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SteveVB

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----- Original Message -----
From: Carla Boucher
To: C Boucher
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 10:58 AM
Subject: PLEASE READ AND BE INFORMED


Below is an alert from Utah Shared Access Alliance regarding the
establishment of another National Monument in Utah. You don't have to take
any action at the moment except to hit the forward button on your e-mail to
get this information out and take just a few minutes to read the alert.

One of my concerns after reading Brian Hawthorne's alert is that if this
National Monument is declared we can look for this to be a model for other
states to use, particularly those states with Democratic Governors whose
party platforms are traditionally environmentalist supported.

Thank you for taking the time to stay informed and helping to pass on this
valuable information.

Carla

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Friends,
This ACCESS ALERT contains information vital to anyone who enjoys or whose
livelihood depends upon access to resources on public lands. It is
especially vital to the hundreds of thousands of Americans struggling under
extremely restrictive "Park Like" management regimes on various National
Monuments designated during the Clinton/Gore administration.

SITUATION:
Last night in Salt Lake City Utah, during the State of the State speech,
Utah's Governor Leavitt announced plans to ask President Bush to designate a
National Monument on more than 620,000 acres in the San Rafael region of
central Utah.

In his speech, he said: "I'm proud tonight to announce that local and state
officials will formally request that the President of the United States use
his executive powers to create the San Rafael National Monument."

Contrasting the designation of the Grand Staircase Escalante National
Monument he stated; "Unlike the scenario involving the Grand Staircase
National Monument in September of 1996, this is no stealth proposal. While
both regions contain spectacular land that deserve protection, the Grand
Staircase was created by a different president who developed his executive
order in complete secrecy and with no notice and no collaboration."

The Governor added: "By stark contrast, the San Rafael proposal is the
product of 7 years of intense negotiation involving many stakeholders."

This came as quite a shock most "stakeholders" who were just learning about
the plan as they watched the Governor on TV!

In fact, the plan to designate a National Monument was keep a highly guarded
secret until just 48 hours before the Governor made his announcement!

The staff of USA-ALL (Utah's largest public lands access organization) is in
the process of gathering details of this proposal. Clearly, the implications
of designating any additional lands in Utah as a National Monument will have
profound implications. Not only to the citizens of Utah, but also to the
many hundreds of rural communities struggling under oppressive public land
management policies all over the United States.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY:
Forward this message to anyone you know concerned with access to public
lands. What little information we have regarding this proposal is below.
Please take a moment to read it. Keep an eye out for further ACTION ALERTS
and bookmark our website ( http://www.usa-all.com ) . Detailed information
and analysis will be posted there tomorrow morning.

Thank you,
Brian Hawthorne
Utah Shared Access Alliance
P.O. Box 131, Payson Utah, 84651
801-464-3940

DETAILS OF NATIONAL MONUMENT PROPOSAL

By now, many of you know Emery County in Utah is home to many premier OHV
destinations. Families who have enjoyed traveling along the Devils
Racetrack, Eva Conover Road, Behind the Reef Road and the Temple Mountain
Trail System (aka Dick Brass Trail System) number in the hundreds of
thousands.

Last week, a small unobtrusive notice appeared in the local Emery County
paper. It said, in part: ".the Emery County Public Lands Council will hold a
Public Information Meeting on January 26, 2002. The purpose of this meeting
is to provide information and receive input regarding a pubic lands and
resource management concept development by the Emery County Public Lands
Council and potential designations and/or management strategies for the San
Rafael Swell".

I attended that meeting. A small group of citizens from Emery and Carbon
Counties listened as the members of Emery County's Public Lands Council
released the proposal for the first time. The plan is to ask the president
to declare a National Monument to protect historic resources on over 620,000
acres of public lands known as the San Rafael Swell. The lands include
nearly all of the many popular OHV destinations in Emery County.

County officials explained that they were extremely concerned about what
affect a Wilderness proposal will have on their communities. Restrictive
public land management of any kind, especially wilderness, would have a
profoundly negative affect on the lives and livelihoods of citizens in their
communities. They are truly worried.

They have concluded that a monument designation would "add a layer of
protection" for stockmen, recreationists, OHV enthusiasts, and the many
thousands who travel to the San Rafael to enjoy the spectacular scenery. All
of who stand to be locked out by wilderness proposals.

A surprising number of citizens supported the proposal. But many were
unconvinced that the language proposed for the monument proclamation would
provide any protection for grazing, access rights, water rights and other
multiple uses. The commissioners assured everyone, that although the
language was nearly the same as that contained in Clinton's proclamation
creating the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, their plan would
be different. It relied on a friendly administration, a different attitude
in the BLM (?) and an "advisory council" that would "give the county a
voice" in how the lands would be managed.

The impression that I was left with after the meeting ended was that the
County would take input from citizens before formally making a proposal to
President Bush. 48 hours after the meeting, I sat in utter shock as I
listened to Utah's Governor state; "And Members of the Emery County
Commission and the Public Land Council are here tonight to formalize this
request."

USA-ALL is extremely concerned about any proposal that withdrawals public
lands from the strong multiple use/sustained yield mandate contained in
current law. We came to the meeting with an open mind because we are
sympathetic to the plight of communities that are forced to suffer under
extremely restrictive public land policies. We are meeting with county
officials to examine the details of their proposal. It's not clear if they
are still open to input or if they have already made up their minds. We will
let you know.

The implications of this proposal are profound. Today, many hundreds of
communities are in the process of negotiating with lawmakers and federal
land managers in an effort to moderate the extremely restrictive land
management regimes currently in effect on existing National Monuments.
USA-ALL stands in strong support of those efforts.

Action will probably be needed to prevent a similar tragedy that is the
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Please watch for further
updates, ACTION ALERTS and detailed analysis and information.

USA-ALL is committed to protecting the rights of those who choose or are
required to use vehicles for access and recreation on public lands and
National Forests in Utah. Thanks to all of our members and supports, without
whose generous support, our efforts to keep public land upon would not be
possible. STAY TUNED!!!

Brian Hawthorne
Utah Shared Access Alliance
 






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