High Country News Vol. 25.7, Apr. 19, 1993
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.. hZt., ...... .,"" tK. SEPia Aprl/19, 1993 VoL 25 No.7 A Paper for People who Care about tbe West One dollar and.fifty cents ..MlCON\£, MR. PRESIOEN'f, TO1\.IE OlI)'G~ TIM~RSUMM\T..." ~~ ~~.- • . .. , ."", Reporter's Notebooks: The way it was at the summit in Portland, Oregon/14, 15 .... nvironmentiilists' euphoria over budget was not the place to rework the times the subsidy it gives the West's ranchers. ~" President Bill Clinton's Western West's approach to public land mining, "Does he have the abilityto say no?" ~ ~ policies came to an abrupt end grazing and logging. Instead, they Western Republicans were allowed by ~ in late March, when the White promised to deliver reform in a package of their constituency to preach free enterprise . .. House pulled public land individual bills. while protecting subsidies to public land reforms from its new budget. The retreat was Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., head of the users. But Western Democrats, whose so quiet the White House wasn't the first to House Committee on Natural Resources, coalition includes city dwellers and envi- announce that grazing fee increases, mining said he has been "waiting for that indepen- ronmentalists, may have more trouble royalties and prohibitions on below-cost tim- dent legislation for 12 years." He also said keeping their base. That is especially true 'ber sales were no longer part.of the because the action was portrayed Clinton budget by the media as having seriously The honor of making that weakened Clinton's ability to announcement fell to Western Clinton flinches institute national reforms. Democratic senators, who had, Not only Westerners are pay- depending on your perspective, ing attention. The management either successfully reasoned with under Western. of the West's public lands has Clinton or threatened to vote as a become a national issue, with the bloc against his "budget unless he Clinton retreat criticized editori- gave them what they wanted. pressure ally in the New YorkTimes and The deal was apparently cut USA Today. without consulting Interior Sec- Not all Westerners will retary Bruce Babbitt, Clinton's escape increased fees. Interior congressional allies or environmentalists. he had not been warned of the deal-making Department officials announced that they The surprise and humiliation led to angry and called it "a fundamental mistake by the may replace lost revenues from higher statements, with Jay Hair, head of the administration." Miller predicted gridlock mining and grazing fees with surcharges on National Wildlife Federation, for example, would continue on Western lands. federal irrigation water and higher fees on calling the deal "date rape." During the Reagan-Bush years, ranch- recreational use o.fpublic lands. But the White House and the Western ers, miners and loggers were protected And despite campaign promises to buy Democratic senators, led by Montana's Max against legislative change by Western more parks and recreation land, the Clinton Baucus and Colorado's Ben Nighthorse Republican senators, led most recently by . budget calls for only $209 million for new Campbell, deplored what Campbell called Wyoming Senator Al Simpson. Now the land acquisition. Bush requested $366 mil- "extreme, shrill rhetoric." Other senators in torch has apparently passed to the Western lion last year. the bloc are Jeff Bingaman, N.M., Richard Democrats. Simpson said he was 'pleased - Michael Milstein, Ed Marston Bryan, Nev.,Dennis DeConcini, Ariz., Byron for the West, but worried for the nation: Dorgan, N.D. and Harry Reid, Nev. "It's a portent of a very troublesome trait," Michael Milstein reports for the 1 The White House and the senators said said the Senate minority whip, who recalled Billings Gazette; Ed Marston publishes they hadn't abandoned reforms, but that the that the government hands com producers 15 High Country News. • T LR . , ~======~ Spring visitors A Calkin . Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Tom celebration Knudson dropped in during the spring More than 100 break with his wife Eileen and almost 5- admirers of Brant Calkin year-old daughter Kristen. Tom is spend- gathered in Salt Lake ing this year as a professional-in-resi- City recently to wish the dence at the University of Colorado's executive director of the Center for Environmental Journalism in Southern Utah Wilder- Boulder, Colo. Usually, Tom writes about ness Alliance well as he environmental issues for the Sacramento concludes 30 years of Bee. work in environmental HIGH COUNTRY NEWS On a Saturday night he joined some activism. Brant, with the (ISSN/0191/5657) is published 50 residents of the North Fork Valley at help of associate director biweekly, except for one issue during Paonia Town Hall to see wondrous slides Susan Tixier, took July and one issue durfngjanuar-y, by of bats and hear a