Save the Salt

[Bob Drury]

  Sometime befor Speedweek 2011, I made a statement on this site that if each of the 500+ entrants contributed one hundred buck's that we would increase the  Save the Salt fund's by $50,000. bucks.
  I would like to offer this amendment to the 2012 Speedweek entry fee's.  
  Why not include a box on the entry form to pay a additional one hundred dollars (or more) as part of the entry form, being entirely optional.  
  I think most of us are low buck racers, but if we don't help support our sport, we will most certainly end up sitting on the end bar stool with one of those "Sam's Bar" jackets on.
  It's going to be a long winter, but when you start ordering next year's parts, let's also remember that with no salt, we just own a piece of "salt deplecian art".          Bob

[wisdonm]

Nobel intentions indeed. However, there is nothing we can do to stop the salt erosion while they allow it to be hauled away by the rail car full by the many business mining the salt. The prospect of a state shutting down those bossiness is about -zero and even less in this economy.

[RogerL]

For those of you that may not be following the actions of the Save the Salt Coalition, the organization has just submitted it's comments and recommendations to the BLM relative to the EA published late summer. It appears Alternative B is going to be implemented which will require Intrepid to replace the salt extracted by their operations on a 1 for 1 basis. While that is a good first step, more needs to be done. Various members of congress have been made aware of the situation and are supportive. Certainly supporting the STS efforts is in our collective best interest and i would urge to let your Senators and Congressmen know what is happening.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Note if you will, Roger Lessman's post (the one before this) about StS latest submission.  I've just posted the Resolution on the home page of the website.  For those of you that don't go there often -- here it is, minus my harrangue about how vital it is for all of us to write to our elected governmental representatives (federal and state, too!) about saving the salt for racing - and future generations.  I've got a 13-page paper on the specific recommendations - but it's too long to put here, so I'll get it posted somewhere with a "click here to go to the Recommendations list".  In the meantime:

Save the Salt Coalition
www.SaveTheSalt.org
October 11, 2011
RESOLUTION
Doug Evans Chairman, Save the Salt Coalition
Whereas, the Bonneville Salt Flats (BSF) is a unique and distinguished geological
phenomenon which, among many other attributes, has provided special qualities for
high-speed car, truck and motorcycle racing since 1914, and continuously since the
1940s; and
Whereas, potash extraction operations have taken place on areas adjacent to the BSF,
both privately owned and publicly leased from the federal government, since the
early 1900s; and
Whereas, the public has benefitted from both racing activities and potash mining; and
Whereas, in recent years, entities representing racing and mining interests have sought to
identify and rectify any environmental issues that cause damage to the BSF; and
Whereas, “Save the Salt Coalition” (Coalition) is the successor to a collective group of
organizations and businesses representing racing interests formed in the 1990s to
work with mine operator Reilly Industries, Inc. to establish a prototype salt
replenishment program, which lasted from 1997-2002 and was deemed a qualified
success; and
Whereas, Intrepid has proposed a permanent salt replenishment program and, toward that
goal, is seeking adoption of mining operation “Alternative B” contained in the
Environmental Assessment issued by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in
September 2011; Now therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Coalition endorses “Alternative B” and seeks to work collaboratively
with Intrepid to implement said salt replenishment program as outlined in the
Environmental Assessment.
On behalf of
Save the Salt Coalition Members
American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Bonneville Nationals Inc. (BNI) Blue Ribbon Coalition Bonneville 200 MPH Club BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials Cook’s Land Speed Events East Coast Timing Association Fisher Consulting LandSpeed Productions Lessman Racing, Inc. Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) Off-Road Business Association (ORBA) Save the Salt Foundation Source Interlink Media Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Speed Demon Utah Salt Flats Racing Association (USFRA) United States Automobile Club (USAC)

[NathanStewart]

i keep trying to convince everyone who stays out at the bend in the road for FREE that the least they could do is turn that savings into a donation to STS.  don't know how many have actually done it.  i once threatened to walk around from camp to camp with a collection jar but i seem to never have the time.  $50 from each spot would make a nice donation though.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Seems like words have huge sway in today's political discourse.  I don't know, nor do I care where anyone stands on the issues I'm about to cite as examples, but if we can use linguistic tactics in our correspondences with our public officials to help keep the ball in our court, I'm certain we can be more persuasive in our arguments.

