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Show Dear ZEPHYR: I write this due to my deep concern over the imminent theft of our public lands. This theft is being attempted by a small band of radicals who have cloaked themselves in the language of the environmental movement I speak specifically of the Sierra Chib, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), and their support of a 5.7 million acre wilderness bill for southern Utah public lands. environmentalists, especially those unfamiliar with the unique character of the southern Utah wildlands, are easily seduced by the potent and cleverly crafted rhetoric of the environmental extremists. They use grand language about "saving" the land for future generations, when their real Intention is to insure future generations will never see this land. How ironic that SUWA claims to be for "education when they make their living by deliberate deception and manipulation. For those who wonder on what authority I speak, for nine years I have been a guide in 4x4 expeditions and around Canyonlands National park. I run single day and multi-da- y SUWA when I first and one-da- y jet boat trips. As a lifelong outdoors man, I supported moved here in 1989, being ignorant of the high desert country and its unique character, and hearing their gibberish, I was easily suckered in. Slowly, as I became educated about the desert, I realized the agenda of the environmental radicals was not to "save" this land at all, but to turn it into an exclusive playground for themselves and their cronies, accomplishing this through a very cynical campaign of misinformation. The fact is, this land is already protected by the "Federal Land Policy Management Act," and the "National Environmental Policy Act" Some of this land is also protected by national park status. Through the use of independent critical thinking, all good environmentalists must realize that, for many areas, "Wilderness" designation means they will never be able to see, enjoy and leam from this great land. Those who are hikers will not be able to hike because access will be denied via the road closures in "wilderness" areas. Mountain bikes are also prohibited in "wilderness" areas. In this country, distances are long, the climate extreme, and water is scarce and 'precious. Many hikers, bikers and backpackers do not realize for these reasons many "wilderness" areas are cut off to them if vehicle access is denied, both on graded roads and drives have the capacity to be drive roads. Four-whebringing all water for drinking, cooking, and solar showers. SUWA and the Sierra Club do their best to demonize Jeepers. Well, I'm a Jeeper; I'm also a guide, naturalist, lover and protector of this great land, so don't believe the mean-spiritlies spread by extremists. A word about numbers. Most people have no concept of how gargantuan 5.7 million acres is. Thus the enormity of this attempted land grab is not understood. I suggest the reader consult a map of the new "Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument," some 1.8 million acres. Is triple this expansive area appropriate for the most severe set of government restrictions? Also of particular concern is the fact that no fossils may be removed from beneath die surface in "wilderness" areas. Why do environmentalists want to lock up this wealth of dinosaur and other tremendous the precious resource, especially considering prehistoric fossils in southern Utah's wildlands. Fire control and control of vegetation are also prohibited in "wilderness." Maurice Hinchey, the New York congressman introducing the 5.7 million acre bill this freedom now enjoyed by and cannot concave of-t-he year, does riot understand-indee- d, Mr. available to the American public. Thus, Hinchey cannot understand the depth of the is 5.7 the with he about to bill tragedy bring trying I hereby call on all outdoorsmen, all who love this land, whether you call yourself an "environmentalist" or not, to save this land by opposing "wilderness" designation of on ridiculously large areas. We must all speak up now to prevent this attempted con-jo- b the American people. Well-meani- V f s Editor's Note: This is our letter of the Month. Dear readers. The Special collections Department, J. Willard Marriott Library, University of Utah, has recently been named by the Glen Canyon Institute as the official repository for their records. The University is honored to be so named and we feel we already have a good start in documenting die priceless heritage of Glen Canyon. On deposit we have papers, photographs and films describing the wonders of Glen Canyon from the early river runners such as Norman Nevills and J. Frank Wright; filmmakers such as James G Dean and Charles Eggert; photographers such as Thom Mayes, Bruce Berger, and Phil Pennington; and historians like Dr. G Gregory Crampton, who conducted the historical site salvage survey of the Glen before the dam was finished. Other core collections about the history of Glen Canyon exist, most notably the wonderful resources available at the Northern Arizona University's Cline Library Special Collections and Archives department, which also accepts donations of papers and photographs. In the last few years, as interest in Glen Canyon has grown, both institutions have become centers of research about the canyon. But of course at the University of Utah we'd love to add to our collection of Glen Canyon lore and history, and that's what this letter is about. As an archivist. I've made it our mission to collect as much of the legacy of Glen canyon, in the form of photographs, films, documents, memoirs, oral histories and other material, as we possibly can, before of slides some of this precious heritage is lost forever. This can take many and other materials, consenting to an oral history interview to record your tales about the Glen, allowing us to copy your priceless photographs, or even letting others know what we're trying to da The Special Collections Department of the Marriott Library is one of the major research centers on the history of the American West. Scholars come from all over the world to use our collections of primary historical materials. Your priceless donations will be securely housed in an environmentally controlled library) arranged and indexed according to strict archival standards. Any damaged or fragile items can be treated by our professional preservation staff, in their lab in the same building. Donations of any kind to the University it of Utah, a institution, may also be Your donations will be added to a growing body of knowledge about Glen Canyon and made available to students, scholars and the public. Please help us preserve the history of Glen Canyon, even as the debate about the future of Lake Powell continues. If you have questions about our Glen Canyon collections, or would like to arrange a donation, please contact me at the address below. Thank you for your concern for the history of the Glen. forms--donati- on non-prof- Roy Webb, Multimedia Archivist Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 84112 3 rwebblibra ry.utah.edu (801) ng noble-soundi- ng eel self-sufficie- nt, el ed so-call- non-nati- 585-307- Dear Jim, We appreciated your comments about our beloved turtle Arnold in the very Lame Alien Swimsuit Issue. However we take issue with your description of us as wannabe parents. More correctly, we are Arnold's minions. We do his bidding ve John Holland Moab Sincerely, John & Karilyn Brodell Jackson, Wyoming CHIPS GRAND TIRE 312 N. Main 259-790- 9 Chip's Identity Crisis: Just what is it we do here? There are many out there who believe that If a huge asteroid hit Salt Lake City, CALL other than the people who were deprived of our great coffee, nobody would notice. TOLL-FRE-E: 800-748-48- 87 m |
