From: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Subject: Utah Wilderness -- Happy Anniversary Date: 07 Jun 1996 15:24:05 -0600 Utah Wilderness Update In this issue: 1) Happy Anniversary 2) New Cosponsor, and pledges for 5.7 wild 3) Sign up to check out roads 4) Calling Colorado delegates... 5) Skin So Soft - the final word 1) One year on: Folks, we've got some news: today is the one year anniversary of the introduction of the Utah congressional delegations anti wilderness bills HR 1745 and S 884. A wonderful anniversary! One year ago today (seems like last week) we were looking at certain defeat in the House, and a probable drubbing in the Senate as well. We had a list of maybe 30 volunteers nationwide, a few bucks, and low energy. Today, we have thousands of activists working in every state in the country to save Utah wilderness. Candidate by the score are lining up to pledge their support for passing HR 1500 next congress. As for HR 1745 and S 884, they may not be gone entirely, but the anti-wilderness crowd had been beaten back twice this congress and can expect a huge scrap if they bring up their bill again. You deserve congratulations for pulling victory from the jaws of certain defeat. The hours you have spent making calls and writing letters have really paid off. We're closer now to saving Utah's magnificent canyon country than even before. Next spring, together, we *will* pass HR 1500 and save this land for ourselves and all Americans. Thanks for a great year, and here's to even more success in the months ahead! 2) New Cosponsor / pledges for 5.7 Just added today! Rep. Steve LaTourette (R) 19th District of Ohio. That makes 115!! As for the pledges from candidates to vote for 5.7 next congress, they are coming in sooooo fast ( well over 100 already) that we can't list them all here. Please call candidates in your state, and let us know what they say. We're happy to fax 'em all the info they need. If you would like to know if someone has already been asked, please drop Tom or Liz a line here. *Important Note* Just a reminder that SUWA and the UWC are non-partisan, and do not endorse candidates. To make our information complete (and therefore legal) please inquire as to the position of both major party candidates for each race you are seeking a pledge in. Gotta make the lawyers happy :) 3) Sign up to check out roads If your plans this year are taking you through Utah, and you would like to help "ground proof" phony road claims that are preventing areas from being considered for wilderness, send mail to Gail Hoskisson in Salt Lake City . Gail is a huge help, running this massive all-volunteer effort. She'll hook you up with maps, guidelines and all the rest. 4) Calling Colorado delegates... Miriam Rosenblum is a delegate to the Colorado Democratic convention this Saturday, and is looking for folks who are planning to go to help her corral pledges to support 5.7 wild. Mail her to coordinate at . 5) Skin So Soft-- The final word A slightly tongue in cheek poll produced some might spirited responses. They seem to fall into three camps: the true believers, the doubting thomases and the conspiracy theorists. Guess you'll have to decide who you believe. Thanks for all the feedback, and please forward any "no-miss" suggestions. True Believers: --------------- As a geologist working on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska, I tried the SSS method of bug repellent. I concluded that in fact, the mosquitoes did NOT bite but that they still swarmed and landed anyway, so they were just as annoying. Plus the stuff was really greasy and gummed up some of my field maps. Skin parching is not an issue there, where it rains quite a bit. If you care. But we didn't have black flies, which seem to have more painful bites. ---- My experience with Skin-so-Soft began in 1985 and I can say that it has worked very effectively in many situations from the river bottoms of the Missouri to the 10,000 ft.