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Show D ; PANGUITCH • PANGUITCH LAKE • HATCH • BRYCE • TROPIC • ANTIMONY • HENRIEVILLE • CANNONVILLE • ESCALANTE • BOULDER Thursday, September 23, 2010 • Issue # 289 "INVOLVE ME AND I'LL REMEMBER" Four local government organizations come together to educate the 8th grade students in Garfield County. Bryce Canyon National Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon Natural History Association joined together to pres- National Forest employee and art docent. Using their journals the students then started their science studies with Gayle Pollock, director of the Bryce Canyon their own. Late into the evening and early in the morning on the slick rock, the students continued to write stories based on facts they had learned during the ent "Involve me and I'll remember". This program was under the direction of Marilyn Bulkley, Education/Outreach Specialist for Bryce Canyon Natural History Association. The program was designed for interdisciplinary studies involving four state core subjects, Science, Language Arts, History and Fine Arts. Combining these four subjects, with an outdoor experience, these seventysix students will be able to use this program as an introduction to their studies throughout their 8th grade year. This two day adventure began at Bryce Canyon National Park with an introduction to journal writing by Richard Costigan, Dixie Natural History Association and geologist. Starting on the top of the Grand Staircase, at the Pink Cliffs, the students hiked down the Navajo Loop trail in Bryce Canyon and then made their way to the Gray Cliff formation, the Tropic area, in search of fossils. Ending the day at Kodachrome Basin State Park the students camped the night under the majestic red formations. That evening surprise guests arrived, Ralph and Lael Chynoweth from Henrieville told stories of growing up at Kodachrome Basin. Using these stories and the information they had gathered throughout the day the students then began writing a story of day. Then packing up the bus, they headed for Red Canyon where the Dixie National Forest trail crew awaited them to start work on the trail on the south side of the Red Canyon Campground. Working on the trail for about 3 hours the students and teachers went home tired but educationally fed. Frank Houston science teacher stated, "This has been an experience that these kids will not forget." The teachers involved with this project were science teachers Roy Suggett, Bryce Valley and Eugene King, Escalante. And from Panguitch Middle School, Julie Chidester, Principal and art , Jan Frandsen, history, Frank Houston, science and Lesa Breinholt, language arts. Special thanks to Aaron Farmer, Kodachrome Basin State Park, Lori Wood and Joe Rechsteiner, Dixie National Forest, Kathleen Gonder, Bryce Canyon National Park and Gayle Pollock, Bryce Canyon Natural History Association. And we would like to thank Janice Hatch, Superintendent and the school board for their support as well. "Hopefully by involving the students, we have instilled a love for the history and the geology of our beautiful surroundings and educated the students in science, history, and art through writing. This was truly an unforgettable and educational experience for all of us, and one we hope to continue." Marilyn Bulkley concluded at the end of the 8th grade campout. THURSDAY SUNNY ) HIGH: 74 LOW: 38 FRIDAY SUNNY HIGH: 78 LOW: 41 SATURDAY SUNNY HIGH: 80 LOW: 41 SUNDAY SUNNY HIGH: 80 LOW: 42 MONDAY SUNNY HIGH: 80 LOW: 43 TUESDAY SUNNY HIGH: 77 LOW: 42 WEDNESDAY SUNNY Member of: fir Utah Press, I FPA. Aficp ViAll 11J•" INS INDEPENDENT FREE PAPERS OF AMERICA COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE TO DISCUSS YOUR IDEAS By Robert MacWhorter, Dixie National Forest Supervisor Over the next year, I am tion, maintenance, and im- (you do not need to pay the excited about a unique dia- provement of wildlife and park fee to attend). A seclogue we (the Dixie Nation- fish habitat; the control of ond community workshop al Forest) will be having noxious and exotic weeds; will be held on October 13 with members of the com- and the re-establishment of at the Dixie National Forest Offices in Cedar City munity about the future of native species. The RAC will need your (1789 North Wedgewood) forest management. This summer, the Sec- ideas. Project ideas can also from 3-7 p.m. Project retary of Agriculture ap- come from groups, indi- proposals are due Novempointed a Resource Advi- viduals, local government, ber 30, 2010. There will sory Committee (RAC) for and even my staff on the be a second round of projthe Dixie National Forest. national forest. Local dis- ect proposals due April 30, This RAC will engage in trict rangers in St. George, 2011. The next RAC meeting is dialogue with us on how Cedar City, Panguitch, and best to spend about $1.4 Escalante are eager to work on December 7 at the Garmillion of funding that is with you to develop your field County Courthouse being made available to ideas into RAC projects. from 9-5 p.m. RAC meetus under the Reauthorized Successful projects will ings are open to the public