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Show Viewpoints The A-9 Park Record. Wed/Thurs/Fri, June 19-21, 2019 editorial Summer outlook is optimistic, but wildfire threat is lurking he early outlook couldn’t be much better for Summit County as wildfire season begins. An extremely wet spring has kept vegetation moist, and Bryce Boyer, the county fire warden, predicts the danger throughout the summer will be average to below average. That’s welcome news after last year, when a dry winter had emergency officials on edge even in the spring. The concern was justified as the 2018 wildfire season in Utah proved to be one of the most destructive on record. Summit County was fortunate to come out relatively unscathed, with a 300-acre blaze in Tollgate Canyon that briefly threatened a few homes but did not destroy any being the most serious incident. At this point, residents can take heart in the fact a sequel to last summer does not appear imminent. But they shouldn’t fool themselves into thinking the threat has disappeared. As emergency personnel are quick to point out, even a below average wildfire year poses significant risk. There are still likely to be periods of extreme danger, in fact, depending on the conditions. And when the dog days of summer arrive, the outlook can change in a hurry. In Summit County, the stakes are high. All it takes is T perspectiVe Big runoff doesn’t mean water problems in the West are over PAUL ANDERSEN The Aspen Times If only the beavers had been left to do their work on the vast and convoluted watershed of the Southwest. But fashion intervened and trapped out the greatest water managers the world has ever known, leaving us to worry over water. “The drought is over,” reported the Crested Butte News, exulting that Blue Mesa Reservoir in Colorado might fill this summer, thanks to a huge snowpack. Last autumn, this 20-mile-long man-made pond looked more like a mud puddle with bathtub rings. It’s the same with Lake Powell where hydropower is jeopardized by the prolonged drought that has had Western states in a stranglehold. It’s the same in California where reports trumpeted “Water, Water Everywhere!” Creeks and rivers have begun flowing like endless torrents of mocha java. There’s soil in that roily runoff, and there’s a lot more on the way as the high mountain valleys and cirques are just beginning to release their payloads toward the Sea of Cortez. Except that those payloads rarely reach their natural terminus because the Colorado River is tapped out. Seven Western states depend upon the old Grand River, majestic carver of canyons. And there are calls for more from the growth magnets of Colorado’s Eastern Slope where land development never ends and the party’s never over. It was only a couple weeks ago that the main tributaries to the Roaring Fork began to pick up sediments and show significant rise. A goodly portion of that water is piped beneath the Continental Divide and into the Arkansas River, then on to thirsty subdivisions sprawling over the Front Range. Now that summer is here and nighttime temperatures are warming, the flows will pick up and peak for a month. River rafters, water managers and mosquitoes love these conditions. This runoff will be something to watch for the magnificent volume and power of a rippling, roaring, inexorable force of nature that can only be stopped by bleeding it dry for profligate flood irrigation of hay meadows, urban growth, the spewing fountains of Las Vegas and swimming pools in L.A. Despite sighs of relief, there should be no complacency in how we value this precious fluid medium that under- The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER ....................... Andy Bernhard Editor ................................... 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Water is the lifeblood of the West, and this year’s diluvium should not lull us into forgetfulness and set back water conservation measures. “California suffered historic drought from 2011 to 2017,” reported EcoNews in Southern California. “Now the reservoirs are filling up and the snowpack is deep. And our leaders state, ‘We will not be caught flat-footed another time.’ We’re filling reservoirs with record amounts of water. And the good news is that people are not relaxing.” In April, the Associated Press reported that President Donald Trump signed a plan to cut back on the use of water from the Colorado River, which serves 40 million people in the West. “The Colorado River drought contingency plan aims to keep two key reservoirs, Lakes Powell and Mead, from falling so low they cannot deliver water or produce hydropower.” We should have listened to John Wesley Powell, the one-armed Civil War veteran famous for running the Colorado River lashed to a chair on the deck of his dory. Powell’s report in 1878 called for slowing the rush of settlement to what he knew were arid places where homesteaders would become embattled over water. “For Powell, the water would not be taken out of the watershed or out of the basin and transferred across mountains ... hundreds of miles away to allow urban growth to take place,” explains Powell biographer Donald Worster. “Any city — Los Angeles, for example — would have had to deal with these local watershed groups and meet their terms. So L.A., if it existed at all, would have been a much, much smaller entity. Salt Lake City would be smaller. Phoenix would probably not even exist.” We need more beavers and fewer Phoenixes, more water conservation and fewer dams, more John Wesley Powells and fewer Floyd Dominys, more care for our rivers and less greed about using them up. If only the beaver had been spared and Powell had been heeded. Hindsight is always 20/20. Paul Andersen is a columnist for The Aspen Times, a Park Record sister paper based in Aspen, Colorado. one blaze to get out of control in the wrong location — Old Town, Deer Valley and Summit Park, for example — for catastrophe to strike. That’s not to say residents shouldn’t enjoy the summertime traditions of shooting off dazzling Fourth of July fireworks (assuming no restrictions are in place) and roasting marshmallows and hot dogs around an evening campfire. Just do it safely. Along with enjoying those fruits of a wet spring, there’s something else residents can do this summer: Officials say the favorable fire outlook makes it a perfect time to plan for when the situation isn’t so rosy. Residents should carve out time amid the summer fun to protect their homes by creating defensible spaces. That involves steps like trimming branches that are close to structures, ensuring dry grasses and weeds are mowed short and removing dead vegetation. Heed the warnings and take the opportunity to act now because, when a wildfire happens, it’s too late. In Summit County, that’s a matter of when, not if — even in a summer with favorable conditions. Summit County provides information about wildfires and how residents can protect their homes at co.summit. ut.us/561/Fire-Warden. perspectiVe Humble leaders become humble winners MICHAEL NORTON