+ lakes of the High Uintas. It keeps flies, mosquitoes and no-see-ums at bay for a couple of hours. I reapply every two hours for best effect. I used it on my babies from day one and they are now religious users at ages 10 and 7. ---- all the cowboys that i've ever ridden with swear by the Avon stuff for them and their horses. they also wear panty hose under their wranglers but they wont admit that. ---- Those of us who are members of that endangered species--Florida natives--have relied on skin-so-soft for decades. If not for the Avon Lady, I would have missed many a canoe and camping trip along the Ocklawaha, the Withlacooche and the little else that remains of what was once a tropical paradise. I haven't found much cause to use the stuff since my move to Utah. Where are you folks finding any bugs?! ---- While certainly NOT an Avon salesman, I've got to say that Skin So Soft really does work as a bug repellent! I work for the National Park Service and was doing time -- oops, I mean on a 2 week trip to Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in July a few years ago. We were battling ticks, chiggers, and you name it in the field all day, so the ranger I was with offered me some of his Skin So Soft. It worked so well that pretty soon every morning before going out in the field (inspecting oil and gas wells) it was a free-for-all to see who could get to the "magic lotion" first. So much for my testimonial. Keep up the fight. ---- anyway, re: skin-so-soft. it definitely works (and very well, I might add), but you must dilute it with some water. it's a real grease-pit otherwise. the scent/smell is maybe a 3 on a scale of one to ten, but the critters sure stay away. (my husband and I kept a class of eight teenagers relatively gripeless for an entire month in the boulder area, so you know it works!) see ya. ---- I used that stuff while floating down the Green River last year amidst lots of horse flies and mosquitoes. I think it works! The flies did land on me, but they jumped off right away and didn't bite. Same for the mosquitoes. So, they didn't necessarily stay far away, but they didn't bite either. Worked for me (and it worked better than any industrial strength spray on repellent too!) ---- Skin-so-soft does seems to work for my wife and I. we've used up near Yellowstone were the mosquitoes are thick. peace, love and land. ..........Kevin Bell The Doubting Thomases: ---------------------- Just to let you know that Skin So Soft has never worked for actually keeping the bugs away. I think the only thing it does is the "psychological thing" that makes you think you are not being bitten. Whenever I have used it, I never noticed that I was getting bitten, but after I took a shower I realized how many times I really was bitten. Thanks.....Jessika Lander ---- I tried it last May in Zion NP, and it didn't seem to discourage the deer flies from feasting on me. The conventional DEET-based repellents didn't do too much good either. -- Walt ---- Over 25 years of travel in Canyonlands, Arches, etc. Sensitive to "no-see-um" type gnats - blisters form and turn septic. Have tried 'em all and Skin So Soft doesn't work at all for my wife and me. N-diethelmetatolumide works best in my case but only in the strength afforded by REI's "Jungle Juice", which is over 90% active ingredient. Makes you feel oily and smelly but does work to some degree. An old desert rat who used to work for Arches National Park told me once that people differ considerably in this matter, probably proving that individual body chemistry is part of the picture. Let's hope someone finally finds the universal solution. The last time we were there we were driven out in two days time. Had to spend the next three weeks in Ouray, Silverton, etc. (sob). ---- A friend of mine back East tells me that Skin So Soft works great as mosquito repellent-- provided you dump a bunch of DEET into it. I think the value of SSS as bug repellent probably falls in the category of rumor. If so, it's a great sales ploy (it worked on me!). ---- Since you ask - I recall several years ago stopping at the store in Glade Park, CO (the only business in Glade Park then - haven't been back for a few years so there may be more - the curse of the empty west). But back to the question. The store had a large display of Skin so Soft. Since I had tried it earlier with little noticeable effect, I asked the clerk if they had good reports on its usefulness with the gnats of the Plateau. She responded that it was really popular with the cowboys working west of there, but as near as she could determine, the bites were as heavy as ever. She did allow as how the cowboys did smell a lot better that year, though. The Conspiracy Theorists get the final word: FYI - Avon SSS (that is One More than the SS) used to be a good repellent. It was commonly used by horse owners as a fly and tick repellent because it is a concentrate and you can mix up gallons of the stuff. Oh Woe! After years of denial, Avon finally admitted, although in a backward way, that this is true by removing the ingredient(s?) that does the trick. They then re-marketed the ingredient in their own mosquito repellent, by the ounce and already mixed of course. So the bottom line is that if you