Arizona Daily Star from Tucson, Arizona • Page 28

acson, Thursday, October 13, 1988 J)r Arizona Uailrr Slur Section Page Three RECREATION TELEVISION 5 companies prepared to load up their llamas for outdoor adventure KDTU's money woes trigger Catholic diocese job losses Here's a look at some of the llama treks offered in Arizona. Arizona Llama Co. 474-9155. Payson. Owners B.J.

tnd Tim Morgan. Two types of picnic hikes. The short tike, 2 miles round-trip, costs $25 per person for adults, H2 for ages 6 to 10 years. The long hike, 4 miles round-rip, is $30 per person for adults and $15 for ages 6-10. Reservations are required.

Overnight treks in the Ma-atzal Wilderness are $85 daily per person, which homemade gourmet fare. Custom treks are available for private groups of four to six guests. Blue Mesa Llama Co. 285-0610 in Phoenix. A Tuc-lon branch will be operating soon.

Owners Phred Barth-lomaei and Judy Schetter. Offers several-day wilder-less treks. For a list of treks, call the company. Llama Resources. 537-3468.

Show Low. Owners rim and Linda Hoy. Have just moved to Show Low from Queen Creek. This phone number is new and should be operable soon. Call for a list of llama treks.

Sedona Llama Treks. 282-6676. Sedona. Owners Terry and Marybeth Bullington. Two picnic hikes offered.

The half-day hike, about four hours, is $35 for adults and $17.50 for children younger than 12. The interpretive hike includes background on vegetation, animal life and geology of the red rock area. Brunch includes fresh fruit salad, homemade muffins and crepes with chicken and artichoke heart filling in wine sauce. The full-day hike, about six to eight hours, is $55 for adults and $27.50 for children younger than 12. It includes juices and snacks along the way, in addition to lunch.

Reservations are required. Llamas may wear tux and tails for special occasions. Southwest Llama Association. 537-3468. Show Low.

This is a new number and may not be operable for a week or so. The association offers information on llamas, group meetings and events, and llama treks. Llamas By Jim Radcliffe The Arizona Daily Star For the third time in two years KDTU-TV's financial troubles have led to layoffs and salary reductions in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson. This time 11 full-time and three part-time employees will be terminated Oct. 21, while the remaining 40 employees in the diocese's administrative offices will take a 10 percent salary cut.

No one at the station, owned by the diocese, is affected. The employees losing their jobs, mostly clerks and administrators, will receive two weeks' severance pay. The cuts were based on job description rather than tenure. At least two of the dismissed employees had been with the diocese for more than 14 years. Three services relating to the clergy and religious orders, including a clergy-support group, will be disbanded.

Jobs at the 70-plus parishes and missions in the diocese will not be affected, although a part-time recreation leader who worked at eight parochial schools will be let go. In a letter that will be read to parishioners this weekend, Bishop Manuel Moreno says, "In hindsight, it is now clear that the diocese was not ready for the investment involved (in KDTU)." The diocese, which serves much of Southern Arizona, began trying to sell the station in early 1986 and put it on the market in April 1987, said spokesman Fred Allison. Although the diocese has come close to selling KDTU, Channel 18, several times, no sale is imminent. years, said he is worried about finding a new job. KDTU's financial woes have affected more than people.

Since 1987, the diocese has told its parishes and missions that it cannot offer low-interest loans for building expansion. "There doesn't seem to be any crucial need to expand by a substantial number of the parishes," Allison said. KDTU began broadcasting on Dec. 31, 1984. It was the first time a Catholic diocese in the United States had purchased a full-power television station, Allison said.

The goal was to offer a station that provided family-oriented programing, such as reruns of old series. Like most stations, it offered religious programs of various faiths. The diocese wanted the station to start breaking even within three to five years which it apparently achieved but the diocese cannot wait for KDTU to make enough money to comfortably pay off its loans, Allison said. KDTU's ratings are healthy for an independent station, local broadcasters say. KDTU is apparently one of three Tucson television stations up for sale.

Knight-Ridder announced last week that it wants to sell KOLD-TV, the local CBS affiliate. And the owners of KPOL-TV, Channel 40, are open to offers. Although KPOL had a local firm appraise it a couple of years ago, "We're not actively on the market. (But) everything is always for sale," said David Polan, KPOL's general manager. KDTU's revenues began to match operating expenditures roughly $1.8 million-plus annually during the past year, but the initial investment and interest on the debt incurred are straining the diocese.

