As part of The Zephyr’s continuing effort to encourage discussion about the Cows versus Condos Debate, we offer these remarks by Bill Boyle, editor of The San Juan Record in Monticello, Utah. Bill spoke at the Nature Conservancy’s celebration of the purchase of the Dugout Ranch in 1998. Since then, countless acres of agricultural land in SE Utah have been consumed by the "amenities economy." (See the latest in Grand County on page 7). His comments deserve serious thought by environmentalists who want to eliminate public lands ranching but who fail to acknowledge the consequences...JS As a San Juan County resident who grew up in these beautiful canyons and rugged mountains, I am delighted to welcome the Nature Conservancy in this endeavor to preserve the Dugout Ranch. I applaud the Nature Conservancy for using market-based, non-confrontational means to preserve this remarkable ranch and to support the local economy. At a time when the overwhelming majority of growth in this area is related to tourism, I am particularly glad that this spectacular area will remain a working cattle ranch. I emphasize the word working, for the cowboy heritage is based upon the principles of hard work, rugged individualism, teamwork, honesty and sticking with a job through thick and thin. These were the principles that were used to settle this area. They did not tame the wilderness, but created a delicate balance between man and nature, a responsible stewardship that has been the hallmark of the ranching tradition. The local agriculture-based economies that are built upon these principles –– and that have preserved these remarkable places for more than 100 years –– are in recent years besieged by well-meaning but misled people. The quest for preservation –– a quest shared by rural communities –– is all too often replaced by a war on rural economies. For political expediency, the rural resident is painted as the bad guy. It is clear to me that the greatest threat to the remarkable western lands is not from ranching or mining, but from visitation: an ever-growing horde of weekend warriors who are recreating this land to death. The ultimate irony is that too many of these transient recreationists feel that a weekend or two playing in these canyons somehow gives them a pre-eminent say on how these lands should be protected. All too often, they lead the charge against the mining and ranching that characterize rural economies. The result of too much tourism is that production and responsible stewardship is replaced by single-use recreation. The work place is replaced by the play ground. Of course, we realize that tourism is needed and take great pride in the fact that people from throughout the world have come to appreciate the spectacular beauty of these lands. However, this country was built upon the principles of hard work –– the cowboy ethic –– and not upon the conspicuous consumption of a transient recreationist. The way to have healthy and stable rural economies is to have a balance between tourism, mining and agriculture. Once again, I applaud the Nature Conservancy for understanding these principles, for using market-based, non-confrontational means to preserve this remarkable ranch and to support the local economy. I like the idea that long after this impressive group disbands and the last of our plastic silverware has blown into Canyonlands, that there will be cowboys on this range, responsibly caring for this land, seeing that it is productive, seeing that it is protected. I like that idea that there will never be an espresso stand at the Dugout Ranch, that there will never be a golf course, condominiums and a deluxe resort; that this land will stay a workplace and will never become a playground.