KEEPING SECRETS
Trying to keep a secret is almost impossible these days, but rancher Waldo Wilcox kept a good one for half a century. Last month, when his secret was finally revealed, it became the second biggest global online news story of the day. Since 1951, Mr. Wilcox has protected one of the most remarkable archaeological treasures ever found in the American Southwest—the Wetherills would have been impressed. He protected them simply by not telling anyone. Like Wilcox said, "The less people who know about this, the better."
Strung along 12 miles of a mountain creek, deep in the rugged Book Cliffs of southern Utah, is a series of prehistoric Native American villages that have remained untouched and virtually unseen by anyone for a thousand years but Wilcox and his close friends and family.
The ancient villages were occupied for over thirty centuries by the Fremont Indians until they were suddenly abandoned almost a millennium ago. Since then, only the wind and the rain have touched the thousands of artifacts left behind. Until now.
Wilcox, worried that after his passing, the villages might be vandalized and destroyed, decided to sell his secret treasures. He was paid $2.5 million and has retired to Green River, Utah. Ownership of the 4200 acres has been transferred to the state and federal government.
On June 30, state archaeologists shuttled news organizations to the remote site—it was a media circus. Watching the news coverage that evening on the Salt Lake news channels, Waldo Wilcox looked utterly bewildered. You could almost see him thinking: What have I done? I don’t blame him for worrying, although I don’t know what other options he had. But as recently as last week, updated news reports indicated that the sites have already been vandalized—by the very media who traveled there. Is anyone surprised?
So what happens now? Now that The World has been informed? In an age where everyone feels they have a right to experience first-hand, every secret treasure our shrinking dwindling planet conceals...what can we expect? Guided tours? A canyoneering/archaeological adventure trip? A State Lottery? Will local Chambers of Commerce demand easier and faster access so that their tourism economies can grow? Will the government need to construct a 30 mile circumference cyclone fence to keep the human predator population out? And I don’t limit my ‘predator’ comments to just grave diggers and moki poachers...every eco-tourist who wants to say he or she "did Waldo’s artifacts" will bear part of the responsibility for its eventual degradation.
In fact, the idea of protecting special places by keeping them a secret has stirred debate even among environmentalists. Steve Allen, a guidebook writer, canyoneering tour operator and sometime spokesman for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, believes that the more people who visit wilderness areas, the better. In 2002, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Allen’s firm belief that wilderness must be seen to be protected. "We need more people out there, not less," he said. "Right now, the wilderness lands of southern Utah are in flux...we need as many wilderness supporters as we can get."
But what of growing concerns that too many people, no matter how well-intentioned, run the risk of loving such natural treasures to death? Allen says, "If places get too crowded, we can take appropriate steps (to limit access)...There are 10 canyons on the tick list. There are 1000 other canyons."
The idea that as one canyon gets trampled by non-motorized recreational overuse, we can just move to the one is troubling to some, including me. But others will insist that keeping a place "secret" is an act of selfishness and arrogance. And that its anonymity will ultimately lead to its demise.
I am convinced that, for very un-selfish reasons, rancher Waldo Wilcox protected this priceless treasure for half a century. For those who will argue that he did it for the money, remember that he sold his land for less than $600 an acre—not exactly ranchette prices. Also consider how many government bureaucrats, at how great an expense, and with what degree of success will be required to perform the job he did alone.
To all of you reading this...please...take comfort that the Book Cliff sites are there and forget about it. Just leave it alone. Do it for the Fremont and do it for Waldo.
A few of us at Arches used to keep a secret. For years, a couple of fellow rangers and I protected a remote site in the park, not because it would be construed to have enormous value, but because it would not.
We called it the Secret Spring...when the "secret" got out, everything changed. For the complete story, turn to page 14.
DICK CHENEY SAYS WE CAN ALL ‘F----K OFF!’
First of all, let me freely admit that my language of late has descended into the depths of depravity, into realms my dear mother would never have dreamed possible. Maybe it’s just the desperate, despicable times in which we live, but I have unwittingly assumed the title, on occasion, of gutter mouth. The ‘f word’ in particular, has become a particular favorite. There doesn’t seem to be another word in our language quite as satisfying or meaningful, or effective. When I say, "The world has gone insane," it doesn’t have nearly the resonance of, "The world has gone f-cking insane!" The ‘f word’ actually replaces the need to add an exclamation point. It stands alone as an exclamation point.
I remain a member in good standing of the Order of Kentucky Colonels who still represent all that is chivalrous and noble in our fading culture and so I do attempt to curb my vulgarity when in the company of true gentlemen (a rare event) and, of course, the lovely ladies. But more often than not these days, simply to establish ground rules of conversation, I’ll ask the woman, "How do you feel about the ‘f word,’" and more often than not they’ll reply, "Don’t worry, I use that word all the f–cking time."
Women are tough in the 21st Century.
