REPLENISHMENT OF SALT

[Polyhead]

Save Bonneville - stop the mining now!

Sorry, I have a one-track mind.
Willi

halting mining may have less impact at this point than we all hope it would. :/  Sadly...

[Polyhead]

Why does every discussion have to turn into a pissing contest?

because urine contains salt?

[tauruck]

Why does every discussion have to turn into a pissing contest?

because urine contains salt?

 

[Steve Cole]

I can remember back in the day when some of the older guys were saying the salt was shrinking. I can say, I along with many others thought then, you guys are nuts! Salt nice and deep and as white as white can be, as far as you could see! Well I can now say without a doubt, they knew what they were talking about! I and many others were dead wrong. In my years of going to the salt what they said would happen has happened!

So before it's all gone, we ALL need to try and do something about it. Sure, it's not going to be easy, and yes it going to cost.

[crawford]

Look guys I'm all for the replenishment of the Salt, and yes I do know the salt flats have got smaller, my biggest fear is that it is too late, but deep down I don't think so. My biggest and most misunderstood point is, we need to direct our efforts at the best possible solution, and all of us, racers and non-racers need to get behind it. its not a contest who is more involved. I'm just concerned that if a few racers feel that its the locals who caused the problem that will draw a conflict line that will effect any efforts to help the Salt. I'm one of the few people from Wendover that like the racers, this town was built first by the railroad, second the military, and third and biggest stage is the casino's, which by the way are no way tied to the Bonneville Saltflats, thats just fact. So lets get a plan for the future and quit hashing over the path, or yes one day we will wake up and it will gone!

[Stan Back]

Crawford's on the racers' side.  Not because he sells so many parts when we're in town.  He might sell a few more -- but he's open more hours to do it.  And he takes delivery and holds things for the racers -- everything from bikes to O-rings.

The casinos run the economy there now.  Years ago, the place was just a gas stop on a major east-west thoroughfare.  One visible casino with its parking lot in Utah, and the casino itself in Nevada.  The motels in Utah were mainly converted barracks and the "ripped us off" just like we think the hotels are ripping us off today.

Those of us, back then, had to go to the Stateline to read the pasted-on-the-window daily results.  This took a few hours to produce, and we drank and gambled the night away.  We'd meet and great our friends and socialize and wait for Bob and Sylvia's show which got better later and later.

Now the casinos charge what they can get.  A lot of you believe in "free enterprise", unless it applies to you.  Now our crowd tracks salt all though their businesses -- past the machines -- and waits in the buffet lines for the bargain meal of the day -- the loss-leader.  The Salt Cellar ain't there any more.  We may have a beer with dinner, but usually go straight to bed (especially those of us fortunate to make the early back-up run deadline).  And we don't gamble.  At least like we used to.  So the casinos can't give us the loss-leader rates that they give the SLC losers (certainly not the Trump-designated losers).

So Mike, who I've never met, isn't trying to mislead us.  He's just telling it like he thinks it is.  He may be right.  Or not.  I'm lost in the science of all this, but agree with everyone -- something needs to be done.

Stan

[jdincau]

Well said both Mike and Stan.

[will6er]

I want to be the first one to say" CUT MIKE SOME SLACK" He is in a very difficult place.
Wendover, UTAH doesn't reap much from the casinos. His constituency is dependent on Intrepid and crumbs from the casinos. Just take a "cruise" on the Utah side next time you are there.

The downsides of Mike's situation are: He spends extra hours selling a few extra parts and receiving shipments for racers.
                                                     There are few restaurants or activities in Wendover, UTAH.
                                                     As Mayor, he oversees the operations of a city which has to have a small tax base.
On the other side of the "magic line":
                                                     I have been told that Speed Week is one of the smallest weeks of the year for gambling action. (All of our discretionary income is sitting on the Salt)
                                                     The casinos have to continue paying their help, therefore they raise their rates to try to recoup the gambling loss- you can still get $25 rates on other dates.

As far as the tourist aspect: I have talked to a number of people who have driven by The Flats many times and haven,t even stopped at the rest stop.
                                       Mike has been pushing a landspeed racing museum on the east end of the metro area.
                                       This is important to us, but we are a very small demographic.

This is going to take a unified approach to have any hope of a good outcome - much like the two S.T.S. groups working together.
Until Utah legalizes gambling, the Wendover area is almost totally dependent on the casinos, then it will dry up.
There, I've vented.

Will Willis #6302

[Steve Cole]

I'm just concerned that if a few racers feel that its the locals who caused the problem that will draw a conflict line that will effect any efforts to help the Salt.

I for one do not believe the locals caused it. Did they benefit from it, absolutely, as have the racers. The government has allowed it, knowing good and well it was going to happen. Way to much data has been brought to light now from the past years, saying it would happen and now it has. The trick now is to get the government to do something about it, before it's all gone! Can it be saved? Well, if we leave things as they are today, NO.

[velocity]

Please refer to Utah Alliance thread for important March 14, 2016 update.

[joea]

local entities ie The Local Mining Industry at Wendover...is in Fact the major cause of the demise of Bonneville Salt Flats.....

despite any local politician(s) who publicly described different explanations including
..."the salt is still there".....and during cancellations last summer screamed out on
social media and local newspaper....."I can't for the life of me understand how they
could cancel the meet"...in the face of the sanctioning bodies such as Cook team/SCTA/BUB etal with pics of the situation and entities on salt who intimately understand what it takes for folks to safely race.... 

if it wasnt for the Racers..Save the Salt efforts and Sanctioning bodies banding together to
fight the destruction....it would continue unfettered....

thank you to "all" who fight the fight

[SPARKY]

WE all are going to have to fight the fight  "every little bit helps"   if we can get to the point that nearly everyone makes just one or two phone calls a month  that can and WILL help

[SPARKY]

The very important House Subcommittee:  25 Members

    ENERGY and MINERAL  RESOURCES
Chairman           Hon. Doug Lamborn    CO Dist   5   
Ranking Member Hon.  Alan Lowenthal  CA Dist  47

By State and US House District #

AZ
3  Hon. Raul Grijalva
4  Hon. Paul Gosart
7  Hon. Ruben Gallego

CA
8
16
24
47

CO
2
5

GA
10

ID
1

LA
4
6

MA
3

MI  Hon. Dan Benishek
1

MT
at large

NV
4

PA
5
17

SC
3

TX
1  Hon. Louie Gomert

UT  Ex Officio
1  Hon. Rob Bishop

VA
1
8

WV
2

We are looking for racers in these 16 States who will make a few phone calls to help us get our team together so we can help SAVE The SALT.. Pls help us all to get a better race course!!

Thinking FAST ALWAYS  Sparky

[SPARKY]

 Off to a great start  #  5 down  20 to go..

[SPARKY]

 what we are trying to do has was presented to the 200 MPH Club board at the January meeting,

just last week it was discussed in detail with200 MPH Club President,  Dan Warner and Allison, a founding member of the Utah Alliance and the Washington staff of SEMA's SAM --- SEMA"S Action Network

 everyone is planning on we racers being able to help move the legislation by contacting our legislators when the legislation is ready to go.  It is very important that we get organized for our local work. We have penciled in names of racers that have agreed to contact their local representative. This is a non partisan effort--- we will not be pushing any agenda but:

 Restore to Preserve the Bonneville Salt flats.