OCR Text |
Show Public land use meet airs problems in area How should the public lands in southeastern Iron County be managed? According to District Manager Man-ager Harold K. Isaacson, 63 people participated in recent public meetings held at Cedar City and Parowan to help BLM evaluate future resource management man-agement alternatives on 70,000 acres of public hind in the Cedar Ce-dar Tlanning Unit. A good cross section of resource re-source users attended the meetings including wildlife, recreation and livestock interests, inter-ests, and private land owners. Also local, county, state and and federal government officials offi-cials and representatives from Southern Utah State College participated. Recommendations and comments com-ments were recorded and will be considerer in developing a multiple use plan for the area. In areas where resources Use conflicts occur, the recommendations recom-mendations will be especially helpful to the Bureau of Land Management in making mult-. pile use decisions. I Some of the specific recom-! mendations pertained to disposition dis-position of public land, deer-sheep deer-sheep conflicts, historic features fea-tures and recreational use of public land. Generally, it was recommended recom-mended that land continue to bo retained in public ownership owner-ship and that small isolated tracts be exchanged to improve im-prove land patterns and pub-lie pub-lie access. The area immediately immedi-ately southwest of Cedar City was recognized as being valuable valu-able for future school and college col-lege expansion, and also residential re-sidential expansion. It was also noted these public lands presently provide recreation to Cedar City residents in the form of horseback riding, trail bike riding and hiking. Competition exists between deer and sheep in the unit. Both animals graze browse j forage during winter months. ' As a result browse plants are becoming depleted. This problem pro-blem became even more se vcre when 1-15 was fencer' deer-tight, thus reducing the size of deer winter range-! range-! Most of the comments were that spring cattle grazing br substituted for present sheer grazing to relieve grazing pressure on browse plants. When recommendation' were solicited on what to 6r with the coal tipple south o' Tedar City, several comment' 'vere made to leave it stand ing. It has historic valu an' i apparently is a subject fc ; 'ocal artists. These values wi)' ' "ecd to be weighed agains ; the potential hazard of thr i -ructurc. j Mr. Isaacson said he ap- rcciatcd the ideas and sug- 'estions received at th? meet- ngs. As a result, efforts will se directed to improve the 1 'nd pattern and provide bet-I bet-I r access to public lands. ; '-ong range grazing manage-! manage-! 'lent of the unit will be de- "'jjnetl to sustain brow.se pro-i pro-i 'uction on the more import-' import-' ont deer winter range. |