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Re: [RC] re: RC] Bryce Canyon 5 day - Karen - Sandy Adams

Cindy,
I wonder why it has to be one way or the other - the goofball tree huggers want most of the planet closed off to all humans, etc. and then the idiot money changers consider NOTHING sacred. For decades moderate, monitored use has worked wonderfully. Why all of a sudden do you think it feels like we are being forced to choose sides - with NEITHER side being sensible? While a ride once a year, well monitored is not nearly as destructive as strip mining, closing it off to anyone and everyone defeats the entire purpose of "protecting" it. As riders who ride mainly outside of arenas :), and since many of us also enjoy the great outdoors as other parts of our leisure when not on horseback, it certainly is important to continue discourse on the matter, before acre after acre, and park after park - are closed to people, not just motocross and 45' RVs but even hikers or riders. What a great loss THAT will be!
S
On Dec 9, 2009, at 11:29 AM, Cindy Stafford wrote:

Karen, in reply to your e-mail below (and for anyone else mildly interested...)
 
First the disclaimer - I don't want to suggest I'm anything of an expert on strip mines, Bryce Canyon or Utah and I'm not trying to stimulate a discussion on the pros and cons of strip mines in general or this particular one or environmentalists.  But just some nuggets of info on the subject of strip mines...
 
I interned at a strip mine in college eons ago before I got my engineering degree.  What I came away with is learning that strip mines can effect greater areas than just the ground being excavated.  Water quality can be affected (we had monitoring wells miles away), there can be be noise impacts (from the excavating equipment, haul trucks and blasting), vibration impacts (from the blasting), air quality impacts (dust from the haul roads and from the blasting) and I imagine secondary impacts to the ecosystem, depending on the area being disturbed.  And some strip mine operations don't always follow the rules and have nifty ways of hiding stuff from the inspectors, with affects to the water quality and ecosystem as a result.
 
Not arguing for or against it, just some food for thought in case you enjoy the quiet nearby, the clean water downstream, or the fresh air alongside and want to preserve it
 
Cindy (who plans highways and coordinates the environmental studies for them....)
 
 
Karen wrote:
 
Actually, having a strip mine south of Panguitch should not affect the 5 day Bryce Canyon ride at all.  What will affect the Bryce ride is if the environmentalists try to expand that entire area into more protected wilderness area.  

.....What would a coal mine have to do with stopping a trail ride unless it was right on the trail (and, it's not). .....

 
 
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Sandy Adams
Deep Sands Arabians







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[RC] re: RC] Bryce Canyon 5 day - Karen, Cindy Stafford