But that brings us to Dick Cheney and his recent hurled epithet at the hapless senator from...where the hell is Patrick Leahey from? Vermont? Close enough. As we all know now, the Vice President lost his temper on the floor of the United States Senate and ordered Mr. Leahey to, "Go f–ck off." I have also heard the alternative attributed quote, "Go f–ck yourself." Either variant serves the same purpose.
Now...I am regarded with disdain and caution by most of the conservative establishment, though many of you know that I have been just as annoying to the knee-jerk liberals in these parts as well. Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh would take one look at me at me and think Heathen Degenerate Scum. I look like the kind of low life that would say, "F–ck off."
But Dick Cheney? Our Republican Vice President? Co-leader of the Moral Majority? A man who stands for all the high minded, high moraled principles that the Religious Right thinks our great nation was built upon (like slavery, genocide and child labor)? John Ashcroft’s pal? Justice Scalia’s fishing buddy? Rush’s frequent radio guest? A man who condemned the immoral hijinx of Bill Clinton?
Welcome to the bottom of the barrel, Dick!
And of even greater significance than his initial utterance, the Veep is totally unrepentant. When pressed by the media about his outburst, he later said, "I felt better afterwards," and maybe he did. Maybe there is a lesson to be learned here. We should all be so unrepentant.
When President Clinton had to appear before the Grand Jury and they asked him about his sexual escapades, clearly Bill should have replied, "Yep, I did it. AND I FELT BETTER AFTERWARDS!"
Of course, he did. What man wouldn’t?
When mothers ask their children to pry themselves away from their Play Stations to take out the garbage and those innocent little cherubs look up sweetly and say, "F–ck off, Mom," their parental units can smile broadly at each other, swell with pride and proclaim, "Isn’t that wonderful...emulating the Vice President."
All across our great land, Americans of any political persuasions, regardless of their race, color, creed, national origin or sexual persuasion can all be united by a common theme...a mantra for our times: "F–CK OFF!"
And we owe it all to Dick.
IN DEFENSE OF MY PALS AT ‘FOOTPRINTS’
—or how I learned to stop worrying and love Rex Tanner.
No one has done more for this community than Jim Collar and John Andrews. The owners of Moab-based Footprints have a record of public service and charitable contribution that is unmatched in southeast Utah. They’ve worked with the Moab and La Sal Schools, in the kindergarten summer reading program, with the Human Society of Moab, they’ve offered free computer classes to Moab residents, donated to the new Moab Regional Medical Center...the list goes on and is more than impressive.
Personally, they’ve been unflinching supporters of The Zephyr and have always been kind and generous. We’ve also enjoyed each other’s company and I’ve come to appreciate Jim and John’s excellent appreciation of the absurd and their dry, rapier wit. This spring Collar and Andrews approached me with the idea of running a second Zephyr ad—"this one will be just for fun," they said. Jim and John proposed a series of ads to wake up the town again...to give it a humorous shot in the arm. They succeeded beyond their wildest ambitions.
In the April/May issue, Footprints introduced its first ‘Top 10' list. Their first contribution was called, "Top 10 Properties We’d Like to See Jennifer Speers Purchase." (Speers is the extraordinary woman who bought the Dewey Bridge subdivision and tore down a $600,000 home in order to restore the land.) Among the ‘ten’ was: "The current crop of Grand County Commissioners–while not listed for sale, it’s pretty clear, if the price is right..."
It did not sit well with a couple of the Councilmen, especially Rex Tanner, who was reportedly furious. County Administrator Judy Bane and Deputy Doug Squires were sent to confront the Footprints Boys and to send a message: The Council is not amused. Jim and John were surprised at the level of anger and hadn’t meant to rile the entire county courthouse–they sent a letter of apology, explained that they’d never meant to hurt anyone personally and moved on with their lives.
And then they did another ad.
Their next ‘Top 10' list, the "Footprints Endangered List," included "Tattooed Missionaries," "skies without contrails," and even "The Canyon Country Zephyr (no lie there)." But Collar and Andrews also added, "Elected officials who actually serve the public." They did NOT write "Grand County elected officials;" they might well have been talking about that foul-mouthed veep Dick Cheney. But it didn’t matter. To use the vernacular, they were toast. A few weeks later, Administrator Bane chanced upon a Footprints employee at a local store; that employee returned with some surprising news—specifically because of their Zephyr ads, the county had terminated its working relationship with Footprints.
I learned about the coup de footprints a few days later and decided to give Ms. Bane a call. I asked if the rumor was true and she advised me that, "When a business bashes its employer," this kind of result was inevitable.
Meanwhile, the story made its way to other media outlets and on July 14, a Lisa Church story ran in the Moab Times-Independent and, later that week, in the Salt Lake Tribune. Most notable to me in Lisa’s article was a Rex Tanner quote. He said, "They have the right to say anything they think," but added this caveat, "just like we have the right to pick and choose who we do business with."
