futility. But this month, In addition to the aforementioned, I returned home from a short trip to discover that I had bean selected as a September target. I felt honored In a way -- It was about time somebody came up with a new one. I was getting so weary of the old rumor. Anyway, word was that I had bean to a "drug and sex orgy" at a neighbors housoi I first caught wind of this when an anonymous caller left a message on my machine. He said that he'd overheard two guya at a gas station claim they'd watched me smoking marijuana through a window. He warned that "they did not seem to have my best Interests In mind. I didn't think much of IL I'm a Clarence Thomas-kind-of-gwhen It comes to pot I I But few In A a have Clarence common, might add). days later I got the (the only thing A whole story. It wasn't Jual grass; It was drugs, sex, and rock and roll naked with people who play (GASP!) hacky sack. I've always wondered how these rumors germinate, so I tried to track It Here's uy free-for-al- l, how It wenL.. Ken Davey told me. He heard it from Jim Mattingly. Jim Mattingly heard It from Sheriff Nyland. I called Sheriff Nyland and he told me he'd heard It from officer Fred Gay of the City Police who apparently had bean tipped off by his own kids. I called Chief of Poflce Alan West who claims Fred Gay never mentioned me, and that when Nyland called Mm, It was the Sheriff who brought up my name first. The next day, I saw Dan Mick who said he'd heard it from Jess Nation who had hoard It from Fred Gay who than told Jim Nyland. Today, I saw Manuel Tones and he'd heard about my orgy, but he didn't reveal his source and was Justifiably move Interested in tracking down his own rumor. At long last, I thought. -- Manuel and I have found some common ground! We're Commlssentlngl I finally got bored with my search for the Gossip King (or Queen?) and gave up. I But have some observations: Is the chosen target, he or she Is always accused of either o When a liberal-typ- e (a) having AIDS (b) participating In some deviant sexual behavior - "deviant" being In the eyes of the beholder (c) being a drug dealeraddictuser or (d) al or some of the above. Is about to be skewered the charges tend to be more o When a conservative-typ- e -that political personal graft, corruption, nepotism, greed, etc. But one does hear sneers about Inbreeding and brain damage. o No one ever questions the validity of the rumor. It Is Immediatsly accepted and embraced by an who hear It o When the rumor Is about me, I eventually ask so many people If they've heard It that I do move to spread the gossip than the person or persons who Initiated It not? These rumors are done In good fon right? No one's trying to hurt anybody are they? No one would be reckless enough, or thoughtless enough, or Just plain mean enough to start and spread a rumor that lust might be untrue.HWould they? Of course not. Perhaps In future Issues, we can print other rumors. And all the people who participated would get to be In the story. Let's all have fun, kids. 'Maybe this Is something that could realty bring our community together. Well, why for public Involvement The BLM can see a volatile brew forming of one part Increased public Interest In grazing decisions and one part overgrazed BLM range (the Environmental Protection Agency found that riparian areas are "In the worst condition In history" and two thirds of BLM's lands are In "unsatisfactory condition according to the agency). The agancy'e response to the specter of a concerned public trying to solve range problems Is to eliminate the opportunity for citizen Involvement The BLM has convinced the National Public Lands Council to pass a resolution recommending that the "affected interear provision be stricken from the agency's regulations. The agency will have to Jump a long row of hurdles to change their regulations. Enough public concern In the Interim may either encourage the agency to rethink the Issue, or convince our congressional representatives to step In and set the agency straight A citizens guide book for Involvement In public land grazing matters. How Not to Be Cowed, should be available from the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance In mid to late October. invasion of the p.j. August, the ILS. Forest Service Moab Ranger District committed about 800 acres of land on the southern foot of South Mountain to roller chopping. The Forest Service Intends to drag a water filled drum armed with spikes across the area to MM trees 4 to 6 Inches In diameter. The goal Is to maintain an old chaining which Is being "invaded" by pinion pine and Juniper trees. Both the Forest Service and BLM have recently taken actions to keep trees from growing back In old chaining areas, using or recommending roller chopping In the La Sals, prescribed bums In the Montezuma Canyon area and herbicides on Cedar Mesa. The Justification frequently given for these actions Is erosion controL Utah State University Forestry Professor Ronald Laitner recently wrote In the Salt Lake Tribune that "there Is no respectable evidence to support the proposition that the presence of woodland accelerates soil erosion and that deforestation of these standa and planting of forages will reduce erosion." Professor Lanner also noted that the Moab BLM'a Justification for the chaining on Amasa Back, that the trees had recently Invaded the area, was refuted by the presence of 300 year old trees. The professor called the practice of chaining a "landclearing program for marginal, subsidized agriculture". The Moab Ranger District also Just approved logging on 187 acree on the east aide of the La Sals, 25 acres of which are In tiie Roe Creek roadless area. The Utah Division of Lands and Forestry has also Just approved ponderosa pine logging In the La Sals. , In oil & gas stuff in the moab area (or will they sue stiles yet?) Thera now are two oil and gas walls being drilled on Hatch Point, one weU la producing near the Knoll and two more weds are being drilled In the Big Rats area. Accortfing to a recant EA, there are nine more wells being planned for the Moab area. A 36 mile pipeline from the Big Flat area down the Dublnky wed road la also In the works. Not yet In sight Is an EIS to consider the cumulative Impacts of all this development. The BLM also Just approved 3.4 square miles of seismic work on Deadman's Point which would entail 26 miles of One being driven by 20 ton vibrator trucks. The action would take place Inside Congressman Owens' proposed Labyrinth Canyon wtidemesa unit After receiving public comments criticizing the BLM's draft EA claim that the agency was "without Jurisdiction" to deny Chevron's appBcatlon to perform the work, the BLM struck that statement from the final EA. The agency still refused to Jim Stiles x'h iOHlJ HAKfiEt ANf) -- THAT I lC S-fOR- DO NOT EXi$T oyiioosuy m&t 'iKve 74 South Main o Moab, Utah o 259-SUB- S |