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Show THE ZEPHYRDECEMBER 89 PAGE 14 around the bend " ' by ken sleight They shot and killed 17 head of cattle up there on the Green River In Desolation Canyon. The cattle were wild and unbranded. The range was seriously depleted. There was little grass left It was supposed that these wild cattle had come from parent stock of the Nutter Ranch Interests. A few years ago, the Sabine Oil Company of Dallas, Texas purchased the Nutter Interests. These wild and untended cows became their responsibility but they showed little Interest In rounding them up. BLM Issued them a trespass notice. (This means that the cows are not In the right place.) There was no fine or penalty. Time passed. Finally Sabine leased their cattle operation to Jim Wilcox, a rancher from Price, Utah. Jim began the slow process of gathering up the wild cattle. But he didn't act fast enough. The BLM declared that those wild critters now belonged to them. And they would do what they wanted with them. They put out a notice to the American public In the small local newspaper In Price. They also put notice on the post office wall In Price to notify all Americans that the wild cattle were up for disposal and If any citizens wanted them to come and get them. The American public failed to see the small print In the Price paper or on the post office wall. The public failed to respond. They went by boat and helicopter to again Inspect the rangeland. Again they found the rangeland in bad shape as It was years before. They had to act quickly! Time was now of the essence - they had spent thousands of dollars over the years trying to solve this problem. When you think of all the time that was spent In sparring, arguing, putting down on paper, trespassing, trips to Inspect the range, trips to Inspect the cattle, helicopter rides, boat rides, etc. you have a pretty hefty chunk of money spent. This same money could have been spent on hiring says they so desperately need. Quickly they put out another notice to the American public In similar fashion. This one offered the cattle to the highest bidder. The catch was Is that a $5000 bond would need to be posted to ensure that all the cattle were removed. Miss one cow and youd probably forfeit the bond. And those poor American people who chanced by the Price post office to read the small print on the wall probably didn't have the $5000 to post, so they didnt bid. BLM surmised they had covered their bases and technically had done their ob In technically advising the American people of the matter. It was time to take forceful action. In the meantime, Jim Wilcox was gearing up to go round up the cattle and so advised the BLM. BLM was Impatient and couldn't wait for a slow cowboy to do a Job he was trained to do. Loaded with rifles and bullets, the BLM rangers that BLM ' RED SANDS AUTO BODY 1 209 So. Hwy 191 259-701- 4 Rick Thompson, Owner Dan Mick, Mgr. wild cattle eating away patrol headed to the depleted range where they found the at the brush. Then they proceeded, one by one, to dispatch each cow. The deed was done. The range was now secure. Wilcox needn't bother himself anymore. In retrospect what could have been done? I found that they had not prepared an EA, (environmental assessment) as Is required for such major actions. If they had accomplished an EA they would have had to cover many alternatives that were available to them rather than limiting themselves. More Important, the public could have given their 2 cents worth. Personally I feel deprived of not having had the I to offer. opportunity to make a statement. I feel had something I was when to In 1963 be exact, For Instance, years ago, boating down In Glen rise covering and destroying Canyon and watching Lake Powell (Lake Foul) natural thousands of grottos, ancient Indian ruins, rock art, bridges, etc., I noted an old red bull standing on a bar above the sluggish Colorado River. I went to look at the brand on the bull. It belonged to Mackay Bailey of Escalante. On my return home In Escalante, I told Mackay about the stranded bulL He Indicated that the bull had evidently separated from the herd and headed down the Escalante River alone and onto a Colorado River bar. As I made repeated trips down Glen Canyon, I stopped on each trip to Inspect the bull. He was not always on the same bar. The damn thing wouldn't stay put! When the grass was depleted on one bar, he swam down river to the next Well, the old Bureau of Reclamation (BuWreck) played a cruel Joke on him. The reservoir rose higher and stopped the flowing Colorado. The bull could no longer swim the long distances In the dead water. Marooned on this small bar, he awaited his doom. He soon depleted the grass, the soil was pulverized. BuWreck continued raising the water level. Time was of the essence. The bull was losing welghL He had become so Irritated that on my last Inspection stop, he chased me back to my boat At an appointed time, Mackay came climbing down, rifle In hand, over the cliffs at Jackass Bench to meet me. We motored the boat down to the bar where the bull was. It was near dark, and we luckily found him on the waters edge. So as not to frighten him, we boated further down the beach. From the boat we walked up around him. He looked at us and pawed the ground. Fairly dark now, Mackay dispatched him quickly. The next couple of hours were spent In butchering. We placed the chunks of meat on spread-o- ut oars and chugged our way down the reservoir to Wahweap and then by truck to Escalante. We ground the tough meat Into hamburger, each taking half. In my report to BLM, I could have told them how to do IL But the opportunity wasnt there. Uke Americans everywhere I hadn't read the notice on the post office wall In Price. It would have been a relatively easy matter for a number of outfitters to have brought their boats, filled with Ice, down the Green River to where the cows were. Then to slaughter them near the river or to use pack horses to pack the meat to the awaiting boats. And then to boat the meat out Why waste that meat??? BLM said the meat was their own, they could do what they wanted with IL They could have seen that It was given to the poor and Utahn's Against Hunger would have had good use of IL Seventeen hungry. carcasses lay up there In Desolation Canyon left for the maggots. A lesson to be learned. This whole episode could have been avoided. BLM must yet learn that the public must be fully Informed and allowed to become Involved. Had this happened, this shooting would not have occurred, and the range would have been protected years ago. - RICK: 1 1 GUIS' 95 So. Hwy 191 259-871- 4 Perfect for Christmas the Gift of Glass" Santa Mick has all the goodies you need to beautify your car RS..FCR ? customized striping complete paint job insurance work welcome 'quality, craftsmanship, and pride are our goals." FOR ALL YOUR GLASS NEEDS |