It was the first day of a weeklong volunteer vacation in the desert wilderness of southeastern Utah, and for five hours, nearly a dozen of us had been working slowly down a dry gulch, hacking out brush, trimming tree limbs and piling branches and rocks to maintain a hiking trail.
An afternoon September sun baked from a blue sky and all of us had been sucking down the 3 or 4 liters of water we packed in the morning. This was a vacation, I kept telling myself, but a couple of blisters burned into my feet and my shoulders ached.
Late last month, my wife and I took one of our semi-regular treks in the Grand Canyon, a two-day, 23-mile hike from the North Rim down to the Colorado River and back up, to the South Rim. As always, it was a test of aging knees, a massage for the soul and a total immersion in geology and natural spectacle.
Even more than usual, it was a reminder of the sometimes erratic course of our collective stewardship of the red rock country of the desert Southwest.
All presidents indulge in end-of-the-term environmental rule-making, partly to tie up bureaucratic loose ends but mainly to lock in policies that their successor will be hard pressed to reverse.
President Bill Clinton's midnight regulations were mostly good, including a rule protecting 60 million acres of national forests from road-building and most commercial development. Not surprisingly, most of President Bush's proposals are not.
The area referred to as Gold Butte includes land rich
in visual beauty, wildlife, archeological and cultural history and solitude.
Unrestricted entry has resulted in negative impacts to all of these wonders
through inappropriate motorized vehicle use, theft and vandalism.
Thank you for Sunday's article by Ben Cramer about the proposed Morrison Run Wilderness Area and Morrison hiking trail in the Allegheny National Forest (ANF). Cramer is correct that Morrison Run is a true gem for backcountry recreation.
The nearly 7,000-acre area is actually one of eight tracts in the ANF -- totaling 54,460 acres -- outlined for wilderness designation in our Citizens' Wilderness Proposal for Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest.
"It's an abomination, it's an embarrassment," Huntsman said recently after touring the Moab area, a favorite spot for recreational use by riders of ATVs, dirt bikes and similar machines.
The governor has some credibility on this because he's an expert off-road motorcyclist himself.
It was excellent to see the Review-Journal's C. Douglas Nielsen chime in on the threat to Gold Butte (Oct. 2 column). But his solution is not only not practical, his concerns about the legislation are invalid.
After reading your Sept. 27 article "Berkley seeking federal protection for land in county," I felt it imperative to publicly applaud Rep. Shelley Berkley and her efforts to protect the treasure that is the Gold Butte area.
The Gold Butte region is in danger of becoming a battleground if people let party politics and ideological differences dominate. It's time for everyone to take a deep breath, relax and look for ways to look together.
It's fruitless - even harmful - to do otherwise.
That doesn't mean those who are not happy with Rep. Shelley Berkley's bill should just roll over and play dead. On the contrary, it's the right time to let feelings and opinions be known. It's time for discussion, consultation and working things out.
The Gold Butte region can serve as an alternative to the immensely popular Red Rock National Conservation Area as our population continues to grow. Current use unfortunately includes irresponsible off-road activities, and vandalism of petroglyphs and historical artifacts.
Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, D-Las Vegas, introduced a bill last week that would address the needs of this precious area - that is, thoughtful protection and development of recreational and native wildlife uses.
Work And Play; On a volunteer vacation in southern Utah, one traveler chopped brush, patched blisters and reveled in the shadows
October 24th, 2008It was the first day of a weeklong volunteer vacation in the desert wilderness of southeastern Utah, and for five hours, nearly a dozen of us had been working slowly down a dry gulch, hacking out brush, trimming tree limbs and piling branches and rocks to maintain a hiking trail.
An afternoon September sun baked from a blue sky and all of us had been sucking down the 3 or 4 liters of water we packed in the morning. This was a vacation, I kept telling myself, but a couple of blisters burned into my feet and my shoulders ached.
OPINION: Saving the Desert Southwest
October 20th, 2008Late last month, my wife and I took one of our semi-regular treks in the Grand Canyon, a two-day, 23-mile hike from the North Rim down to the Colorado River and back up, to the South Rim. As always, it was a test of aging knees, a massage for the soul and a total immersion in geology and natural spectacle.
Even more than usual, it was a reminder of the sometimes erratic course of our collective stewardship of the red rock country of the desert Southwest.
EDITORIAL: Last-Minute Mischief
October 20th, 2008All presidents indulge in end-of-the-term environmental rule-making, partly to tie up bureaucratic loose ends but mainly to lock in policies that their successor will be hard pressed to reverse.
President Bill Clinton's midnight regulations were mostly good, including a rule protecting 60 million acres of national forests from road-building and most commercial development. Not surprisingly, most of President Bush's proposals are not.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Save Gold Butte
October 13th, 2008The area referred to as Gold Butte includes land rich
in visual beauty, wildlife, archeological and cultural history and solitude.
Unrestricted entry has resulted in negative impacts to all of these wonders
through inappropriate motorized vehicle use, theft and vandalism.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: National forest trail is a gem
October 14th, 2008Thank you for Sunday's article by Ben Cramer about the proposed Morrison Run Wilderness Area and Morrison hiking trail in the Allegheny National Forest (ANF). Cramer is correct that Morrison Run is a true gem for backcountry recreation.
The nearly 7,000-acre area is actually one of eight tracts in the ANF -- totaling 54,460 acres -- outlined for wilderness designation in our Citizens' Wilderness Proposal for Pennsylvania's Allegheny National Forest.
EDITORIAL: ORV riders must take lead
October 9th, 2008"It's an abomination, it's an embarrassment," Huntsman said recently after touring the Moab area, a favorite spot for recreational use by riders of ATVs, dirt bikes and similar machines.
The governor has some credibility on this because he's an expert off-road motorcyclist himself.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Protecting wilderness
October 9th, 2008It was excellent to see the Review-Journal's C. Douglas Nielsen chime in on the threat to Gold Butte (Oct. 2 column). But his solution is not only not practical, his concerns about the legislation are invalid.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Gold Butte area a treasure worth protecting
October 6th, 2008After reading your Sept. 27 article "Berkley seeking federal protection for land in county," I felt it imperative to publicly applaud Rep. Shelley Berkley and her efforts to protect the treasure that is the Gold Butte area.
EDITORIAL: Let’s work together for Gold Butte’s future
October 3rd, 2008The Gold Butte region is in danger of becoming a battleground if people let party politics and ideological differences dominate. It's time for everyone to take a deep breath, relax and look for ways to look together.
It's fruitless - even harmful - to do otherwise.
That doesn't mean those who are not happy with Rep. Shelley Berkley's bill should just roll over and play dead. On the contrary, it's the right time to let feelings and opinions be known. It's time for discussion, consultation and working things out.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Protect precious Gold Butte region
October 3rd, 2008The Gold Butte region can serve as an alternative to the immensely popular Red Rock National Conservation Area as our population continues to grow. Current use unfortunately includes irresponsible off-road activities, and vandalism of petroglyphs and historical artifacts.
Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, D-Las Vegas, introduced a bill last week that would address the needs of this precious area - that is, thoughtful protection and development of recreational and native wildlife uses.