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Show PAGE 5 THE ZEPHYROCTOBER 1995 lease those sections from the state and keep the area from being any more trashed than it already is. According to Bigler, without raising fees the Sand Flats Team could do the job it is mandated to do and still pay the School Trust as much as $20,000. However, if the state decides it wants more, the county would have to consider raising its fees to meet that financial obligation. And finally, it appears that Scott Hirschi will be leaving his post on October 1. Whoever replaces him is in no way required to abide by county zoning laws or those "parameters" Hirschi agreed to consider. But it's hoped the new director will at least make an attempt to hear from the citizens of Grand County before considering whether to turn the Sand Flats into more of a circus than it has already become. MOAB ESPRESSO The Coffee Grrrrrlz. i WE'RE DOING The NPS, Environmental Education, & Priorities FRESH VEGGIE It can be said, without any hesitation or doubt, that the only hope any of us can have for our planet rests with the children. We try to pass the best parts of ourselves on to each succeeding generation. We try to give them the tools to make this battered planet a better world in which to live. We hope they will choose to emulate our finer moments, and forgive us for our bad ones. It sometimes feels like a losing battle. But sometimes we do something right. Here in Grand County, school children have been given a special opportunity to appreciate the natural world around them and a chance to understand the responsibility all of us share in protecting that world. In 1992, the National Park Service, the Grand County School District, Canyonlands COMPANY i AND TURKEY SANDWICHES. WELCOME FAT TIRE Field Institute, and the FESTIVAL (in front of Rim Cyclery) Q (2) NPS priorities: the education of children or shiny new buildings? Canyonlands Natural History Association pooled its talents and resources to create the Moab Outdoor Leadership Program (MOE). Serving students in grades two through six and the high school Outdoor Education class, the curriculum works in conjunction with new core standards set by the Utah State Department of Education. Previously, many of these kids had never had the opportunity, or the inclination at times, to understand the fragile desert world that surrounds us. Many of them had never stopped to think about the incredible forces of nature that carved these canyons or forged our mountains. And many had never taken the time to stop and appreciate the sheer beauty of it all. Thanks to MOB, that's changed. Children that may have grown up oblivious to mysterious slot canyons or the call of the redtail hawk or the fragrance of diffrose in the spring, are getting an education they will carry with them forever. Or maybe not. The National Park Service, like all other federal agencies these days, budgetary gun and there is a growing concern that the program's $40,000 annual contribution from the NPS is in jeopardy. How can that be? How can a program with such obvious benefits be in doubt? The Park Service mandate is to "preserve and protect" America's most beautiful lands for future generations. These are the future generations. Without their support, that NPS pledge is worthless. What the Park Service must do is examine its priorities. Last week, the Park Service dedicated its new 15 mile, $4 million Delicate Arch Viewpoint Road. They sent out invitations to the ribbon-cuttin- g ceremony, they invited government officials to praise the construction, and everyone had a fine time. Four million dollars. Next year, the NrS plans to tear down the old swinging bridge at Wolfe Ranch and replace it with a more stable span. The cost is $40,000...the annual c6st of the Moab Outdoor Education program. Over the last three years, the NPS has spent more than $150,000 remodeling ranger residences that the rangers themselves thought were already quite comfortable. Almost four years of funding for MOE. At the Needles district of Canyonlands National Park, a $4 million residential project that ran a year behind schedule and a million dollars over budget was finally completed. And out on the highway, a state of the art, natural flagstone entrance station with its own flush toilet carried a price tag of $85,000. i ALL OF I US AT THE PRINTING PLACE, INCLUDING LARRY'S HEAD, WISH YOU AN ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING HALLOWEEN. is under the other government agency, the Park Service has its share of waste and mismanagement, of ridiculous pet projects and convoluted priorities. But the Moab Outdoor Education program should be an essential part of the NPS budget; after all, an informed appreciation of the land and its resources is vital to the future of parks Like any themselves. LIVE WITH FRIENDS AS NEIGHBORS IN AN INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY 100 acres near Moab with creek & springs Private and common land ownership Environmental 6c Social sustainability Consensus Decisions - seeking members - Box 1171 Moab Utah 84532 |
