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Show g v w , 'jsq : j. v ::. yaq .'.ttytf&r' : . wvx:i:i?fflww' x.x MWAWi'iVA i,.v.vi,.v.,.vi,.v.,,.,.,.,.v.,.:sv 1,.yMV.VdVdW.VkWy6V.WiV.VAm'fa,W.,I,WWl.VW to get it out? For that matter, one has to wonder if protecting Westwater ever crossed their and to the minds prior to the realization the vision is clearly theirs alone, detriment to the greater public desire to let the canyon be. For those of you who came to the meeting..thanks. An Environmental Assessment is forthcoming and this withdrawal, in all likelihood will happen. Interestingly, the US. Congress does have a 90 day review period in which to reject the withdrawal I can't wait to see how Congressman Hansen reacts, or to see if he finds a reason to oppose the load input heard at the meeting FROM THE MOAR OFFICE... self-servi- BY DAVE PACHECO KANE GULCH VISITOR CONTACT STATION In the last Zephyr, I described a BLM proposal to build a permanent facility at the site of the current ranger trailer at Kane Gulch. 18 organizations including SUWA, and 38 individuals submitted comments on the EA. The Decision Record was issued on October ng HOURS OF MOAB The big race did happen, and on last years course, not within HR1500 boundaries. Laird Knight of Granny Gear Productions should be commended on his decision to keep the course out of areas under consideration for wilderness designation by the U5. Congress. Let him know you support his decision at Granny Gear Productions, P.O. Box 189 Davis, 24 9th incorporating some of those comments and approving the facility to be built. This thing smells very political. In the final 1994 Interior Appropriations budget $500,000 was approved to build Phase I of this facility (no money has been requested or approved for Phase II). This was before any environmental analysis was begun, and before anyone was allowed to comment. Bottom line is, somebody asked for this huge sum of money...and got it...way before any official analysis occurred. BLM's San Juan Resource Area must spend the money on this project or lose it BLM created a public meeting charade where they provided the information and the public was left to provide comments which never had a chance to be seriously evaluated. The stated goals are worthy: protect the unique resources around Cedar Mesa and Grand Gulch. Our comments addressed the reasoning behind spending considerable money on a building that may or may not educate the public, versus hiring rangers "on the ground" to accomplish the education "in the field." The old trailer does need replacing We suggested an alternative which did not occur to BLM..get a new trailer. Instead, BLM has decided to build this new facility and perhaps accomplish their goals by developing Cedar Mesa (even though they may not have the employees to adequately staff the facility). We'll appeal this decision, and have Requested a Say to delay implementation of the decision until our appeal can be heard. WV 26260 or at 304-259-55- In terms of land impacts resulting horn the race, I walked the course a couple days after the race to take a look myself. On the plus side, there was virtually no trash left behind, and everyone seemed to have had a good time. On the down side, the main event area which consists of staging racers, start finish, vending announcing etc. is pretty much a vegetation free zone now after the two years the event has been held. Frankly, the area looks like a dirt parking lot The surrounding camping area was less impacted, but is losing its vegetation layer as well Of course, this area is wholly on State land, and the State has little to no measures in place to protect these lands, and little recourse for public input Same goes for lands along the stretch of the Kane Creek Canyon Rim Trail which serves the dual purpose during the race of vehicle access and race course. This year, just two days prior to the race, a big rain came through resulting in several washouts of this entry road. Granny Gear was forced to pay for a bulldozer and commence an operation to make the road accessible again, something they were not thrilled with because the public did not pick up the tab. Cost: $4,000, and in several places, extensive widening of the road resulting in vegetation removal and new, unstable cutbanks. Along the majority of the course on BLM lands, where there are some measures to reclaim land impacts, it was clear that the nighttime riders did not always stay on the course route. Throughout the course, riders rode off the track creating new, shortcut switchbacks, sometimes with the purpose of avoiding precarious slickrock or mudholes. Whether this was intentional because of the competitive nature of the event, or a consequence of racing in the dark, we do not know. BLM required Granny Gear to go back and rake the new tracks out soils While some crypto will recover in relatively short time frames, other lichen-typ- e take far longer. RIVER MANAGEMENT PLAN their 15 year old River Management Plan. The Canyonlands National Park is River Management Plan is the master planNguideline for managing