Example 1 - "The Patriot Act" - by calling it "The Patriot Act", it made it virtually impossible for any politician to say no.
Example 2 - "Right to Work Laws" - considered by many to be union-busting legislations, few can argue with the effectiveness of the title, regardless of where anyone stands on the intent of the laws.

I'm certain we can all come up with legislation names we agree or disagree with, but that's not why I'm posting, and I'm sure we don't want to turn this into a laundry list.

Key to the two examples I listed were naming the legislation something that might be tough to explain to constituents if one were to vote against it.

Just as we pass Lynda on our way to race, we drive past a sign which was put up by the Bureau of Land Management.  Here's a link to it -

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=bonneville+salt+flats+sign&hl=en&biw=1396&bih=658&tbm=isch&tbnid=HaDOSu3q2_3k_M:&imgrefurl=http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/16833&docid=ivTvjUPbzpbpNM&imgurl=http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/images/ut/UTWENsaltflats_june.jpg&w=280&h=210&ei=BXjZTp6ZMoS62wWWhf3IDg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=571&vpy=164&dur=5906&hovh=168&hovw=224&tx=128&ty=73&sig=115817010254572895338&page=1&tbnh=141&tbnw=188&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0

It says "Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway".

Think about that.  That's a pretty impressive title, with implications of national pride associated with it.

For many of us, we are just so used to calling it "Bonneville", or "The Salt Flats", that we seldom think about the name that was granted to this place, and to the clear intent of the BLM as to the use of this very unique piece of property.

I read some of the reader responses to the article a few months back in the Wall Street Journal regarding salt depletion, and here's what I came away with.

Many of our fellow citizens look at the "salt flats" as a desert that should be exploited for its resources.

Conversely, if the question were put to these same people, "Should the BLM permit the Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway to be stripped of its surface to promote the inexpensive acquisition of potash by Intrepid?", I think the response from these same people might be different.

I believe we need to frame the argument in our terms, KEEP IT IN OUR TERMS, and seeing as the BLM has given us an extraordinary handle to use in all of our correspondences, one which can be used to further our cause, I think we should use it, and wear it like a mantra.

Chris Conrad

[hotrod]

"Should the BLM permit the Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway to be stripped of its surface to promote the inexpensive acquisition of potash by Intrepid?"

Better yet:

Should the BLM allow the destruction by commercial interests of a national treasure and unique historical land mark, the Bonneville Intenational Speedway?

This historic area where international speed records were set for over a century. is to this day still the only place in the world that is suitable for some of these record breaking attempts. It is regularly used as a location for movie and video production. It supports several forms of outdoor recreation, it was the barrier that held up the Donner party on their fateful journey west, and a key wartime training location during WWII.

It is also a priceless wild place that is unique in the world both for its rare beauty, and its easy accessibility via I80. People travel from all over the world to visit this location, and this special geological wonder is at great risk of being destroyed by short sighted commercial exploitation in direct violation of a legal requirement that it be protected for future generations.

Larry

[Moxnix]

Hmm.  Perhaps an "Occupy the Salt Flats" collection of neo-Bohemian flea-party members can be bussed in to the Bend in the Road for the press to cover. 

[jl222]

i keep trying to convince everyone who stays out at the bend in the road for FREE that the least they could do is turn that savings into a donation to STS.  don't know how many have actually done it.  i once threatened to walk around from camp to camp with a collection jar but i seem to never have the time.  $50 from each spot would make a nice donation though.
[/quote

   Or hook up the Save The Salt trailer and stop along the spectator line in different places and  announce the salt depletion problem over the radio and c-b and to please donate.
   
