Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt simultaneously one of the most revered and despised characters in U.S. bureaucracy - is riding into Cedar City Friday to hear Utahns' concerns about federal land policies.
But it's shaping up to be a one-sided gunfight because Utah's environmental community has not been asked to participate."It's the same old, tired story," said George Nickas, assistant coordinator of the Utah Wilderness Association. "They say, `We'll go talk to the cowboys but not the environmentalists.' "
Ranchers and local government officials dominate Friday's agenda, which includes discussions about endangered species, roads and grazing reform.
Only one environmental group, the Arizona-based Grand Canyon Trust, has been asked to participate.
Gov. Mike Leavitt has apparently shunned the three Utah conservation groups that have done the most research on rangeland issues - the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the UWA and the Sierra Club.
"The greenies have been gagged by the governor," said Ken Rait, issues coordinator for SUWA.
SUWA executive director Mike Matz said SUWA was not informed of Babbitt's visit until after the Grand Canyon Trust insisted that Leavitt's office invite SUWA.
The Grand Canyon Trust, which focuses its efforts primarily on water and air-quality issues, has done perhaps the least amount of research into rangeland reform.
"Not to take anything away from the Grand Canyon Trust, but I've never heard anything from them on this (range reform) issue," said Lawson LeGate, regional representative for the Sierra Club.
LeGate said his organization - which has done extensive work nationally on range reform and sits on the Colorado governor's grazing reform task force - was invited by a Leavitt aide on Thursday to attend Friday's meeting with Babbitt. The aide made it clear, however, that the Sierra Club could not participate in any of the discussions.
"Thanks, but that's a long way to drive simply to sit in the audience," LeGate said.
SUWA and UWA also do not plan to attend the Cedar City meeting.
Leavitt spokeswoman Vicki Varela, however, said an effort was made to have a balanced program.
"The program was set up in a panel format with representatives of both ranchers and environmentalists. Whenever you set up a panel, every individual viewpoint can't be expressed, but we feel the general views of both the ranchers and environmentalists will be heard, Varela said. "This is the first step in a long process and we hope everyone will choose to participate."
In a letter Thursday to the governor, LeGate said he fears that the governor's limitations on the meeting may increase suspicions that "the views of certain citizens are not welcomed by your administration."
Range reform - which, among other drastic measures, could triple the fees that ranchers pay to graze their livestock on federal land - is a major priority of the Clinton administration, which believes the public lands have been heavily damaged by decades of mismanagement.
Babbitt's reform package has been criticized loudly by Utah's rural interests, prompting Leavitt to invite Babbitt to come to Utah to listen to the concerns.