have SSS from about a year ago, it will probably work. Otherwise, you will just have skin as soft as a baby's .... Cheers, Alan Dunwell ---- Thanks again for all your work folks, keep the pledges, letters, and photos coming. Please also let us know if you would like to have us send you more information, materials and the like. ********************************************************************** This wilderness alert is produced by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) and the Utah Wilderness Coalition (UWC). We are dedicated to the preservation of Utah's redrock wilderness. You can learn more about SUWA from our web site at: http://www.xmission.com/~suwa/ Visit the Utah Wilderness web site at: http://acs1.byu.edu/~wildweb/welcome.html If you want to join our list, send e-mail to: utah_wilderness-request@xmission.com with the word "subscribe" (and only that word) in the body of your e-mail message. If you have any questions or problems regarding the mailing list, please send a message to suwa@xmission.com. ********************************************************************** For immediate information on Utah wilderness issues, phone: Tom Price (202) 546-2215; e-mail cloud@CapAccess.org or Liz McCoy (801) 486-2872; e-mail liz.mccoy@sfsierra.sierraclub.org You can also phone the Salt Lake City SUWA office at (801) 486-3161; e-mail suwa@xmission.com. ********************************************************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Subject: No to grazing bill Date: 20 Jun 1996 11:07:31 MST7MDT ************************************************************ This is a SUWA / UWC Action Alert Help Save Utah's Redrock Wilderness ************************************************************ Folks-- We need to rally the troops again. It seems that Rep. Hansen is trying to put the Domenici Grazing Bill (S 1459) into the Omnibus Parks Bill that is being discussed at the present time in the Congress. This is a repeat performance of Hansen's attempt to pass the terrible Utah anti-wilderness bill by putting it in the Omnibus Parks Bill last winter. You will probably all remember this since it was a time we scored a big victory over the Utah delegation and the anti-wilderness forces in the Congress. So, let's work again to defeat this terrible grazing bill. It has several major flaws and will cause environmental havoc on public lands: ** S 1459 will reverse the recent improvements made in rangeland improvements on public lands in the west. We must protect these fragile lands. ** S 1459 will continue massive subsidies to the public lands grazing industry while allowing the degradation of our public lands. ** S 1459 puts grazing as the most important use of all public lands. It decreases the ability of land managers to manage our public lands for multiple use, diminishing the importance of all uses except grazing. Please phone your Representative and ask her/him to oppose S 1459. It is especially important to ask them not to allow this bill to be placed in the Omnibus Parks Bill. OUR MESSAGE IS NO ON S1459 OR NO ON THE OMNIBUS PARKS BILL IF S1459 IS INCLUDED. The following two FREE telephone numbers will connect anyone in the U.S. to the Capitol switchboard from where you can connect to any Congressional office: 1-800-962-3524 1-800-972-3524 Thanks for all the help. Y'all are the best group of activists on the planet! Let us know what representatives say they will vote against it, will you? That's all for now... ********************************************************************** This wilderness alert is produced by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) and the Utah Wilderness Coalition (UWC). We are dedicated to the preservation of Utah's redrock wilderness. You can learn more about SUWA from our web site at: http://www.xmission.com/~suwa/ Visit the Utah Wilderness web site at: http://acs1.byu.edu/~wildweb/welcome.html If you want to join our list, send e-mail to: utah_wilderness-request@xmission.com with the word "subscribe" (and only that word) in the body of your e-mail message. If you have any questions or problems regarding the mailing list, please send a message to suwa@xmission.com. ********************************************************************** For immediate information on Utah wilderness issues, phone: Tom Price (202) 546-2215; e-mail cloud@CapAccess.org or Liz McCoy (801) 486-2872; e-mail liz.mccoy@sfsierra.sierraclub.org You can also phone the Salt Lake City SUWA office at (801) 486-3161; e-mail suwa@xmission.com. ********************************************************************** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance