If you build it, they will come.
There are those who would think that because our town of Escalante is small that it is dead.
Not so.
Some of the old timers have lost their traditional jobs and are angry because of changing times.
I would say that there have been many over the years that have had to change and adapt to new ways, not only to survive but thrive.
The latest projections by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS), the following occupations are expected to massively decline in number and percentage of workers between 2010 and 2020.
The following jobs are slated to decline:
1. Farmers, Ranchers, and other Agricultural Managers.
2. Postal Service Mail Sorters, Carriers and Clerks*
3. Sewing Machine Operators
4. Switchboard Operators
5. Fast Food Cooks
6. Agricultural Workers
7. Data Entry Keyers
8. Word Processors and Typists
9. Door-to-Door Sales Workers and News and Street Vendors
10. Food Service Managers
11. Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assemblers
12. File Clerks
13. Prepress Technicians and Workers
14. Computer Operators
15. Postmasters and Mail Superintendents
16. Office Machine Operators
17. Pressers, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials
18. Florists
19. Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers
20. Loan Interviewers and Clerks
So … which ones affect you?
It isn’t just the small town communities that are going through major changes.
Over the past few years I have asked those who are new to the area what it is that brought them here to this out of the way place.
And that is the answer that they give me.
This place is out of the way, out of the mainstream, unspoiled, the pristine natural beauty, the spirit of the desert, and the feeling of seeing the night sky unspoiled by city lights.
The problems created by modern societies have caused city dwellers to look for the simple beauties in life and nature.
If you build it, they will come.
The word is out, Escalante is a great place to be.
We have what the tourists are looking for.
The tourists are not going to go away, it fact they are coming here by the thousands … every day.
Escalante is going to grow up, whether we like it or not.
It makes sense to take the opportunities offered by the tourists and make venues available for them to spend their dollars.
Forward thinking people and those with vision can see a new industry here and those who cater to the visitors will have their cake and eat it too.
Careful planning and positive thinking by the locals will go a long way in making this transition easy.
There will always be those who like chicken little, see the sky is falling, the glass half empty, doom and gloom.
I join with all the positive thinkers and doers and see great things ahead for Escalante.
