Sound off on San Rafael. (National Society for Park Resources).

When the dust finally settles, all who complain they didn't have a say on whether the San Rafael Swell should be a national monument will have only themselves to blame. The proposed public input process is unprecedented in its scope and its attempt to include as many interested people as it conceivably can. If done correctly, the process will create a new Bureau of Land Management (BLM) model for future federal land management decisions.

The BLM, in conjunction with several other entities, will provide three levels of input for the general public in Emery County, the rest of Utah and the nation. A planned survey will include questions framed, in part, by the disparate interest group--from environmentalists to off-highway-vehicle enthusiasts. The survey will gather random samples of public opinion in Utah and at least a microcosm of the nation; a group of citizens, possibly in Carbondale, Ill., the demographic center of America, will receive an orientation on the Swell and participate in the survey. Beyond those samplings, however, any interested person anywhere in the country will be able to log on to a BLM Web site, receive information about the Swell and take the survey.

The effectiveness of the process will depend in great part on the survey questions. But, assuming the questions will avoid favoring any particular management strategy, the process is a rare opportunity to have a say for those in the area and those who will contribute their federal tax dollars. After Utah's many gripes against former President Clinton's surprise designation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, the county, state and BLM have gone to great lengths to develop opportunities for anyone to contribute to the process without leaving home, relying on pre-fab letters from interest groups or wasting a stamp.

Emery County officials and the BLM should be commended for their continuing efforts to accommodate all comers. In a state in which environmental issues typically draw two responses, absolute protection or absolute access, the county and BLM have worked tirelessly to bring the extremes to a middle position by giving the majority of the people who fall between the poles a chance to weigh in. Whatever the final decision on the San Rafael Swell, the intended process represents a refreshing approach to long-standing land management issues in the state and across the nation.