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Show THE ZEPHYR AUGUST 1991 PAGE 25 The well casing on the second Columbia wed near Dead Horse State Park folded after about 500 feat of drilling and the company had to move the alto over 10 feeL The rig Is now back up. On the new Meridian well up on Hatch Point a cable snapped on the rig which then toppled over. No one was hurt zeke and maralee francis Grazing Fees Four Comers Design The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation to Increase on public lands. It la expected that the Senate will kill the legislation. fees grazing The BLM charges public lands ranchers $1.97 per "animal unit month" (AUM), that Is for the amount of grass one cow and calf eat In a month. The BLM has determined, however, that the forage value from western lands is $8.70 per AUM. A 1986 study by Colorado State University found that over 900 ranchers on BLM lands were subleasing their allotments for an average price of $7.76 per AUM and pocketing the difference between the fees paid to the government and that they were illegally charging their sublessees. In 1991 the BLM anticipates receipts of roughly 15 million dollars from grazing fees. During the same time, h will cost approximately 47 million dollars to administer the program. Over the past 10 years the federal grazing fee has dropped 15 while the private lease rates have increased 17. In 1990 the Environmental Protection Agency found that riparian areas In the west are "In the worst condition In history". A 1988 General Accounting Office study determined that "poorly managed livestock grazing Is the ma)or cause of degraded riparian habitat on federal rangelands. The BLM estimates that about two thirds of the public lands are In unsatisfactory condition. Public land grazers also receive the benefit of federal predator control programs. In 1988 for example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal Damage Control program (AKA All the Deed Critters) spent 29 million dollars to kill 76,000 coyotes, 124,000 prairie dogs, 30,000 beavers, skunks and raccoons, 200 mountain Ilona, and 300 bears. About 500 dogs and cate were also accidentally killed. The Utah State BLM lists as grazing program "accomplishments" over 650,000 acres of "land treatments". Land treatments are listed as "plowing, juniper chaining, seeding, spraying and prescribed bums. Other "accomplishments" resulting from the ) (across from the post office) BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL! Come help me celebrate my children returning to school. Utah BLM grazing program Include over 8,000 miles of fencing. The Utah BLM divides the forage on Utah public lands so that 1,331,000 AUMs are available to domestic livestock and 251,528 AUMs are left for wildlife. The Department of Agriculture estimates that federal lands provide leas than 2 of the forage for domestic sheep and cattle produced annually in the U.S. oldest --Scott Groene Moab Office Southern Utah irt shop in moab estb. 1980 Wilderness Alliance " A1 McLeod electrical contractor DON A KAY SWASEY Scrimshaw Maps 57 North Main Moab, Utah 84532 & Books 259-709- 0 Jewelry PO Box 1423 Turquoise Dinosaur Bone Hi Souvenirs Jewelry Repairs Home Brewing Supplies Let us be your silversmith Custom Orders Welcome X tn A KacI VWkr. A I ch'd Re-WiR'- DINNER LUNCH FINE MEXICAN & AMERICAN MEALS SINCE 1981 574 N. MAIN 801 state liquor license MOAB, UTAH 259-631- 9 11AM - 10PM X W RfCtaifilufTrii fo dU 60 whfJ fte hrclt jo& d one A 801-259-53- Moab l |