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Show THE PAGE 22 ZEPHYRJANUARY-FEBRUAR- the canyon country watch dog . The Groene Report Y 1993 this destroy some fabulous canyon country, but it may also create conflicts between livestock and the few bighorn sheep remaining in the area. One of the last three viable native desert bighorn wild herd has been lost: probably due to sheep herds in Utah used to utilize the area, but the transmission from a domestic sheep herd which was grazing on Hatch Point. The BLM is also proposing to build over two miles of pipeline and four reservoirs on Mustang Mesa in the archaeologically rich southeastern portion of San Juan County. water up fifty feet to storage Finally, BLM is proposing to "develop" a seep in order to pump tanks and troughs on Cedar Mesa. The areas around these water projects, if built, will become cow sacrifice areas. The water will The cows will bring heavy livestock use to areas which had received little grazing in the past water each project. denude vegetation and leave a ring of cow manure around The San Juan Resource area is not allowing any public comment on these projects at this time (SUWA has requested comment periods on the Cedar Mesa and White Canyon projects). If you believe the public; as well as ranchers, should have a say in how public lands are managed, you can ask the Moab District Manager, Mr. Roger Zortman to provide a public comment period on these projects. Mr. Zortman can be reached at 259-611- 1. In time For The Holidays: A Toll Free Number to Stop Fraud, Waste and Abuse Why Cows Rule Domestic livestock grazing has caused native vegetation to be replaced by exotic spedes, the cutting of deep array os in canyon bottoms of canyons, the trampling of archeological sites, the eradication of predators and the destruction of wildlife habitat. The damage continues because the livestock industry maintains a disproportionate amount of political power within both the Forest Service and the BLM. . . The livestock industry holds clout over BLM through official BLM "grazing advisory boards". The membership of the boards is limited to those with a permit or lease to graze on public lands (ranchers also till a number of positions cm the BLM's multiple use advisory boards as well). No other commercial interests tell the BLM What to do in such a direct way. The taxpayers cover the cost of the grazing boards- - for Moab District the cost is estimated at $10,000 per year. Ranchers have kept public lands grazing fees at a highly subsidized rate through their influence with western Senators. Currently, a public lands rancher gets all the forage a cow and a calf, or five sheep, can eat in a month (estimated to be pounds of grass and other of half the is to returned to the BLM at federal least for statute a $1.92 And $1.92. by forage), to be used for range "improvement" projects- projects which are chosen in a large part by ranchers on the grazing advisory boards. The penalty BLM imposes against ranchers for trespassing livestock indicates the subsidy built into the $1.92 figure: a rancher is charged the fair market value of the forage eaten, with fair market value set by the average rate paid for on private pasture. Grazing is also managed differently than other commercial public land uses in that there is no bidding for grazing permits (unlike oil and gas leases, for instance), and you can have a permit only if you have an ownership in nearby property. Permits are virtually automatically renewed as long as the permit holder owns the base property. The Office of the Inspector General accepts anonymous plume calls for tips about illegal behavior by agencies within the Department of the Interior, induding the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the Fish and Wildlife Service. Messages can be left by calling 700-80- 0 Backcountry Management Plan For Canyonlands. The Park Service is holding public meetings about the management of the backcountry in Needles, the Maze and the Island in the Sky. NPS is looking for suggested solutions to problems created by increasing park use. A public hearing will be held in Moab January 6, at 7 p.m. at the Moab Gvic Center. Hearings will also be held in other southeastern Utah towns, SLC and for more information. Colorado. Call Sarah Marshall, 259-716- Garnish for The Moab Salt Potash Ponds 4, Killing Trees and Bushes for Cows On November 17, the BLM San Juan Resource Area issued a decision to poison about 2000 acres of sagebrush, pin yon and juniper trees at locations on Cedar Mesa and near Dark Canyon in order to increase forage for cows. BLM had already ripped up the natural vegetation of these of crested wheat grass. Sage brush and J areas in the 50's and 60's to create have grown back into the areas in the intervening decades, and so BLM plans to spray from a plane an herbicide also known as tebuthiron. The areas to be poisoned currently serve as deer winter range, but since the ranchers want the area turned back into a cow pasture, the BLM has acquiesced. BLM also does not know with certainty the extent to which the herbicide will destroy the opportunities to carbon date archeological artifacts in the area. Preston Neilson, a member erf the BLM's Moab District Advisory Board, will be one of the beneficiaries of the projects. memo-cultur- P-- es Where Cows Rule. The BLM San Juan Resource Area is also proposing several other "range improvement" projects to benefit cows. The area northeast of White Canyon is some of the most beautiful and least used land in southeastern Utah. BLM is proposing to allow the rancher with a permit there to bulldoze eight stock ponds in a proposed wilderness area between Gravel and White Canyon. Not only will The Utah Division of State Lands and Forestry held a public meeting in Moab on November 30 to take comment on the Division's proposal to lease 8,000 acres of state land between Dead Horse Point State and the Colorado River. A small portion of the Park itself would be leased (the Park controls only the surface). Moab citizens who spoke at the hearing were unanimously against oil and gas development in the area- - all three of us. The Division of State Lands and Forestry frequently touts the need for development projects, such as oil and gas leasing in Dead Horse State Park, to make money for Utah school children. However, the Division has no trouble dieating the tykes when it comes to protecting the interests of ranchers grazing on state lands. The Division refuses to advertise the availability of state grazing properties when leases approach expiration. The Legislative Auditor General's office estimates Utah loses up to 100,000 dollars per year for the school kids by failing to put state grazing leases up for competitive leasing. Senator Garn Kills State Land Bill and then Does More Weird Stuff After months of negotiations, Utah environmental groups, state nffiriaU and education groups readied a compromise to take Utah state sections which are scattered across national parks and national forests and put them into blocks which can be developed to earn money for the school trust funds. Unfortunately, retiring Senator Jake Gam killed the deal in the last days of the 1992 congress because it did not provide opportunities for coal development on the Kaiparowits Plateau. It will be difficult for Utah to get the bill past the House Interior Committee again without the leadership erf Representative Wayne Owens. Lame duck Gam then introduced legislation to create an ORV recreation area in the middle On new RIVERSIDE PLUMBING & HEATING Eve, did yOU go down the sewer vent instead of the chimney?? Residential Commercial Sales e Service Installation Drain Cleaning Complete Line of Plumbing Fixtures o Kohler Am. Standard Grohe Eljer Delta Price Pfister yOU CMtS'TILL CALL JCK o Moen Briggs ...and many more years senior discounts on labor rick hirschfeld licensed Hotwater Heaters - Garbage Disposals - Whirlpool 259-832- 4 BathsSpas & insured plumbing contractor 366 North 500 West |