KZMU News

Dear listener, we are experimenting with Mondays! Today we have a story from our archives. With all the recent efforts to restore the Mill Creek Parkway underway, we thought we’d revisit this audio portrait of Kara Dohrenwend of Rim to Rim Restoration. It first aired in December 2022. Thanks for listening!

// Original Broadcast:

https://www.kzmu.org/kara-dohrenwend-audio-portrait/

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area will not maintain the primary boat takeout for Cataract Canyon this year. Their announcement last month was a huge blow to members of the river running community. They say a 'no maintenance' strategy from federal managers puts the immediate future of running Cataract – a stretch of the Colorado River important for scenic values, tourism and science – into question.

// And later, the Weekly News Reel! Sophia Fisher of The Times-Independent reports on Moab’s tourism industry, the passage of the TRT bill, and a proposed resort northwest of Ken’s Lake. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News discusses the goals of Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins, ongoing rebuilding efforts after the 2021 flood, and a new oral history exhibit at the Moab Museum.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: Continued downcutting at the North Wash Boat Ramp, the primary takeout for river runners at Cataract Canyon. Glen Canyon NRA says they will not maintain the takeout in 2023. Courtesy Returning Rapids Project

// Utah Guides & Outfitters Association 3/28 Letter

https://www.kzmu.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/North-Wash-Letter-to-Dep.-Dir.-McGeary-2.27.docx.pdf

// Weekly News Reel Mentions:

// The Times-Independent: Tourism continues to ‘soften’ after pandemic bump

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/tourism-continues-to-soften-after-pandemic-bump/

// The Times-Independent: Passage of TRT bill hits home

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/passage-of-trt-bill-hits-home/

// The Times-Independent: Resort proposed northwest of Ken’s Lake in San Juan

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/resort-proposed-northwest-of-kens-lake-in-san-juan/

// Moab Sun News: Grand County sheriff defines goals

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/03/16/grand-county-sheriff-defines-goals/

// Moab Sun News: City still rebuilding after August flood

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/03/16/city-still-rebuilding-after-august-flood/

// Moab Sun News: Moab’s history, told by those who lived it

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/03/16/moabs-history-told-by-those-who-lived-it/

With the spring runoff season right around the corner, Moab City is working to prepare the creeks for an influx of water. The city will contract with local nonprofit Rim to Rim Restoration to stabilize creek banks in a few key areas before water levels rise. Plus, author Shelley Read’s debut novel of loss and love, Go As A River, is set against the backdrop of a real Western Slope town submerged by the creation of the Blue Mesa Reservoir in the 1960s.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: Mill Creek flowing through downtown Moab on August 21, 2022 - the day after historic flooding caused the creek to overtop banks and bridges. Moab City wants to prepare the creeks for an influx of water this spring.

// Aspen Public Radio: Go As A River - New Colorado novel explores love and loss on the Western Slope

https://www.aspenpublicradio.org/2023-03-10/go-as-a-river-new-colorado-novel-explores-love-and-loss-on-the-western-slope

Conservation organizations say the world’s smallest rabbit is at risk of extinction because of habitat loss and disease. They’re requesting protection for the pygmy rabbit under the Endangered Species Act. Plus, there’s a push for more diversity at some of the Mountain West’s most famous ski resorts. And later, new research on forest regeneration after wildfire.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: Conservationists are concerned about declining populations of the pygmy rabbit in Utah and other states across the Great Basin. Credit R. Dixon and H. Ulmschneider

// KUER: The key for these 1st-time Utah skiers is ‘seeing people on the slopes like me’

https://www.kuer.org/sports-recreation/2023-02-23/the-key-for-these-1st-time-utah-skiers-is-seeing-people-on-the-slopes-like-me

// Pygmy Rabbit Petition Press Release

https://defenders.org/newsroom/petition-seeks-protect-pygmy-rabbit-under-endangered-species-act

On Thursday mornings, historian Stephan Zacharias takes visitors to key spots around town, telling the story of Moab before mining. It’s part of a new tour from the Moab Museum, focused on the cowboys of Southeast Utah and the long lineage of Spanish, Indigenous and African cultures that made them who they are today. Plus, Utah clean-air advocates are supportive of the EPA’s proposed soot standard, but want the federal agency to go further. And later, a report on Navajo coal miners suffering from the effects of black lung disease. Finally, the Moab Sun News previews the Moab City Council’s latest agenda.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: History programs interpreter Stephen Zacharias in the dress of a turn-of-the-century Moabite. Zacharias leads a new Moab Museum tour on Thursday mornings called Livestock Built This City.

// Moab Museum Tour Details:

Most Thursdays at 10AM, March through October 2023. All tours begin at 10am at the Moab Museum. Tickets are required and can be purchased at the Moab Museum. $20 for non-Members an $10 for Members.

