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Show Burr Trail Hearing Set Tonight in Escalantel . t&. jzsbsJ-- y- s r ... .... --. - . v- - .- ; ' .. . . I .v '.r,.. li, .. a " ? L -T ' , v- .!-; - , , 2,,.. - --;- I...-' N . r . . . " I - - f - i r . . V ' ' - ' ; ; - " - 4 ., '? , . x.' ...vti , . -.1' ' ' i--.. ' :4 ! r v - - Cw r I.. - - . . " H.'- ' 4 ; - il f'-ZP hut 'y-y,-& Garfield County and the State of Utah will fund construction of the 50-mile 50-mile Bureau of Land Management portion of the road at a cost of $12.3 million. The National Park Service will fund construction of the 16 miles of roadway within Capitol Reef National Park and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area at a cost of $8.5 million. All of southern Utah's counties (Garifeld, Wayne, Grand, San Juan, Kane, Washington, Iron, Piute, Sevier, Millard and Beaver); Governor Bangerter; former Utah Governor Scott Matheson; Senators Orrin Hatch and Jake Garn; Representatives James V. Hansen, Dan Marriott, and Howard Nielson; former Utah Senators Frank Moss and Wallace Bennett; former Governor Calvin Rampton and former Representative ' Gunn 1 McKay have also expressed support for the project. Other support of record includes the Salt Lake Area Chamber of Commerce, The Utah State Travel Council, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service. (See BURR TRAIL Page 5) ESCALANTE A large crowd is expected for Thursday's official public i hearing to discuss the proposed paving of the Burr Trail Road between Boulder and Bullfrog at Escalante. Governor Norman Bangerter; Bob Weldner, natural resources staff aide for Senator Jake Garn; Representative Jim Yardley; and other officials are expected to comment at the meeting set for 7 . p.m. at the Escalante High School. Comments will also be received from, the public. Paving of the 66-mile long former cattle trail which was widened in 1967 to 25 feet by the Atomic Energy Commission for use as a uranium haul road Is eagerly sought by most southern Utahns but opposed by some who fear environmental damage. The road traverses southern Utah's canyon country, Capitol Reef National Park and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.' Only when dry is the Burr Trail passable by passenger car. As a result, most tourist avoid the present road. Frequent storms and flash floods often make the road impassable to four-wheel drive vehicles at any of several locations along the route. Geographically, the Burr Trail is the central link in southern Utah's Grand Circle Adventure. When combined with the new Lake Powell ferry boat system it will enhance southern Utah as a major tourist destination point, proponents claim. The proposal would upgrade and pave the existing road into a safe, slow-speed, all-weather, scenic road linking Utah's five national parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyon Lands, Capitol Reef, and Zion), the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Mesa Verde and the Grand Canyon National Parks as part of the Grand Circle Adventure region. The Boulder-Bullfrog scenic road engineering plan proposes to follow the existing dirt road corridor with minimal alterations as necessary for safety and convenience according ac-cording to proponents. The engineers claim that by designing the Rodeway improvements im-provements based on criteria for a low-speed roadway (40 mph and lower) and by closely following the alignment of the existing road, there will be minimal impacts to the surrounding landscape. An Environmental En-vironmental Assessment, conducted by the National Park Service, will identify and offer methods of appropriate ap-propriate mitigation for impactors to the environment which would be unavoidable. The project would be jointly financed by the State of Utah and the National Park Service. Public hearing in Escalante tonight will address proposed paving for 66-mile-long Burr Trail Road. The Gulch scenic overlook would be one of several overlooks along the road between Boulder and Bullfrog which would be opened up to the view of travelers on new route. Dates Set for County Fair August 8 to 10 This year's Garfield County Fair has been set for Aug. 8 through Aug. 10 and promises to be bigger and better than ever says County Fair chairman Marie Liston. New features at this year's fair will be a parade on Saturday, Aug. 10 and a "Cookoff King" contest set for Aug. 9. ' couraged to use showmanship in dress and display of their entries. The contest will be held at Panguitch City Park. Prizes will be awarded and the winner will qualify for the State Fair in Salt Lake City. Garfield County will also work with the Garfield County Farm Bureau in the production of a talent show set for Saturday evening, Aug. 10. Garfield County Commmissioner Tom Hatch serves as .county commissioner com-missioner in charge for the county fair. The parade is expected to add to 1 the enthusiasm and support of the county fair, said Liston, and the high school band from Escalante, and marching groups from Panguitch ' Bryce Valley high schools have been ' invited to participate. Business , owners and civic groups will be encouraged to take part with entries in the parade. The Cookoff King contest will be held in conjunction with the Utah Farm Bureau and all outdoor chefs in the county are encouraged to enter. Contest rules specify that the entree must be beef, pork, lamb, or poultry and contestants are en- Burr Trail- t (mmmWl Opposition to paving the road appears to come primarily from some environmental groups who prefer that the road remain un-paved. un-paved. Some have indicated they will oppose paving the Burr Trail under any circumstances while others have indicated a willingness to support the proposal provided proposed BLM wilderness study areas in the Escalante River Drainage are considered for wilderness designation by the Congress. The plan to upgrade the Burr Trail was originally proposed in 1972 by the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society, and the Escalnte Wilderness Wilder-ness Committee as a preferred alternative to carving a $60 million scenic highway out of southern Utah's slick-rock country. At that time, all three groups proposed a "Canyon Country Parkway Park-way System" which included "upgrading of the present dirt track from Hall's Crossing through the waterpocket fold on the Burr Trail, across the Circle Cliffs and joining the paved highway U-12 at Boulder." Proponents of paving claim that small towns in southern Utah which are almost solely dependent upon National Parks related tourism for their survival will benefit economically from increased tourism in the Grand Circle region. In supporting the proposal, Garfield County Commissioners claim, "the need for a long term, stable tourist base in Southern Utah is more necessary now than ever before. Environmental laws designed to protect the National Parks have done so. But, they have contributed to stopping construction of at least three coal-fired power plants in Southern Utah and a coal mining proposal outside of Bryce Canyon National Park. Other proposed industrial, mining, and exploration developments have also been stopped or delayed by these same laws. The tourist industry should be one Induury which can be developed within the scope of these environmental rules." i |