State law requires wilderness programs to obtain a license prior to starting operations. That provision would prevent the Wardles from starting another program in Utah under a new name,
Stettler said. But there is nothing to prevent them from starting a program in another state.
C:Documents and SettingstestMy DocumentsSkyline Journey Loses License.mht
Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2006 9:14 pm Post subject:
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Victim's mom decries teen program's return
Utah teen-help industry: She wants the owners, whose first license was revoked, to be banned from the business
By Kirsten Stewart
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake Tribune
It was "small vindication." But Susan Pinson, the birth mother of a teen who died of heat exhaustion while hiking in a Utah wilderness therapy program, said she was relieved when the state ordered the program closed in October 2003.
Pinson said licensers promised Skyline Journey owners Lee and Mark Wardle "would never run a place like that again, not in Utah." State officials made the same statement in news reports.
But there is nothing in state law to support a lifetime ban. Sixteen months after Skyline Journey lost its license, the father-and-son team has started another wilderness camp in Nephi, called Distant Drums Beginnings. The camp has operated lawfully since the state licensed it on Feb. 22, 2005.
Pinson reacted to the news on Wednesday from her home in Drumright, Okla., with disbelief, then anger. She wants Utah lawmakers to consider legislation to fix what she calls "a miscarriage of justice."
Mark Wardle argues the law is fair and that he has a right to continue pursuing a 16-year career in the teen-help industry.
Caught in the middle are state licensing officials who stand by their decision, but regret there is nothing they can do to mollify Pinson.
"The law is the law; we can't prevent them from operating forever," said Ken Stettler, director of the Human Services Office of Licensing.
Once a license is revoked, the state may not replace it unless: one year has passed, the applicant submits to regular inspections and provides "satisfactory evidence" that wrongs were righted, and the new operation proves safe. The law is phrased to give licensors some discretion.
But Stettler said a denial based solely on the Wardles having run a previous program where a fatality occurred probably wouldn't hold up in court. He said licensors thoroughly investigated Distant Drums, which in a year of operating has had no complaints.
The Wardles
C:Documents and SettingstestMy DocumentsSkyline Journey Loses License.mht
In answer I must agree with the guest poster in every way, my point on the wolf in the hen house, is that in my opinion, he was in corrections for 25 years dealing with kids, and obtained a degree in wilderness therepy, he is a good ol boy with the "Providers", he was the one involved in getting the laws made for the programs, and is involved in other states, he works with program "provider" owners on these laws.
On one hand he says there is no law, but isn't he helping with the laws? He says he can't do anything unfortunely till something happens, then a kid dies, and they then can do their job.
Ok then they can shut them down, they are out of business 1 year can open in another state, consider the two links found on fornits, with 2 different statements.
Hey, I am not as smart as all of you and you will have to bear with me. I wish I could express, with news items ect.
But Yeah, I am disgusted with this business, I believe these things happened to kids, and I had hoped it had stopped, it has not.
Bunny
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