Summary:
In dry, desert climates like southern Utah, rain is a blessed event. And during times of drought, carelessness with water can threaten whole communities. The town of Monticello, originally a Mormon homestead, learned this recently after town leaders decided to build an eighteen-hole golf course during the 5th year of drought. Meanwhile, a local archeologist suggests the town’s experience offers clues to what may have happened to the Anasazi Indians, a civilization that once thrived in the area. The first of a two-part, award winning series.
(Debuted August 2003, KUER in Salt Lake City)
More from Ross Chambless
Universal Design in Japan
(05:48)
From: Ross Chambless
Why are household appliances and other machines talking in Japan?
Farming The Desert, Drought in Southern Utah, prt2
(08:42)
From: Ross Chambless
Drought in Utah raises questions about the sensibility of farming in the dry country.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Summary: In dry, desert climates like southern Utah, rain is a blessed event. And during times of drought, carelessness with water can threaten whole communities. The town of Monticello, originally a Mormon homestead, learned this recently after town leaders decided to build an eighteen-hole golf course during the 5th year of drought. Meanwhile, a local archeologist suggests the town’s experience offers clues to what may have happened to the Anasazi Indians, a civilization that once thrived in the area. The first of a two-part, award winning series. (Debuted August 2003, KUER in Salt Lake City)
Broadcast History
This piece aired in August 2003 on KUER FM90 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Transcript
Monticello Story
Drought in Southern Utah
Part 1 of 2
Ross Chambless
HOST: PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN DESERT CLIMATES PROBABLY KNOW BETTER THAN MOST OF US THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSERVING WATER. YET DROUGHTS, LIKE OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS, CAN TAKE PEOPLE BY SURPRISE. TWO SUMMERS AGO UTAH WAS ENDURING ITS 5TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF DROUGHT. AREAS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE STATE, THAT ARE ALWAYS DRY, WERE HIT HARDEST. PRODUCER ROSS CHAMBLESS WENT TO THE TOWN OF MONTICELLO AND SPOKE WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO KEEP THEIR COMMUNITYVIBRANT.
[INTRODUCTION: MUSIC PLAYING ON CAR RADIO]
ROSS: DRIVING SOUTH ON UTAH’S HIGHWAY 191… CAN SEEM LIKE DRIVING ON THE PLANET MARS. THERE’S LOTS OF RED SOIL AND LITTLE WATER…SAN JUAN COUNTY IS AMONG THE LEAST POPULATED AND POOREST COUNTIES IN THE STATE… YET… FOLLOWING ONE OF UTAH’S DRIEST YEARS IN RECORDED HISTORY… PEOPLE HERE HAVE A CERTAIN REALIZATION IN TH...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
People who live in desert climates probably know better than most of us the importance of conserving water. Yet droughts, like other natural disasters, can take people by surprise. Two summers ago Utah was enduring its 5th consecutive year of drought. Areas in the southern part of the state, that are always dry, were hit hardest. Producer Ross Chambless went to the town of Monticello and spoke with people trying to keep their communityvibrant.
(piece runs 8:45)
Musical Works
[excerpt (length:1:05)] Dracula, Women in White, Philip Glass.
1999, label: Nonesuch.
[excerpt (length: 1:05)] Music From The Thin Blue Line Soundtrack, Strange Welcome, Philip Glass. 1988, label: Nonesuch (79209)
[excerpt (length:1:05)] Music From The Thin Blue Line Soundtrack, Looking, Philip Glass. 1988, label: Nonesuch (79209)
[excerpt (length:0:40)] The Insider Soundtrack, Iguazu, Gustavo Santaolalla.
1999, label: Columbia (CK 63918)
