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Show PANGUITCH • PANGUITCH LAKE • HATCH • BRYCE • TROPIC • ANTIMONY • HENRIEVILLE • CANNONVILLE • ESCALANTE • BOULDER Thursday, December 10, 2009 • Issue # 246 New Year's Eve Party 2010! Conie Join Us At The New Ebcnczer's Barn & Grill A We Celebrate The Corning of The New Year! H1N1 OPEN TO THE GENERAL POPLUATION The Central Utah Public Health Department has reviewed our H1N1 dispensing plan and decided to open vaccination to the general population. These walk-in clinics will be during the hours of 9:00am to 4:00 pm.* Piute County: At the Junction Office call during office hours Tuesday-Thursday 9:00am5:00pm to make sure vaccine is available All clinics are first-come first-serve and are open for all groups. We would like to remind those with children under the age of 10 that received their first dose of vaccine over 21 days (28 days if received nasal spray) ago to come in and get their second dose during these clinics. We have also received a small shipment of seasonal flu vaccine. The vaccine is available at the local health office. People can call to find out how they can receive a dose. It was reported that we had a death in our district, but it was a recording error and the patient is alive and doing okay. MAKING LEMONADE FROM... COAL? Justin Fischer Garfield County Planner/Economic Development Director A recent front page article declared "Area Citizens Outraged by Proposed Coal Strip Mine in Alton Utah." It is hard to call the article anything but propaganda. Bruce McMahan, the author, used the words "many" and "sevTHURSDAY, DECEMBER 31 eral" to lead readers to believe the position he champions Featuring: is more than a small minority of residents from Panguitch LIVE DI "ADAM RUE" and the surrounding area. EISENEZEWS 9pm to 1213 ORM Were that the extent of the manipulation in Mr. McMa.cl BARN &GRILL BAR' (Free AmissionfFamily Atuursphere) han's article, he might be thought of as simply zealous; however, the article went well beyond zealotry. Particularly offensive was this statement: "Several citizens of Panguitch... feel that after numerous meetings with Panguitch Stay At The Best Western Rahloi IN* Or City Council Members and Garfield County CommissionThe New Beal Western Bryce Canyon Grand Mosel ers their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Endorsement of the For 2 Nights Al discounted coal mine by these authority figures has been a direct conRates And Receive The tradiction for the constituents they represent who have ex3rd Night Free. Ruby`, Imo S.1144 Tax Per pressed their opposition to this mine." Consider that for Truro?. 13 ryq4r•o.co-mirmil a moment. If there were broad support among the comP rGEO4 Code: BeWp411.1 L4PJijorr munity to oppose the coal mine, how did these elected 011" Brice Croyail Grand Heidi Sd5-1-Trai Per Ni jlrl www.bryciree,conlibcz officials keep their jobs? How were there not candidates Praia* Coat: riortirsuift running on a "Stop the mine!" platform? The answer is RLISTS I ti 1-K66-866-6616 or 1 435 834 5341 simple. A vocal minority didn't get their way and are now • • www. ru birsin n m doing their best to pretend that everyone agrees with them H13 Y 43 ■ ZYCL CANYON CITY, 'CITA!! ■ 4T4-4 and the elected officials are to blame. CLOSEST ACCOMMODATION 70 THE ENTRANCE TO BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PA In my position as Garfield County Planner and Economic Development Director, I have worked with elected officials from all over the County, especially the Garfield County Commission. I have never seen these officials turn Utah agricultural landowners and operators are encouraged to submit 2010 applia deaf ear to anyone. They listen. They are empathetic. cations by January 15 to USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) for They make choices with great deliberation, seeking the participation in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Wildlife Habitat greatest good for their constituents. Incentives Program (WHIP) and Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) Program. Mr. McMahan doesn't stop at trying to overstate support These programs are offered through a continuous signup but NRCS periodically makes or vilifying elected officials. He tries his hand at fear-monfunding selections as program dollars allow. gering and understating economic impact as well. Before EQIP, WHIP and AMA were originally established under the 1996 Farm Bill and swallowing his spin, consider the following: • The pollution to which he refers is primarily from the are reauthorized in the 2008 Farm Bill. These programs provide technical and financial burning of coal, not the mining or transportation of it. assistance to landowners to voluntarily address soil, water and related natural resource Most of the pollutants he refers to are scrubbed and don't concerns on agricultural lands. Producers who currently have a conservation plan or are enter the atmosphere in the process of developing a plan to address resource concerns will be considered a The Fairyland Point • 300 trucks, 24 hours a day sounds like a lot until one