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Show SI One board member, a former San Juan county science teacher, responded, Grill Janet's low-key approach should not be mistaken for complacency. Her conservationist opinions are fervent and even after two generations of the Black clan harassing her, she continues to voice her beliefs and act on behalf of the land she loves. “On that wilderness inventory, I believed I was being paid to do a job with taxpayer dollars and that I should do a good job. And that I was to follow federal guidelines for wilderness. But they [BLM] wanted to get it over with, with as little wilderness as possible. It was the most frustrating experience...a total political boondoggle. That's what turned me ee “Now Mary, of the examples you have given me, that's nothing different than what I taught you in science class when you were a little girl.” The issue was dismissed. IT SF X House se canner RREEE ied MOAB'’S STEAK PLACE Famous ‘Bucks"in History BUCK into an activist.” Janet takes the baseball cap from her head and, with her water bottle, fills it with water ROGERS (from the 25th Century) for Chaco to drink. She speaks of the three things in life that she thinks matter: where you live, the work you do, and the relationships you have. She speaks of soul mates. We, two SRI school board, accusing her of “teaching atheism and secular humanism” to the children of Monticello. ee admits that the educational seeds she has sown are sometimes challenged. But because of her non-confrontational style, science-based arguments, and sustained genuine ties with the community, people around Janet are always willing to consider her views—in spite of their differences. Recently, Mary Shumway, the daughter of Cal Black, brought Janet before the SER Ee then think of what will happen [to these Plateau lands] down the road.” Recognizing that San Juan County is fertile ground for anti-environmentalism, Janet kiethceeens Janet, who has a master's degree in experiential education, has now expanded the school's programs to influence communities of the Colorado Plateau. Her reasoning is that “...if we can create a generation of children on the Plateau that love and respect the earth, I've been doing this Intergalactic Travel stuff for 500 years and I could go for a BIG STEAK! She speaks of the three things in life that she thinks matter: where you live, the work you do, and the relationships you have. She speaks of soul mates. single women, laugh that two out of three isn't bad and that perhaps our canine hiking So there's the educational approach, which is the long-term effort to change attitudes and values. But sometimes that's not enough, there’s not enough time for education to take hold, which is why we also need activism.” I leave Monticello feeling rich with gifts of story and inspiration from Janet Ross, an unconventional woman by Utah standards who pioneered for herself a life less ordinary amid circumstances extraordinary. Although her life has been one of challenge—living in a primitive structure with few modern luxuries, running a non-profit from a remote, rustic location, and living among a population whose views run mostly diametric to her own, it has been a fruitful one—-one in which she can act out her passion and commitment to both 1393 N. Highway 191 435. 259.5201 Serving Dinner Nightly LEETEREREEREREEEEEEEEEEE See Se Historic Bed & Breakfast in Bluff, Utah's Historic Neighborhood Hiking, Biking, Skiing & Van Trips _ land and community. Few of us have claimed our spiritual home as Janet Ross has. Pioneer House Amy Irvine works for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. She lives in Salt Lake City. The October/November Issue of The Zephyr will be on newsstands September 24. www.moabutah.com/bucks/ State Liquor License The Historic Pioneer Fese. Built in 1898. TOM RICE & KELLY McANDREWS P.O. Box 219 Bluff, UT 84512 888.637.2582 435.672.2446 Blut¢ Expedition® www.pioncerhouscina.com Could a different haircut have changed history?? Nixon as hipster 471 S. Main St. Desert Plaza 259.7735 CNERGIZED LATE SUMMER CAMPING? You thought the mosquitoes would be gone by now, so you left the bug spray at home? See v2 we és IGINALS OXYGEN You'd heard that it was casy to find a campsite ths time of year and that there was a nice convenience store at the Arches Campground? Mosquitoes? You stepped in some quicksand in Courthouse Wash and the last time you saw your new shoes, they were sinking into the muck, making weird slurping sounds? “an! v= YOU NEED US What mosquitoes? 3 “i + NSE ae asst % : Pe don't like that approach; it turns them off because it's confrontational. sey I ask her how she sees the roles of educator and activist: is one better than the other? She replies, “I believe there's a need for activism, which is the short-term effort to prevent something—like stopping an intrusion into wilderness, stopping a dam, etc. A lot of people Se partners are the only soul mates we need. |