Secure Rural Schools and garner broad public sup- and there is a public forum Self-Determination Act of port, foster collaborative included during each meetrelationships, and directly ing for those in attendance 2008. The RAC is responsible benefit national forest sys- to share their brief thoughts to recommend projects to tem lands. All projects with the RAC and Forest me by fall 2011. The Act must obviously comply Service personnel. This important dialogue is stipulates that these proj- with existing law, policy, ects should: "Improve the and regulation. Project sub- unique because as we look maintenance of existing mission forms are available at possible projects we will infrastructure, implement on the Dixie National For- engage in dynamic discusstewardship objectives that est website at www.fs.fed. sions about the long-term direction of forest manageenhance forest ecosystems, us/r4/dixie/. To help the public dement. It will be great to be and restore and improve velop their RAC project a part of this process. land health and water qualideas and fill out the apIf you have questions ity." This could include plication forms, a couple about RAC or the Secure road/trail maintenance, improvement, or oblitera- community workshops are Rural Schools Act or how tion; soil productivity im- being held. There will be you can best be a part of provement; improvements a community workshop on this exciting effort, contact in forest ecosystem health; October 7 at Bryce Canyon my public affairs officer, watershed restoration and National Park (administra- Kenton Call at (435) 865maintenance; the restora- tive offices) from 3-7 p.m. 3700. UTAH FARM BUREAU INTERVENES ON GRAZING SUIT Utah Farm Bureau Federation and 11 other state Farm Bureaus in the American Farm Bureau's Western Region, on September 15th petitioned the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to intervene in defending two agencies against a lawsuit over grazing fees on federal land. Two environmental groups, the Western Watersheds Project and the Center for Biological Diversity are the named plaintiffs in the suit. The case, filed against the BLM and US. Forest Service seeks a court order to require agencies to reconsider how grazing fees are calculated and to perform environmental impact analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to issuing grazing permits each year. Attempts have been made to use Congress to change the permit fee in the past but those efforts have ultimately failed. According to Randy Parker, CEO of the Utah Farm Bureau, the environmental groups seek to increase the cost of permits and also slow down their approval process. "If the plaintiffs are successful, the Forest Service and the BLM would have to conduct an environmental impact study for every permit they issue, every year. This will raise costs and the legal red tape to the governing agencies and also potentially cause delays in the permitting process." The plaintiffs are suing the government based on two statutes, NEPA and the Administrative Procedures Act. By addressing the issue in court, the plaintiffs are seeking to adversely affect the nearly 12,000 grazing permittees and more than 11 million permitted Animal Unit Months (AUMs) on federal land in a single action. Utah has nearly 1,600 sheep and cattle ranching permittees with more than 1.4 million permitted AUMs. "With the economic viability of many Utah ranching operations tied directly to access and fair grazing fees, the action taken by the western Farm Bureaus is critical to our rural community's futures," Parker said. "With nearly 70-percent of Utah controlled by the federal government, the sovereignty of our state and self-determination is on trial as well." Teaming up with the Mountain States Legal Foundation, this action is aimed at staving off environmental groups who have long opposed an activity that pre-dates the arrival of western civilization in the American West — grazing on the public lands. William Perry Pendley, president of Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) points out that, "they think they have found the mechanism to kill that activity and together we intend to stop them." Grazing, which has been permitted since American settlers came west, has been a mainstay of the rural western economy and a mechanism for saving open space and beneficial to western wildlife populations. "Utah State University Professor Darwin Nielson, considered the Father of 1978 Public Rangelands Improvement Act (PRIA) formula established an 'equitable' fee schedule that is fair and has prevented economic disruption and harm to the western livestock industry. The 1934 Taylor Grazing Act mandates that forage held in common on the federal lands is chiefly valuable for livestock has long been upheld in U.S. courts, Parker concluded. Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot. D. H. Lawrence HIGH: 77 LOW: 39 * **** DIXIE NATIONAL FOREST RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO HOLD ''' Ma 11t NM •tig hr. 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 1-888-370-8546 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 |