In other words, there are consequences to expressing an opinion in Grand County, if one member of its governing body doesn’t agree with it. Gee Rex, nobody will ever accuse you of being subtle, buddy.
Since, in my chat with Judy Bane, she had suggested several times that I "call Rex Tanner," it occurred to me that perhaps a few words to the entire Council could be more effective. So I drafted a letter and sent it via email and snail mail. In that correspondence, I asked some questions and much to the credit of the Council and chairperson, Judy Carmichael, I received a prompt reply.
My questions and Judy Carmichael’s answers---
1) Has Grand County terminated its working relationship with Footprints? Was it done because of recent advertisements that Footprints placed in The Zephyr?
"To answer this question quite simply, no, Grand County has not terminated our working relationship with Footprints. There was some confusing communication between County personnel and Footprints staff that may have led them to believe we would no longer be using their services. The fact is, the County does not have a contract with any computer technology firm or individual. Some departments have used –– and continue to use –– Footprints, Inc. Others use the contract services of another IT person in Grand County. "
"Did the confusing communication that led Footprints to believe they had been terminated take place as a result of ads placed in the Zephyr? Yes, I’m sure that is the case. But it should not have happened and I’’m sorry."
2) If it is true, who made this decision? I’ve been told that Councilman Tanner unilaterally ordered Ms. Bane to take such action. Is this true?
"While Councilman Tanner had some concerns regarding the nature of the advertisements Footprints placed in the Zephyr, he did not unilaterally order Ms. Bane to take any specific action regarding Footprints."
3) Has Footprints’ work performance ever been anything but superior in the past? Has the County ever been disappointed by the quality of its work? Has Footprints performed this work in a timely fashion? Have they done the work at a reasonable and fair price? In other words, is there any reason besides the Zephyr ads that would lead Grand County to terminate its working relationship with Footprints?
"The work performance from Footprints has been of high quality, done in a timely fashion and slightly higher than some of the IT people used by Grand County. We have not terminated our working relationship with Footprints."
4) Is the council aware of Footprints’ extraordinary record of public service in Grand County?
"While not aware of specific public service by Footprints, Inc., we certainly applaud their willingness to locate their business in Grand County and Moab. Our understanding is that they are a great asset to the community."
5) Can one councilperson, in this case Rex Tanner, make decisions on behalf of the governing body?
"No, of course not, and he did not do so in this case."
6) Does the Grand County Council believe that private businesses have the right to publicly express opinions about the political scene, locally or nationally, without fearing economic retribution from its local government? And if so, then do you believe the actions by Mr. Tanner constitute retribution?
"The Grand County Council acknowledges the right of any private business or individual to express any opinion about the political scene, locally or nationally, without fearing economic retribution from its local government.
"While Mr. Tanner did have a personal opinion regarding Footprints’ ads in the Zephyr and freely expressed those opinions to County staff and other County councilpersons, he did not take any action. Thus, there was no retribution on his part. "
And then Judy added, "As for Footprints advertising in the Zephyr, from where I sit they are getting their money’s worth out of their last ad. I’m sorry if this has hurt the people of Footprints. The Grand County Council does not retaliate against people or businesses that don’t agree with our opinions or actions. We are hard-working people who try to do what is best for our community. We will continue to work hard, but we will make mistakes and hopefully the community knows we did not set out to harm anyone or any business. I personally have gotten a little thicker-skinned on this job."
I appreciated the time Judy took to respond to my questions and am grateful that the Council dealt swiftly with the controversy. However, it doesn’t explain Judy Bane’s admonishment to the Footprints employee who stands firmly behind the story.
And there’s this—both Bane and Tanner have said there hasn’t been much need for Footprints’ services lately. So why is the county publicly looking to hire a full-time computer specialist?
As for Jim and John, they seem to have taken the brouhaha in good humor. As Collar said to the T-I last week, "...we lose money for every dollar we make from the county. If the county wants to hurt us financially, they should give us more work."
FREAK SHOW?
I was dared to do this by a friend who thinks I’m too vain to ever let this photo see the light of print. And she’s right...I’m pretty damn vain. But I can’t resist a challenge.
A few weeks ago, I was up a ladder, trying to knock down some trumpet vines when I discovered, all too late, that my head was about eight inches from a wasp nest. These evil creatures went right for my mouth (maybe they were being paid by Rex!) The next thing I knew, I was on the ground and in great pain. In a matter of minutes my head looked like a mutant pumpkin. Or perhaps Batman’s nemesis, the Joker?
You decide...
CORRECTION
Finally, in the June/July issue, I estimated the cost of the new Arches NP entrance station at $500,000. In fact, the actual cost was $265,000. Since the old ES cost $10,000 to build, this means that the NPS could have only built 26 of these smaller stations, instead of 50 as I’d suggested.