does priority application. Road and the Paria Point some arithmetic and realizes that is 12.5 trucks per hour. Examples of conservation programs that can address water resource concerns are ir- road have closed for the rigation land leveling, installing sprinkler systems and ditch lining. Healthy plant popula- winter. They are open for Spend a few minutes at the corner of Center and Main tions can be maintained by installing such practices as tree and shrub plantings and brush cross country skiing and in Panguitch and count the number of semis that come through town in an hour control. Many other practices are approved to help protect animal, wildlife, air, energy, snowshoeing The Bryce Canyon Visi- • A trucking belt route has been discussed to reduce truck and soil resources. tor Center is open from 8:00 traffic through Panguitch Congress included new provisions in the 2008 Farm Bill setting aside 5 percent to 4:30 daily throughout the of EQIP financial assistance dollars to assist beginning farmers and another 5 percent winter. The orientation film • Tourism and tourism related industries make up about to assist socially disadvantaged farmers. Historically underserved producers, such as a is shown upon request. The 70% of Garfield County's economy, but Garfield County member of a Socially Disadvantaged Group (American Indians, Blacks, Asians, Native Bryce Canyon Natural His- is second to last in terms of median income in the whole state. Such is the nature of a low-paying, seasonal based Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics), Beginning or Limited Resource Farmers, tory Association bookstore sells a variety of maps, economy. Our economy needs diversification and Indian tribes may be eligible for up to 90 percent of the average cost of practices. calendars, fun games and • Suggesting that increased truck traffic on US-89 will reFor more information about developing a conservation plan and applying for these other items of local interduce tourism is mere speculation cost-share programs, con- est that would make excel• Based on that speculation, the claim of lost tax revenue tact your local USDA Ser- lent holiday gifts. For more is made. A cursory examination leads to the opposite convice Center or go online to information, please contact Bryce Canyon National clusion once new jobs and consequential development are www.ut.nrcs.usda.gov. TH URSDAY Park at 435-834-5322. considered HIGH: 28 • Mr. McMahan completely ignores the jobs that will be MOSTLY CLOUDY LOW: 6 created from transportation if the mine opens. That alone would create 50 news jobs in Panguitch and Hatch. Those FRIDAY jobs would pay nearly twice the median income of the area HIGH: 31 • For each new job created, two to three additional jobs LOW: 11 FEW SNOW SHOWERS will be created from local spending and development • Mr. McMahan claims jobs would disappear in 3 to 5 SATURDAY years. That claim assumes the BLM will not permit minHIGH: 36 J j( I ing on federal lands LOW: 18 FEW SNOW SHOWERS • Alton is in Kane County, and Garfield County (or Panguitch and Hatch for that matter) has little say in the mat14 North Main St. SUNDAY ter. US-89 is not owned by Garfield County either ,_ Parowan, Utah HIGH: 39 In the end, the complaints against the mine are from LOW: 14 (435)477-9577 RAIN/ SNOW SHOWERS people who generally have theirs, and don't care if anyone else can achieve that for which they have hungered for MONDAY a very long time. The elected officials would not support HIGH: 40 ,I 0 something that would be detrimental to our county and LOW: 13 FEW SNOW SHOWERS New Patients Welcome towns. Is coal trucking the end of the economic road in our Justin Marsh, DDS county? Of course not. However, if coal trucks are going Affordable Family Dentistry Escalante Native TUESDAY to run through our county anyway, why not make the best _ HIGH: 39 of the situation? Why not make lemonade from coal? New Year's Special I - - - E. APPLICATIONS WELCOME FOR FARM BILL CONSERVATION PROGRAMS ROAD CLOSURE AT BRYCE CANYON N.P. c7 PAROWAN DENTAL FEW SNOW SHOWERS LOW: 13 WEDNESDAY CLOUDY Member of: ,Utah Press HIGH: 39 LOW: 14 ***** I FPA. INDEPENDENT FR PAPERS OF AMERICA ac mama 4,1.V • 1 U11"l• MI% ►,41 in IM! No arsenal ... is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. Ronald Reagan THE GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER is owned and operated by Snapshot Multimedia and is distributed weekly to all of Garfield County. Its purpose is to inform residents about local issues and events. Articles submitted from independent writers are not necessarily the opinion of Snapshot Multimedia. We sincerely hope you enjoy the paper and encourage input on ideas and/or suggestions for the paper. Thank you for your support. Multimedia Phone: 435-676-2621 Fax 435-836-2700 PO BOX 472, Loa, Utah 84747 snapshot@scinternet.net ALL content for THE GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER must be submitted on FRIDAY BEFORE 5:00 PM to be included in the following Thursday edition of the paper. BOXHOLDER PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID LOA, UTAH PERMIT No. 5 |