The
Insider
Serving Wayne & Garfield Counties, Utah Loa • Fremont • Lyman • BickneLL • teasdaLe • torrey • Grover • Fruita • caineviLLe • HanksviLLe PanGuitcH • PanGuitcH Lake • HatcH • antimony • Bryce • troPic • HenrieviLLe • cannonviLLe • escaLante • BouLder
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Issue # 1201
Loa Elementary Students Get Wild
Op-Ed
Statement on President Trump's Executive Order to Review National Monuments by Grand StaircaSe eScalante PartnerS
courteSy John Fahey
LOA - On April 28th the 1st graders at Loa Elementary presented the musical It’s a Jungle Out There to the community and fellow LES students. In the play King Leo is a victim of the corporate jungle! He has money, power, and fame, but he still has not found happiness. His trusty servants, Spot and Stripes, ever loyal to the King, begin a quest for the key to happiness. Do the monkeys have the answer? Or maybe the hyenas? Perhaps the secret lies with the elephants. This heart-warming musical play help our 1st graders see that the true meaning of happiness is not money, power and fame, but treasured friendships and life's simple pleasures. The audience was treated to 6 outstanding songs that were performed to perfection. Our kids did an outstanding job and it was a fun musical that was enjoyed by all who attended. We would like to thank Mrs. Coral Brinkerhoff for volunteering her time and musical talents to the 1st graders and Virginia Jeffery and Mrs. Liz Torgerson’s 5th grade class for helping with the decorations. A special thanks to Mrs. Laura Brinkerhoff and Mrs. Wendy Potter our truly outstanding 1st grade teachers. —John Fahey
Bryce Canyon Country Hosts Utah’s First Mule Days Event The couple owns an outfitter in Tropic, and have plenty of experience taking visitors on rides through Garfield County. With the help of the Garfield County Tourism Office, the Mechams decided to put on the event themselves. “My husband and I are excited to welcome the community of Mule Days attendees to Utah and show our friends how gorgeous Utah’s terrain and views are,” Mecham said. The three-day event will feature rides Friday through Saturday, highlighting the courteSy Powell tribute Alvin Askins takes flight in the wild ride event at Jake Clark’s Mule areas around Bryce Days in Ralston WY. The wild ride is similar to bronc riding, but Canyon National Park. like all of the Mule Days events, it features mules instead of horses. Spots will include Red Canyon, Willis Creek, BRYCE CANYON the scenery,” Merilee Mecham Henderson Canyon and PowCITY - After attending Mule said. “Our town is so lucky to ell Point. Days events all around the have the access to places like For those who want to country, Tropic residents the Grand Staircase-Escalante come but are not able to bring Merilee and Mclain Mecham National Monument and Dixie their own mule, nearby outfitcould not understand why National Forest.” ters are available to help comUtah had not joined in on the The Mechams knew their plete the experience. Other tradition. hometown of Tropic, Utah activities will include arena “There is no other place would be an ideal location to events, clinics and a Saturday in the country to ride trails show off the beauty of Utah night concert by Brenn Hill at that show so much diversity in through a Mule Days event. the Red Rock City Barn. “We are really excited to host Utah’s first Mule Days event,” Mecham said. “We hope everyone enjoys their time and we can continue GARFIELD COUNTY - The Garfield County Democratic on the tradition in following Convention will be held on Saturday, May 6th at the Escalante years.” Check in begins WednesSenior Citizens Center at 89 N. 100 W. in Escalante at 3pm. We will be taking nominations and voting to fill seats for party lead- day, May 3, at 3 p.m. at the ership and delegate vacancies. We had a great turnout at our lo- Tropic Heritage Center, just cal caucuses last year and we encourage everyone to participate off Main Street. The center again in the convention. There will be a short training following will also have information the convention for anyone planning to run for office. For more about activities, events and ways to get involved. For more information email democrats4garfield@gmail.com. —Garfield County Democratic Party information and to register, visit brycecanyonmuledays. com. REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST —Garfield County Office FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED of Tourism IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is one of the most spectacular landscapes America has to offer. People from all over the world