Vail Daily One of my favorite things to see is a humble winner. Not only a humble winner, but also a humble leader who willingly shares the victory and gives credit to the team around them, their friend, or a family member. In a world where outrageous behavior seems to garner the most attention, I still try and purposely find examples of those humble winners out there who let their actions and results speak for themselves and show gratitude and appreciation for those who have helped along the way. Now I love entertaining and exciting events. It’s good to see people fired up about their achievements and success. As a matter of fact, sometimes those feats are worthy of our applause. The walk-off home run, the hole in one, the artist and song we love winning the Grammy, the movie we enjoyed so much winning the Oscar, the salesperson on our team who just closed a massive opportunity and so many other examples. I love it, I applaud it, and I appreciate it. What I appreciate more, however, is when the athlete thanks his teammates and coaching staff or acknowledges his family who has supported him along the way. The celebrity who receives her award on stage and gives thanks to God, her family, and her co-stars. The golfer who tips his hat, picks up his ball, and moves on to the next hole. When things seem to be going really well, maybe even when things are going fantastic for us personally or professionally, it becomes easy for us to get caught up in our own success. Adoration and praise go right to our head, and we forget our humility. Conversely, when things are tough and going bad, we could become susceptible to blaming others, events beyond our control, and conditions for our loss. We hate losing so much that our humbleness goes out the window and the finger pointing begins. The humble winner knows that we win together, and we lose together. The humble winner remembers the hard work and the journey not just the victory. The humble winner leads their team during the setbacks and slumps and instills confidence as the team or company climbs back to the top. The humble winner makes sure that others who deserve credit are duly compensated and rewarded along the way. Humbleness is like gratitude in a way. The more we show gratitude for what we already have and who we have in our lives, typically we will have more to be grateful for. Well the more we weave a humble nature into our winning and leading, the more we will win, and we will build a loyal following of people who want to work with us or become a part of our team. Exciting entertainment and outrageous events are awesome and fun. And they become even more incredible when the team, people, or person receives their trophy, their award, or their commission with confidence and humbleness. Confident humbleness is indeed a character trai thatt is appreciated by most, and a trait that comes more easily to some, and for others takes a bit of practice and effort. In today’s “me-first” society, in the race for likes and followers, the humble winner and the humble leader have learned that it’s “we first” — a race that we run together, and that followers and fans are the encouragers who inspire them to greatness. So how about you? When you win or lose, do you accept both humbly? If so, congratulations as I am confident that you are probably winning more than you are losing. When we walk humbly, talk humbly, and practice confident humbleness, it really will be a better than good week. Michael Norton is a columnist for the Vail Daily, a Park Record sister paper based in Avon, Colorado. letters to the editor Bold idea for affordable housing Editor: Here’s an idea that could result in many new affordable housing units — a bold move demonstrating City Hall’s passion and willingness to sacrifice for the benefit of Parkites. City government should move out of City Hall on Marsac Avenue and rede- velop the building as affordable housing. I would guess you could get 20-30 units out of it. The location is ideal. The infrastructure is already in place. There are very few close neighbors to complain. Could be a slam dunk. Meanwhile, the city builds new offices in the Bonanza/Iron Horse neighborhood, where it already has extensive operations facilities. No need to change the land use or affect open space, and it would probably be cheap- The Park record Pulse Here’s a sampling of the conversation readers are having on our Facebook page. To visit the page, go to Facebook.com/parkrecord/. Everyone is demanding more affordable housing, yet no one wants it in their backyard. Seems like we just keep spinning our wheels on this subject. As I often say, there needs to be improved public transit to more affordable areas outside Park City and affordable housing built where there is space to do so. Ten units don’t make much of an impact. There simply isn’t the space in town to build enough to come anywhere remotely close to meeting the need.” Hilary Reiter, on “Letters: Leave City Hall-owned open space undeveloped” Maybe employers will need to embrace the free market and pay wages that will retain workers. Just a thought.” Dan Murray, on “Finding employees is a struggle for Summit County businesses” A while back Wasatch County had an educators housing deal that was really remarkable. That could be a great model to follow.” Mike Walker, on “Finding employees is a struggle for Summit County businesses” How about 234 units of employee affordable housing!?!” Elizabeth Kleiman Smith, on “Major Canyons Village mixed-use development gets thumbs up from Planning Commission.” Plans for the development call for 234 luxury condos. The Park Record attained permission to publish these comments. Some comments may have been lightly edited for clarity. er than developing residential from scratch. And, it seems more friendly than the large golden blockhouse that currently lords over the town. Just an idea. Tom Horton Park City Iconic land at risk Editor: Almost 30 years ago I was sitting at a table across from the owner of what would become Park City’s most prized open space purchase — the Osgathorpe Dairy/McPolin Barn. What I knew then as mayor and I believe remains true today is that we often only get one chance to save a critical piece of open space. Now there is another iconic Park City landscape at risk, Armstrong Snow Ranch Pastures. Fifteen years from now we will not be asking ourselves why we saved the pastures, but we will be kicking ourselves if development becomes the destiny for this land. There is no doubt that if we miss this opportunity to save the Armstrong Pastures the development offers that follow will look to increase density beyond the base 1/3 acre zoning already allowed. This could dramatically change the character of the neighborhood and add to the traffic congestion the community already faces. I urge you to support the preservation of this landscape. It is truly one of the last pieces in a legacy of open space protection that began in 1990. A legacy which has made this town the home that so many of us love. Bradley Olch Former Park City mayor |