// EPA Proposes Soot Standard:

https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-proposes-strengthen-air-quality-standards-protect-public-harmful-effects-soot

// Moab City 3/14 Agenda:

https://moabcity.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/1170?html=true

Dear listener, we are experimenting with Mondays! Today we are featuring a new program - the Regional Roundup. It’s a brand new, biweekly production of the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition, of which KZMU is a proud member. Thanks for tuning in!

What happened during Utah’s fast-paced 2023 Legislative session? For the past 45 days, the state’s political reporters worked at top speed to summarize key issues for Utahns. Today KUER’s Sean Higgins walks us through some of the biggest moments of the session.

// Plus, the Weekly News Reel! We check in with reporters on their latest stories of the Moab area. Sophia Fisher of The Times-Independent discusses the possible end of WabiSabi, Moab’s new transit program, and community garden beds. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News explains why so many Moab mule deer are mangy. She also discusses a new study about the relationship between pikas and mountain goats in the La Sal mountains, and the MARC’s new artist-in-residence, a duo called the Roundhouse Platform.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: The Utah State Capitol. Lawmakers ended a fast-pace legislative session on March 3rd. Credit Wikimedia Commons/Mangoman88

// KUER: Passes & fails – Here’s what happened during Utah’s 2023 legislative session

https://www.kuer.org/politics-government/2023-03-03/passes-fails-heres-what-happened-during-utahs-2023-legislative-session

// Weekly News Reel Mentions:

// The Times-Independent: WabiSabi property is up for sale

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/wabisabi-property-is-up-for-sale/

// The Times-Independent: Moab Area Transit Pilot Program launches March 16

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/moab-area-transit-pilot-program-launches-march-16/

// The Times-Independent: To Gather & Garden

https://www.moabtimes.com/articles/to-gather-garden/

// Moab Sun News: Fatal chronic wasting disease continues to spread in deer

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/03/09/fatal-chronic-wasting-disease-continues-to-spread-in-deer/

// Moab Sun News: Mallory Lambert is studying the relationship between pikas and mountain goats in the La Sal Mountains

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/03/09/uncharted-interactions/

// Moab Sun News: MARC Reuse Residency artists plan natural building experiment

https://moabsunnews.com/2023/03/09/roundhouse-platform/

In the final days of the legislative session, Utah’s lawmakers made some big decisions. One of them that didn’t receive a lot of attention, marks a historic first in the United States. And some say it has worrying implications for tourist towns like Moab. Plus, federal officials have suspended extra water releases from Flaming Gorge Reservoir. And later, bison herd restoration and conservation on tribal lands gets an influx of federal dollars.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: A house for sale in a Moab-area neighborhood popular with second homeowners. City officials worry new housing-related legislation could have unintended consequences in tourist towns.

// SB 271 Home Ownership Requirements

https://le.utah.gov/~2023/bills/static/SB0271.html

// KUNC: Feds pause some Flaming Gorge water releases amid a snowy winter for the Colorado River

https://www.kunc.org/news/2023-03-08/feds-pause-some-flaming-gorge-water-releases-amid-a-snowy-winter-for-the-colorado-river

// Mountain West News Bureau: Interior invests in bison restoration on tribal land

https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/environment/2023-03-08/interior-invests-in-bison-restoration-on-tribal-lands

A Moab man charged with several second- and third-degree felonies including criminal solicitation and the threat of terrorism will now attend behavioral health treatment in northern Utah. On Tuesday, the 7th District Court ordered the defendant moved from jail to New Roads Behavioral Health on several conditions, including GPS monitoring and internet-use restrictions. In court proceedings, the defendant’s mental health came up for discussion. Plus, locals celebrated the opening of the new Moab Community Resource Center, which will house over a dozen organizations. And later, our radio partners report on flood worries in Salt Lake City.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: Prosecutors are charging a Moab man with multiple felonies and misdemeanors, including a felony related to anti-UTV stickers pasted on signs and infrastructure around town.

// The Salt Lake Tribune: Friends say ATV noise, death on the river wore down Moab activist arrested for threats

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2023/03/03/friends-say-atv-noise-failed-river/

// Moab Community Resource Center Partners

https://www.moabfreehealthclinic.org/moabcommunityresourcecenter

// UPR: In 1983, Salt Lake City became a river. With Utah’s snowpack, could floods be next?

https://www.upr.org/environment/2023-03-02/1983-slc-floods

Plans for a new uranium mill in Green River are underway. A Colorado-based energy company recently purchased a plot of land just west of town, and according to a press release, the permitting process for the mill has already begun. But some are skeptical of these plans because right now…uranium isn’t booming. Plus, a new report shows that public land conservation has lagged over the past decade in Western states. And later, a popular Instagram page is informing travelers about conditions on Interstate 70.

// Show Notes:

// Press Release: Western Uranium & Vanadium

https://www.western-uranium.com/news/WUC_Press_Release_Jan_23_2023.pdf

// I-70 Things: the intersection between Colorado’s communities and travel

https://www.kdnk.org/local-news/2023-03-01/i-70-things-the-intersection-between-colorados-communities-and-travel