travel to experience this iconic corner of the American west. It is the epicenter for the most exciting and significant discoveries in modern paleontology and holds vast and diverse cultural resources. It is essential to the research of landscape-scale management on the Colorado Plateau in the era of climate change and we’ve only scratched the surface of the potential of this national treasure. If a fair and thorough assessment of the Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument with input from all stakeholders is conducted, the only conclusion is that the Grand StaircaseEscalante National Monument is the correct size to properly steward the resources set forth in the proclamation. This executive order is simply another play in the losing battle to sell off America’s public lands to special interests. Grand Staircase Escalante Partners trusts that Secretary Zinke will follow in the footsteps of Teddy Roosevelt, who said, "We have become great because of the lavish use of our resources. But the time has come to inquire seriously what will happen when our forests are gone, when the coal, the iron, the oil, and the gas are exhausted, when the soils have still further impoverished and washed into the streams, polluting the rivers, denuding the fields and obstructing navigation." Grand Staircase Escalante Partners is the official support organization for Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Gravel Pit Decision Raises New Questions
WAYNE COUNTY Judge George L. Harmond’s April 14, 2017 decision in the case of Friends of Red Rocks vs. Wayne County possibly raises more questions than it has answered regarding the disposition of state owned lands overseen by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration. How the ruling specifically will affect the future of the 120 acre parcel east of the Teasdale Bench Road--on which Brown Brothers Construction has applied for a permit to excavate sand and gravel--remains murky.
“I have my own opinion, but it is not based on enough evidence or knowledge about the decision at this point to comment on where this is headed,” said Wayne County Commissioner Newell Harward. “I don’t have a full take on it.” “But I’m still in favor of the gravel pit moving forward,” said Harward. One result of the decision that is clear to all parties involved is that the ruling dispels any statutory authority for local input and county-level decision-making on the SIT-
LA parcel. Community input as well as any conditions issued by the county for operation of the gravel pit are at this point null and void. Whether SITLA will be moved by any citizen or local government involvement in their future decisions related to the Teasdale property remains to be seen. In March 2016, SITLA issued to Brown Brothers Construction Company a license to mine sand and gravel Gravel Pit
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International Migratory Bird Day Saturday, May 13, 2017
Garfield County Democrats to Hold Convention
irit reed
Escalante photographer Irit Reed snapped this shot of these black necked stilts while kayaking on the Wide Hollow Reservoir in the Escalante Petrified forest State Park. CAPITOL REEF N.P. - over in the Capitol Reef area. International Migratory Capitol Reef National Park Park biologists will be Bird Day was created in the will be celebrating Interna- leading a bird walk from 1990s to foster a greater untional Migratory Bird Day 7:30am to 10:30am. The walk derstanding, appreciation and on Saturday, May 13, 2017. meets at the Capitol Reef Na- protection of the phenomena Many species of migratory tional Park picnic area parking of bird migration. To learn birds including several variet- log. Participants should bring more about it, visit www.birdies of warblers, sparrows and binoculars, water, sharp eyes day.org —Capitol Reef National Park raptors find a hospitable stop- and an interest in birds.
THURS. MAY 4 - WED. MAY 10
A WINDY WEEKEND AHEAD - Windy and cloudy with a good chance of rain on the 10th. Saturday and Sunday are going to be the windiest. The wind will still be blowing between 18 - 25 MPH, so good luck! Highs for the week in mid to low 70s. Lows in the mid to high 30s and low 40s throughout the week.
Blessed are the hearts that can bend; they shall never be broken. —Albert Camus
ALL content for THE WAYNE & GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER must be submitted on FRIDAY BEFORE NOON to be included in the following Thursday edition of the paper.
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PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID RICHFIELD, UTAH PERMIT No. 122