   A few banners before, at bend in the road and before lands end for a reminder to donate.

                JL222

   

[Milwaukee Midget]

Hmm.  Perhaps an "Occupy the Salt Flats" collection of neo-Bohemian flea-party members can be bussed in to the Bend in the Road for the press to cover.  

Max, right there is a key point.  

At any time that the press is within earshot, the phrase, "Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway" is what they must hear.  If we take the lead in the name game, even the opposition must use the terminology WE bring to the discussion.  Repetition, followed by repetition, and topped off with repetition.  

It works with lies - imagine how powerful it could be with the truth?

And all we have to do is point to the sign at Land's End.

It's called "staying on message", and if we control the vocabulary of the discussion, we control the discussion.

If we don't establish our talking points and make them integral to the public and political discourse, then the talking points of those who would extract every last nickel out of the salt with no regard to the collateral damage imposed on us will prevail.  Their talking points include phrases like "economic development" - hot-button buzzwords like "job killing BLM decisions" - or in the condescending words of one reader's comments in the Wall Street Journal article, a reference to Larry Volk as "some old hot-rodder" - these are the words that will prevail in the discussion if we don't challenge them.

The US government has established the Bonneville Salt Flats as a Speedway.  We can point to the sign to prove it.  By using the full title at every possible opportunity, it establishes and reinforces the core function of the property.  By doing that, we take both the moral and legal high ground in the argument.  

[Tman]

i keep trying to convince everyone who stays out at the bend in the road for FREE that the least they could do is turn that savings into a donation to STS.  don't know how many have actually done it.  i once threatened to walk around from camp to camp with a collection jar but i seem to never have the time.  $50 from each spot would make a nice donation though.

Nathan, I will do that with you next summer, you know I am not bashfull at all!~

[dw230]

Chris & Larry,

From my position as a layman those are excellent points. May I suggest that you send them as suggestions to Stuart Gosswein at SEMA. I am sure he will accept these ideas as solid input from concerned racers.

Stuart Gosswein
Sr. Director, Federal Government Affairs
Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)
1317 F Street, NW, Suite 500
Washington , DC   20004
202/783-6007, ext. 30
202/783-6024 – fax

stuartg@sema.org

Good input,
DW

[hotrod]

I sent Stuart an email per your suggestion.

Larry

[Milwaukee Midget]

Done deal - Thanks for the email addy, Dan.

[Dr Goggles]

Nature took millions of years to pile that stuff up there.The racing activities bring a lot of commerce to the area , and take nothing, that's right nothing, away. So, by anyone's estimate that could go on indefinitely.( read valuable amenity)

The salt extraction is there because it is the highest yield way of collecting it, by anyone's estimate that is happening at a greater rate than its deposition. So, anyone can see that can't go on indefinitely. ( read lazy, short sighted)

The amount they (Wendover) will make out of ( lets say) Speedweek 2031 will likely be more than they could make selling all of the potash in Lake Bonneville this year........hmmmmm, economics.That sounds odd?....there is a finite amount there, they can mine it at today or tomorrows prices but one day it will be gone, Speedweek is an infinite resource, it's real dollar value increasing year by year.

There are lots of places where the groundwater is unsuitable for drinking or irrigation due to the minerals it contains, those minerals can be valuable, maybe even a valuable by-product, do I hear de-salination, solar power?.....hmmmmmmm, sustainability.

Chris is right about language. It also needs to be said that the modern world is obsessed with liability( read covering their arse)...that means no-one wants to be saddled with responsibility....the current way of deflecting is to "put things in place", that means building "long term productivity" .It's easy to see that racing beats shovelling salt into railway trucks hands down.

So, there we have all the world's and Wendover's problems solved in a few short sentences.

Next?