Re: Trail deadline

[Horsestwo@aol.com]

This is the letter I wrote.  I hope it is appropriate.  Although I haven't
made it to the OT I want it to be there when I am ready!



February 2, 1999

Mr. Pete Wilkins
Team Leader
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan
337 S. Main St. Ste. 010
Cedar City UT 84720

Re: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan


Mr. Wilkins:

This is a plea from an environmentalist/equestrian to choose Option A in the
GSENM Management Plan so that the historic Outlaw Trail endurance ride may
continue to be held there on a yearly basis.  As an environmentalist who is a
member of The Nature Conservancy, Rails to Trails and several local
environmental groups, I was thrilled to see this area set aside.  As an
equestrian, I was only slightly alarmed that this change in status would
negatively affect the running of the Outlaw Trail endurance ride.  

The Outlaw Trail endurance ride is the embodiment of an historic, educational
event that has for over twenty years taken a small group of horses and riders
on a sanctioned endurance ride simulating the trail that the Wild Bunch would
have followed a century ago.  Sharon and Crockett Dumas not only host a
wonderful ride in spectacular scenery, they immerse the participants in the
history, geography and most importantly, the lore of the area.

The impact of the Outlaw Trail endurance ride on the topography and trails
within the GSENM area has been negligible in the past and would continue to be
negligible in the future.  Please access current and proven science when
deciding how horses impact an area, rather than the shrill "science" of
exclusion.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter and I again implore you to
vote for Option A and the continuation of the Outlaw Trail endurance ride.

Respectfully,



Melanie in AZ