Subject: Second alert about grazing / omnibus parks Date: 24 Jun 1996 08:20:20 MST7MDT ************************************************************ This is a SUWA / UWC Action Alert Help Save Utah's Redrock Wilderness ************************************************************ Folks-- Many of you have sent us mail or phoned to voice your concern over the grazing bill Rep. Hansen is trying to attach to the Omnibus Parks Bill. Mr. Hansen has come to believe this is a valuable strategy since he doesn't seem to be able to get a bill passed through normal means. So, the purpose of this SECOND ALERT ABOUT GRAZING is to provide more information you have requested. Here are some important issues about the Domenici Grazing Bill. Much of this information has been provided by the Wilderness Society who, among others, is leading the charge against is grazing bill. 1) S1459 would make grazing the dominant use of public lands. The bill would limit the ability of professional land managers to adjust grazing levels to favor multiple use. If grazing levels were reduced, grazing interests would be compensated by taxpayers. Furthermore, grazers would be granted special privileges for water use, including denying wildlife access to water. 2) S1459 will cause extreme habitat degradation and decreased wildlife populations. This bill DEMANDS that ranchers graze their allotments. They could not rest their lands for more than two years, rather than the ten years allowed under current laws. S1459 would exempt grazing management decisions from NEPA. This is a serious threat to the land and negates sound environmental consideration when making grazing decisions. The exemption of grazing decisions from NEPA could have extremely negative ecological outcomes. It is also fundamentally unfair. Why should ranchers be exempt from obeying environmental laws? 3) S1459 gives entirely too much power to ranchers over our public lands. These lands belong to all Americans and should be used for many purposes, not just grazing. The new law would diminish public participation in grazing decisions. Essentially this law was written by ranching interests for ranching interests. It is designed to make grazing exempt from scrutiny and public participation. 4) The new law charges artificially low rates for grazing on public lands. This is irresponsible in these difficult economic times. Many people feel the subsidies provided to the ranching industry are unfair and should be eliminated. *** S1459 threatens millions of acres of public lands. More than 200 conservation and environmental groups oppose the passage of this legislation. It is a bonanza for ranching interests and a debacle for other public lands users. *** Please call your Representative today to ask her/him to oppose S 1459. It is especially important to ask them not to allow this bill to be placed in the Omnibus Parks Bill. *** PLEASE NOTE, WE ARE ASKING YOU TO CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE, NOT YOUR SENATOR. EVEN THOUGH THE BILL IS S1459, IT IS BEING PLACED IN A BILL THAT WILL BE VOTED ON IN THE HOUSE. *** *** OUR MESSAGE IS NO ON S1459 OR NO ON THE OMNIBUS PARKS BILL IF S1459 IS INCLUDED. *** The following two FREE telephone numbers will connect anyone in the U.S. to the Capitol switchboard from where you can connect to any Congressional office: 1-800-962-3524 1-800-972-3524 Thanks again for all the help!!! That's all for now. ********************************************************************** This wilderness alert is produced by the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) and the Utah Wilderness Coalition (UWC). We are dedicated to the preservation of Utah's redrock wilderness. You can learn more about SUWA from our web site at: http://www.xmission.com/~suwa/ Visit the Utah Wilderness web site at: http://acs1.byu.edu/~wildweb/welcome.html If you want to join our list, send e-mail to: utah_wilderness-request@xmission.com with the word "subscribe" (and only that word) in the body of your e-mail message. If you have any questions or problems regarding the mailing list, please send a message to suwa@xmission.com. ********************************************************************** For immediate information on Utah wilderness issues, phone: Tom Price (202) 546-2215; e-mail cloud@CapAccess.org or Liz McCoy (801) 486-2872; e-mail liz.mccoy@sfsierra.sierraclub.org You can also phone the Salt Lake City SUWA office at (801) 486-3161; e-mail suwa@xmission.com. **********************************************************************