[Birdtalk] Bear River Refuge Road Project - needs your help

[Dave Slager]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing as Connie.  Perhaps its partly
selfish, but I would be sad to see the dirt road go.  The narrow bumpy
dirt road forces travel at slower speeds, so visitors and birders can
enjoy the wildlife and scenery on the way to the tour loop.  It also
adds to the rustic feel of the place.  Even with my small Ford Escort,
the road was still very passable.  After driving all the way from SLC
on a busy interstate, the remote road withuot much traffic is a knid
of refuge in itself.  I would like to see that paving money go towards
guaranteeing water for the refuge, or habitat restoration, rather than
catering to the comfort of those who would like to enjoy a smoother
faster ride in their automobiles.  The bottom line is, the existing
road condition certainly doesn't seem prohibitive for visiting the
refuge.

I'm assuming there is another factor at play.  This is a guess, but I
bet the more visitors the refuge can attract, the more money the Feds
will allocate to the refuge.  So in order to compete, the refuge may
need to make "improvements" like a wider paved road to attract certain
types of visitors, to up those numbers in any way it can.  Maybe it's
a necessary evil. Or maybe not.

Comments?

Dave Slager
Grand Rapids, MI
(formerly SLC, Utah)

On 12/12/07, Connie McManus <connie.mcmanus at gmail.com> wrote:
> Betsy,
> I wonder if an improved road would only make for crowds of people coming to
> the bird refuge.  Not that that's a bad thing, but too many people might not
> be so good for the birds.  I, for one, enjoy the dirt road and feel there
> are getting to be too few of them in this state.  With millions of dollars
> laying around in DC, I wonder if the birding community could put those funds
> to a better use, even if it's just to maintain the dirt road???
>
> Just my thoughts :-)
>
> Connie McManus of Cache Valley (who is not happy with urban sprawl)
>
> On Dec 11, 2007 1:22 PM, <birderbetsy at comcast.net > wrote:
> >
> >
> > Dear Birding Friends,
> >
> > Congress has authorized funds for completion of the Bear River Refuge road
> improvement project, but they have not yet "allocated" those funds.  Until
> this is done, the road project is at a standstill.  And we all know the
> dangers of millions of dollars laying around Washington...
> >
> > If you feel so inclined, please consider contacting Congressman Rob
> Bishop, and asking for his help in pushing things along, so that the funds
> can be allocated, the bid process for the project can commence, and we can
> keep things moving toward the road project being started this coming summer.
>  His web site with contact information is:
> >
> > http://robbishop.house.gov/
> >
> > And if you don't care about the bumpy, gravel road used for public access
> to the refuge, then ignore this email.
> >
> > Betsy Beneke
> > Birder
> > Perry, Utah
> > _______________________________________________
> > Birdtalk mailing list
> > Birdtalk at utahbirds.org
> > http://utahbirds.org/mailman/listinfo/birdtalk
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Connie McManus
> Nibley, Cache County, Utah
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>