Diocese officials will not reveal the amount of the debt, nor how much the cuts will save annually. Apparently, the television station could not afford to let any more people go. In March 1987, 18 KDTU positions were eliminated. "We're down to bare-bones right now," said Robert Nord-meyer, the station's general manager. "And everybody is doing two jobs." In 1986 the diocese laid off six employees when it greatly scaled back production of a diocesan periodical.

Allison said the 1986 cuts, like those made later, enabled the diocese to tighten its budget, which the television station has cut into for least a couple of years. However, he said some of the positions eventually might have been eliminated anyway, as the need for them diminished. Most of the diocesan employees who will lose their jobs declined to comment. However, Kevin George, a video photographer and producer in the diocese's community relations department, said, "I'm depressed. I've spent a considerable part of my life to do this ministry I consider it a ministry." George, who has been a full-time diocesan employee for two Originally they planned to take a one-year sabbatical, breeding llamas and taking people on excursions.

But their business grew more quickly than planned, and they decided to continue their more relaxing venture at their four-acre ranch. When they lived in Seattle, they started out with two llamas for their own use. Tim had had back surgery and it bothered him to carry a backpack or to ride a horse. "We did a lot of back-country, and it was kind of depressing because we couldn't go out for more than a day hike," B.J. says.

"We had some neighbors who raised llamas, so we got our first two. "Once we got the llamas, we immediately said, we've got to have our table and our chairs and our two-burner Coleman stove, our cooler, ice cubes so we can have our mixed drinks, maybe a cold bottle of wine. You just get so spoiled. It's like roughing it easy. If we're going to be gone more than a few days, we take a portable shower." They have applied their luxurious preferences to their picnic hikes and overnight treks, which include candlelight sit-down dinners.

"We enjoy doing the picnic hikes," B.J. says. "Also, you get people who aren't going to go on an over-nighter, but it exposes them to llamas. We have sold a lot of llamas. We board a lot of them for people who live in the (Phoenix) Valley.

They come up on weekends and take them out." Two of the hikers on this trip are Greg and Sydney Clark of Tempe, who wanted to find a creative way to celebrate their 15th anniversary. "We also wanted to find out what this is like, to see if we would want to take an overnight," says Sydney, who is intrigued by the graceful, inquisitive animals. "I like the way they look. They look like they know exactly what's going on. And they are not going to share what they know with anyone." Continued from Page 1C Llamas 101.

"Llamas are head shy; you don't-want to pat them top of the head," Tim explains to a group gathered at lis ranch. "The reason is that when they fight, they rab each other by the ears. It's an aggressive move-nent. You can pat them on the neck or the back, but Hey don't like to have their heads or ears played vith. "Llamas don't normally kick, bite or spit.

If they are ibused, they will to protect themselves. They will -pit at each other when they are fighting, but they iormally do not spit at people." He proceeds to introduce guests to each of 28 Jamas, ranging from babies to adults. People feed the lamas, learn about their habits, food preferences, cost, wool usage and training. Then it's time to hit the trail. 7 "The llamas are trained to follow behind you on a slack leash," he says.

"So we want you to give them a whole lead rope and let them follow behind you. It's a Hood idea to wrap it around your hand once, so you tiave a good grip. They don't spook easy. It takes a whole lot to spook them, and they are not going to drag you across the field like a horse if they did." Packed onto the animals are fold-up tables, cushions and ice chests laden with chilled champagne and pear-flavored mineral water, gazpacho, croissants, deli meats, homemade potato salad and chocolate cake. I Once the group reaches its destination, a scenic spot beneath a towering sycamore tree at the East Verde River, the Morgans set up tables and fresh flowers, and pull out plastic champagne glasses and plastic ware rolled up in linen tablecloths.

This is the couple's second season. They moved to Payson from Seattle, leaving behind high-stress careers. B.J. was a surgical assistant and Tim was an investment broker. China buys 23 episodes of 'Moonlighting' 1988 The New York Times NEW YORK From the Department of How Did They Ever Get Along Without It: Capital Cities-ABC Inc.

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