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Show Garn Dissatisfied With Park Proposals U.S. Sea Jake Garn (R-UT.) said today that a response from the National Park Service to his suggestion that the service delay the proposed closing of overnight accomodations in Zion National Park is not satisfactory. Earlier this month, Garn asked the Park Service to delay for one year the proposed closing of overnight concesslns, to provide more time for a comprehensive study of the plan. He said the Park Service planned to hold hearings and conduct a study at the end of the 1975 tourist season, with an eye toward closing the conessions on December 31, 1975. He told Director Gary Everhardt the plan did not provide nearly enough time for a comprehensive study or for an orderly implementation of a final proposal. Everhardt responded to the Senator's request this week by saying that the Park Service would not delay the proposed closing date, but would "initiate the study to be conducted during the summer months." "This is not at all satisfactory," Garn said. "When the Utah delegation was briefed earlier this month on the concession plan, a representative of the Park Service said that the summer tourist season was not a good time to conduct a study because of the unavailability of necessary people. Everyone at the meeting agreed with the representative. I am really surprised that the Park Service now Intends to ignore its own advice." Garn wrote another letter to the Park Service Director, expressing his "strong hope" that the Service will reconsider, and give serious consideration to his original proposal of a one-year closing delay. |