Author: zpodmore

Zak Podmore is a freelance journalist and editor of the Canyon Echo: A Journal of Southeastern Utah.

Rumor Mill: Location of Proposed Solar Farm

A Canyon Echo reader writes, "I have read some bits and pieces hereabouts about the solar 'farm' that is proposed to be placed upon the Bluff Bench on SITLA land. Please, could you post a map that shows exactly where it is proposed to be situated? Thank you." We aim to serve. Here's a map … Continue reading Rumor Mill: Location of Proposed Solar Farm

Oil spill cleanup crews return to the San Juan River after flash flood washes out two containment ponds

By Zak Podmore Published: March 13, 2019 A pipeline break near Montezuma Creek that was discovered nearly two weeks ago is continuing to cause contamination concerns along the San Juan River. Cleanup crews with Elk Petroleum, the Australia-based company which owns the damaged pipeline, were in the final stages of mopping up the spill on … Continue reading Oil spill cleanup crews return to the San Juan River after flash flood washes out two containment ponds

Democrat Commissioners Kenneth Maryboy and Willie Grayeyes Attend Historic Meeting with Spanish Valley Residents

Press Release by San Juan County Democrats -- March 12, 2019 Pack Creek Ranch -- Forty Democratic supporters from Spanish Valley, the budding economic hot spot of San Juan County, turned out to meet Democratic Commissioners Kenneth Maryboy and Willie Grayeyes for a spirited meeting at historic Pack Creek Ranch Saturday afternoon. The listening session … Continue reading Democrat Commissioners Kenneth Maryboy and Willie Grayeyes Attend Historic Meeting with Spanish Valley Residents

Crossing Comb Ridge: The Utah Strip before paved roads (1996)

There is a narrow strip of land in southern Utah which stretches from East to West, from the Colorado border to Navajo Mountain. It is roughly bounded on the north by the San Juan River, and on the south by the Arizona state line. It is the frontier where American expansion ran aground in the muddy waters of the San Juan River. It is the northern edge of the Navajo Nation, whose boundaries have shifted as readily, and almost as often, as the sands of the river itself, since its establishment by the Treaty of 1868.

San Juan County Commission moves to support an expanded, 1.9 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument

On Tuesday, commissioners Wille Grayeyes and Kenneth Maryboy voted to pass a resolution in support of the Bears Ears Expansion And Respect for Sovereignty Act. The bill, which is currently in the U.S. House of Representatives, would create a 1.9 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument as it was originally proposed by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition in 2015.

Bluff Town Council Revises Building Moratorium to Allow for Continued Construction of Single-Family Homes

Published: 3/6/19 At Tuesday's town council meeting, Mayor Ann Leppanen brought up a legal concern related to the resolution passed last week to impose an 180-day building moratorium on all new residential, commercial, and industrial development in Bluff. Attorney Chris McAnany, who has been assisting the Bluff Town Council with legal matters, told Leppanen that … Continue reading Bluff Town Council Revises Building Moratorium to Allow for Continued Construction of Single-Family Homes

February Update From Bluff Town Councilmember Jim Sayers

By Jim Sayers Near the top of Bluff Town Council’s long to-do list in February was work on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The proposal has been submitted; should this effort prove successful, and we have reason to believe it will, Bluff will continue to take necessary steps to complete the required technical description … Continue reading February Update From Bluff Town Councilmember Jim Sayers