all river related activities within CNP borders, on both the Green and Colorado Rivers. CNP has now completed the Scoping Phase identifying relevant issues. According to Dave Wood of CNP, around 100 written comments were received covering a variety of topics. With those comments, the park has developed a preliminary list of alternatives and will now gp to the public again to solicit input on the issues identified during scoping CANYONLANDS ng Some of those issues identified were: - What should be the extent of motorized activity on the rivers? - Should jet skis or personal watercraft be allowed in the Park? - Should there be limits on numbers of permits or on numbers of ROY CANYON WSA FENCING people per dayseason? The final stages of an ongoing effort to do something good for the environment have hit a snag in the Floy Canyon WSA. Floy Canyon is due north of Moab at the Book Cliffs just north of Crescent Junction. Over the last several years, a sheep grazing permittee, BLM, state Division of Wildlife Resources, and the Utah Foundation for North American Wild Sheep have worked on a plan to replace sheep with cattle mainly to decrease the possibility of disease transmission from domestic sheep to wild bighorn sheep which are making a comeback in the Book Cliffs. While all this is great (except the potential cattle damage), nobody envisioned adding 350 yards of fence within the Floy Canyon WSA, which is precisely what has now been proposed just one month prior to the projects completion schedule. While BLM can allow fencing in WSA's under strict interpretation of the law, we suggested they find another solution to keep the cows out, while allowing the greater project to move forward. - What are acceptable limits of group size allowed? - How are cultural, archaeological resources best protected? - What to do about limited number of high-watcampsites? er The park is mailing comment forms to around ljOOO people on their list containing the issue details. Please complete and return the forms. There will also be public meetings designed to solicit general public comment on the issues that have been identified. There will be three meetings, one each in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Denver. The meeting dates will be: Moab: Tuesday December 3rd Moab Civic Center at 100 N. & 400 E. Salt Lake City: Tuesday December 10th National Park Service office, 1594 W. Temple in the auditorium UWC SEEKS INPUT ON WILDERNESS PROPOSAL of Utah's BLM The Utah Wilderness Coalition is currently conducting a wild lands. The purpose is to address changes that have occurred over the past ten years. We will have a new version of HR1500 ready at the beginning of next year. (This reinventory is separate from, and should not be confused with, the BLM's Wilderness review). We welcome constructive comments from the public on how we can make our wilderness proposal even better. If you have such a comment, please contact Kevin Walker Denver; Thursday December 5th Landmark Inn at 455 S. Colorado Blvd. All meetings will run two sessions from 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. to give ample opportunity for participation. A formal announcement for the meetings is forthcoming We strongly encourage all interested individuals, businesses and organizations to participate in this public input process. In this early stage, you will make a difference in the outcome of the River Management Plan. This document will significantly affect Moab area people who work, live, and recreate on the rivers within Canyonlands. These are your rivers, help protect them. Send any comments regarding river management within Canyonlands to: 7-- 4-- at (801) i For more information or to get involved in any of these issues, please call Dave Pacheco at SUWA Dave Wood Canyonlands National Park 2282 Sl West Resource Blvd. Moab, UT 84532 (801)259-391- 1 x2133; ail 259-754- 0. DaveWoodnps.gov WESTWATER MINING On October 16th, approximately 90 people crowded into the BLM offices for a public meeting regarding the proposed withdrawal of additional lands surrounding Westwater Canyon. The withdrawal is intended to further buffer the canyon from future mining intrusions. Although initial descriptions of the meeting were vague, the crowd soon discovered the intent of the meeting was more or less Scoping, meaning issue identification about the proposal, and not necessarily a discussion about the current mining activity in Westwater. Nevertheless, as was quickly evident, the discussion centered on whether or not there should be any mining in Westwater. Sentiment clearly weighed in favor of no mining at all in Westwater, despite the mining rights under the 1872 Mining Act espoused by current mining claimant Pene Mining. The highlight came when Ron Pene stated he agreed with everyone else that Westwater should be protected...so long as he gets what he wants...which according to brother Ray's estimate would be nearly $700 million worth of gold. One has to wonder how big the or how much of the sandbar must be removed operation has to be to find that much gold, NIN 259-544- 0. |
