Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.’s comments to The Tribune editorial board last week calling ATV damage “an abomination” and “an embarrassment” seemed surprising on several fronts.
First, in calling for state officers to begin cracking down on abuse, the governor would have a good idea if the Legislature hadn’t recently slashed the State Parks and Recreation’s budget.
State Park rangers who would presumably “crack down on abuse” can barely manage parks now. Budget cuts will not allow the agency to hire seasonal workers during the busy summer season. Since the federal government’s public lands law enforcement agencies are even more strapped and limited, the reality is that talks of stricter enforcement is an idle threat, not a reality.
That said, the governor deserve praise for giving a Southern Utah Wilderness Association supporter, David Bonderman, a chance to give him a first-hand tour of damaged areas in the Moab area. Too often, Utah politicians ignore environmental groups even when they might have something useful to say.
And, since the governor is an avid dirt biker himself (that's the Gov. on his bike in the picture), his words have even more credibility.
— Tom