August 20, 2015 The Wayne & Garfield County Insider

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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, August 20, 2015

SE Utah Tourist Season Fouled by Gold King Mine Spill

UDOT releases new long-range plan for rural roads

Catching Some Air

Projects planned over next 25 years will enhance Utah’s economy, quality of life

Courtesy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is treating some of the contaminated water from the Gold King Mine spill in containment ponds like this one. San Juan County is among the growing list of areas affected by last week's spill in southwestern Colorado. MONTICELLO - The economy in southeastern Utah is taking a beating following the Gold King Mine spill in Colorado, which has pretty much ended the summer tourist season in some downstream communities The Gold King Mine spill, which dumped millions of gallons of toxic sludge into the Animas River in Colorado, is having a far-reaching economic impact in Utah. The Animas River turns into the San Juan River, which flows into Lake Powell in Utah. San Juan County Sheriff Rick Eldredge said the ban on using the river has pretty much ended the area's huge summer tourist season. "Nobody can raft the river, no one can recreate - and obviously this is flowing into Lake Powell, and that's going to chase people off the lake, and fishermen," he said. —Troy Wilde, Utah News Connection

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Gold King Mine Spill Update PAGE, AZ - The National Park Service (NPS) has received numerous inquiries from local residents and park visitors regarding the effects of the Gold King Mine spill on waters within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The incident is being managed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Current information on the spill is available at www.EPA. gov/GoldKingMine. Contaminated wastewater from the Gold King Mine has not reached Lake Powell or the San Juan River within Glen Canyon. “We have not received information from the EPA indicating that we need to modify our operations due to health concerns related to the quality of water heading towards our park,” said Superintendent, Todd Brindle. There are currently no closures in effect on Lake Powell. The EPA has advised that

the leading edge of the plume was last reported as east of Shiprock, NM and is no longer visible due to dilution and sediment levels in the river. Several state and federal agencies, including the NPS, will be monitoring waters within Glen Canyon to assess potential effects associated with the plume from the Gold King Mine release. These stations will test for water quality parameters such as: conductivity, drinking water standards, sediments and metals. Samples will be collected in Lake Powell, the San Juan River, and downstream of the Glen Canyon Dam near Lees Ferry. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available. Glen Canyon has established a hotline to provide the most current visitor information at (928) 6086404. —National Park Service

A Personal Report from Meadowmount School of Music by Miriam Wagstaff

Miriam (second from right) practicing with fellow string quarter members Margaret, Leo and Amanda at Meadowmount School of Music. WESTPORT, NY - It has tired couple, and staying in their been a more rainy and cool guesthouse, which they named summer here in Westport, New "the Otter Home". They are York than usual, say the locals. expert gardeners and have let The weather has been pleasant us pick bouquets, lots of bluefor us, only a few days with un- berries, and produce from their comfortable humidity and heat. Meadowmount We are renting from a sweet reCont'd on page 2 REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA

THURS. AUG. 20 - WED. AUG. 26 MORE SUMMER. Sunny to mostly sunny Thursday through Monday, with highs in the mid to upper 80s. Clouding up and with temperaturess dropping to the mid 70s on Tues/Wed, with a chance of thunderstorms. Lows all week in the low 50s.

Issue # 1112

Annette Lamb

WAYNE COUNTY - Eleven year old Brecklynn Buchanan was all smiles as she caught some serious air between herself and the saddle as she participated in the gymkhana event at the Wayne County Fair this past weekend. Brecklynn is the daughter of Brock and Kellie Buchanan of Richfield.

SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Department of Transportation today released its longrange plan forecasting transportation needs in rural Utah over the next 25 years. The department updates its long-range transportation plan every four years with an eye toward keeping traffic moving now and into the future. The plan focuses primarily on rural areas of the state and identifies a list of projects that will strengthen Utah’s economy and enhance the state’s quality of life. Transportation needs for Utah’s urban areas are developed in cooperation with metropolitan planning organizations like the Dixie Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Wasatch Front Regional Council. These long-range plans, along with UDOT’s Long-Range Plan, are combined to create Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan, which will be published this fall. “UDOT follows a fiscally responsible approach to maximize the value of Utah’s Rural Roads

Cont'd on page 2

Jubilee Guard Station Gets a Facelift ESCALANTE - The Dixie National Forest, partnering with Back Country Horsemen of Utah Canyon Country Chapter and Bryce Canyon National Park, completed a long awaited project of giving the Jubilee Guard Station some needed roof repairs, maintenance and new windows. Located at 9,800 feet on the Aquarius Plateau in the Dixie National Forest, the Jubilee Guard Station is a treasured historic cabin. Built in 1908, the station provided a comfortable abode for forest rangers while they were riding and doing range checks on the Escalante Mountain. The rangers that lived and worked out of back-country cabins such as this one mapped the forest, administered grazing permits, provided trail access and patrolled for poachers of game, timber, water, mineral and rangeland resources. Many of these rangers were local people that possessed hands-on-skills rather than formal training. Guard stations were located about a one-day ride apart from each other. This was to give adequate back-country administration coverage over large areas of National Forest. In 1989, the State Historic Preservation Office concurred with the Dixie National Forest's determination that the site (State No. 42-GA-3451) was eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. It was deemed significant as one of the oldest remaining guard stations in Utah and as a service location for one of the earliest telephone systems in Southern

Courtesy Carol Kracht

Back Country Horsemen of Utah members Carol Kracht and Nate Waggoner volunteer horse packing for the Dixie National Forest.

and brand new replicas of the original windows they carefully packed them to the cabin. A Historical Preservation crew from Bryce Canyon National Park worked on the repairs and installation of the windows. Upon hiking out to see the work, Cindy Calbaum, Recreation/Wilderness Program Manager for the Forest Service was thrilled to see the finished results. —Carol Kracht Carol Kracht

Jubilee Guard Station 'Before' Utah. Recognizing its importance, the Forest restored the cabin in 1989-90. Time and weather having taken their toll it was determined that the cabin needed some loving attention and restoration maintenance. During the month of August, Back Country Horsemen of Utah Canyon Country Chapter members here in Escalante, Carol Kracht and Nathan Waggoner, volunteered their time and pack horses to bring in the supplies. Loaded with tools, roofing shakes,

We ought not to treat living creatures like shoes or household belongings, which when worn with use we throw away. —Plutarch

Jubilee Guard Station 'After'

ALL content for THE WAYNE &GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER must be submitted on FRIDAY BEFORE 5:00 PM to be included in the following Thursday edition of the paper.

BOXHOLDER

Cindy Calbaum

PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID RICHFIELD, UTAH PERMIT No. 122


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