Municipal and Industrial System, Bonneville Unit, Central Utah Project, Utah: correspondence and documents, 1979

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/£ get by. The EIS prepared for the State Transportation Depart­ment on the issue of upgrading primitive roads through the Brown's Park, northeast Utah region (to connect Denver with Yellowstone Park via Flaming Gorge) was considered by informed wildlife people to be a disaster in presenting the Issues. In addition, while it was released to interested developers at early stages, citizens (myself) had difficulty reviewing it for hearings. (Had to review BLM copy). So this EIS would normally have only been reviewed by State and Federal Agencies. And comments from these Agencies do not uncover underlying reasons and benefits to local pepple supporting the development, i.e., profits from sale of land where "preferred" road would be developed. - happenstance frequently determines wildlife information and input. Had I not worked on Idaho phosphate ore mining issues, no wildlife information would have gotten to citizen groups or to High Country News prior to release of the biased and unacceptable* Inter-Agency EIS. Had I not worked on the Uinta Range wilderness and wildlife issues, as well as oil shale -wildlife issues in Utah, there would have been no.beginning resource informa­tion base on habitat and development threats to it.for groups and individuals to begin to utilize. - Uinta Range wildlife - White River floodplains, cliffs, canyons, and surrounding area - the oil shale area and Book Cliffs - northeast Utah, Clay Basin, Brown's Park area - information on the mere presence of species of wildlife in areas is no longer adequate "ammunition" for interested citizens for commenting on development issues. Some under­standing of the value of the land in the relationship with wildlife needs to be prepared for and understood. What I am suggesting is needed, is no "guarantee" that development issues will fully incorporate the wildlife issues, as you know. Even in a State like Montana, with agressive wildlife presentation, wildlife isn't always protected favorably. However, the alternative offers little hope for those who care. •When Governor Andrus became Secretary of Interior, this EIS was rejected.