compelling speaker, Dr. SUWA from 1,000 the High Country Foundation, 119 David Armstrong. who is known as the members to 10.000 in Grand Avenue, Paonia, CO 81428. Sec- "bat man:' just five years. A former ond-class postage paid at Paonia, A professor of biology who also national president for the Colorado. directs the University Museum at the Uni- Sierra Club, Brant had POSTMASTER, Send address versity of Colorado, Armstrong enthralled changes to HIGH COUNTRY NEWS, received its highest Box 1090, Paonia, CO 81428. his audience with bat lore. Anyone who honor, the John Muir subscrfpnons are $28per ye~ for cared to could also touch one of the Award. individuals and public libraries, $38 dozens of preserved yet still furry bats he At the retirement pel' year for institutions. Single copies brought along. Armstrong proposed a bash, the award ceremo- $1.50 plus postage and handling. Spe- "Bat Count" day in Delta County and ny quickly lurched cial Issues $3 each. encouraged residents to construct and toward parodies and install bat houses to attract the insect-eat- skits. One, we hear, fea- Tom Bell ing mammals. Armstrong's talk in Paonia Cindy Wehling Editor emeritus tured a Green Goddess, Greg Peterson with Ook was sponsored by the Black Canyon sent to Utah just to roast Ed Marston Publisher Audubon Society. the flat-topped Calkin. Betsy Marston Mark Kramer and Lisa Moreno came His next challenge - once a replacement with some 250,000 people, and that Reno Ed~tor by to pick up a T-shirt while visiting is selected - is sailing with Susan to the has boomed recently to 134,000 people. linda Bacigalupi Associate publisher friends and family in the area. They live Sea of Cortez and Baja California. "It is no surprise that Nevada remains Steve Hinchman in Washington, D.C., where Mark works All proceeds from the event went the fastest growing state in the nation with Staff reporter for the Office of Management and Budget toward a scholarship for SUW A interns, a 50 percent growth rate and a population Paul Lar-mer- and Lisa is a legislative assistant for Col- called the Flat Intern Scholarship As:dstatft edikW' Earth around 1.2 million:' Jon points out, "what orado Rep. Pat Schroeder, Fund. For $20, contributors to the fund with the behemoth California spilling Jon Christensen Great Basift regional eduor . will receive a green T-shirt with a Brant eastward into the 'West.:" C.L Rawlins Calkin likeness drawn by Jim Stiles, Poetry editor intrepid newspaper publisher of Canyon New intern' Marlon Stewart Country Zephyr in Moab, Utah. Prodw::tW,,;proofreading New intern Greg Peterson comes to .. SOW A is at 1471 South 1100 Easf, us most recently from Aspen just over . Cindy Wehling Des..ktop publishing Salt Lake City, UT 84105. McClure Pass. For the last three years he Ann Ulrich has worked winters as a ski and snow- Typesetting Odds and ends board technician and summers as a busser Yvonne PeU Ray Rasker, who was mentioned in at the Woody Creek Tavern, known as the Business two stories in the last issue, wants us to haunt of writer Hunter S. Thompson. He Gretchen Nicholoff Circ:ulotkm manager. clarify his title: He works full time for the also volunteered some time at Hunter and Phyllis Becktell Wilderness Society and is an adjunct Amory Lovins' Rocky Mountain Institute Circulation researcher in the political science depart- in Old Snowmass. Promo,,,,,,Meg O'Shaughnessy ment of Montana State University. Lured to Colorado by its abundant While illustrator-proofreader Diane snow, Greg says in college he was a frus- Greg Peterson Pet.erMall Sylvain takes a two-month break to tour trated surfer. "Then. when I moved to I....... Ireland and Scotland, Marion Stewart, a Colorado, I discovered snowboarding and Victoria Bomberr-y, Forestville, Calij. former columnist and reporter for the She- it took over my life." Maggie Coon, Seattle, Wash. boygan Press. in Sheboygan, Wisc., has Judy Donald, Washington, D.C Now the "recovering ski bum" hopes Michael Ehlers, Boulder, coto. joined High Country News as fact-checker to pursue a career in journalism, which he Tom France, Missoula, Motll. and proofreader. Lisa Cook, the wife of discovered during a college internship Karl) Frohboese, Par'" City, Utub sally Gordon, Buffalo, Wyo. assistant editor Paul Larmer, has taken a with Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. There Judith Jacobsen, Boulder, Colo. different part of Diane's job, drawing Greg also discovered an interest in envi- Dan Luecke, Boulder. Colo. some five maps for this issue. Geoffrey O'Gara, Lander, Wyo._ ronmental law, But that was just before he DlaneJosephy Peavey, OJrey, ldubo Great Basin watcher Jon Christensen graduated from the University of Califor- James B. Rueh, Flagstaff, Ariz. tells us we completely ignored Nevada in nia at Santa Barbara and went off to Farwell SUlith, McLeod, Mont. Emily SwansOn,'Bozema;,., Mcmt. our introduction to our special issue April Aspen to investigate snow.