Show Stockmen Organize to Wage t Fight for Range Rights Map Program to Obtain Treatment Supposed to Havo Have Been Guaranteed by Taylor Act 4 Ranchers and c cattlemen of or Grand Orand county In a meeting at Moab Saturday perfected an organization to carry on an on Investigation in investigation In- In investigation of range matters and finance a campaign to protect their grazing rights to tD federal range in this area About 50 ranchers were present and it was decided to carry on the program pro pro- I Igram gram under the tho sponsorship of the Grand County Cattle Horse Growers' Growers Association an existing group of ot stockmen Lester Taylor president of tho the association acted as chairman chairman chairman chair chair- man of the meeting and C. C S. S Thomson was secretary It was the contention of the group that the tho Bureau of ILand Land Management Management Manage Manage- ment mont during its administration o of the act oct during the past 14 years ars has failed to give proper consideration to the rights of resident ranchers and stockmen and now proposes to perpetuate policies which will willbe willbe be ruinous to the rights of resIdent resident resident resi resI- dent stockmen as aswell well weli as to the economic well-being well of the lo local local lo- lo cal tax structure Will Assess Members l The Tho assembled stockmen decided decided de do- to assess the members of ot the association 50 cents per head per year for or all cattle they own while some cattlemen whose stock have been operating on ona a year round basis on federal lands were assessed per head This money be used to employ range examiners and counsel on a permanent basis to prot protect ct the vested rights of the local stockmen members state A committee was appointed ita to outline the policy of the program program pro pro- pro pro-i gram and when their report is ready another general meeting will be called caled to act on th the plan planas as is recommended The committee Is composed of Lester Taylor C C. S S. S Thomson and James S. S Westwood of Moab and James SillIman of Since tho the creation of the graz i ing ng service under the Taylor act net officials of of the bureau have sought to eliminate year round grazing In tn the Grand district in spite of consistent opposition by the local advisory board elected elect ed cd by the local stockmen stockmen stockmen stock stock- men assert The local ranchers point out that the Grand district Is predominately year-round year grazing land and since ince the settlement settlement settlement settle settle- ment of the county 75 years ego ago stockmen have always ways used the public domain for summer grasIng grazIng grazing graz gras ing of cattle One reason for this they contend is that the amount of mountainous summer grazing land within the county is limited and ond the economic usel use of the range has always been to tostock tostock stock the mountains to their carrying capacity a allowing I 11 1 o 0 w win I n g the surplus cattle to summer inthe Inthe in inthe the lower country This system I of ot grazing was carried on suc successfully uc- uc for many anany years and I Imade made Grand county one of the most Important livestock areas area I of the ithe west Transient Sheep Crowd Range e Some 25 years ago it was declared declared de do- dared by ranchers grazing the vast summer areas of the Rocky mountains mountain in Colorado Colorado Colo Cob rado started to trail troll and ship their flocks to the low ranges of Grand county for winter grazIng grazing graz graz- i ing on tho the open range in competition competition com corn petition with the long establish ed 04 range practices of the tiac local ranchers This TJ-ai gradually overcrowded overcrowded overcrowded over over- crowded the ithe range and many ranchers were for forced ed out of bus bus- iness Inc The practice of using the Grand county federal ranges range asa as asa a d dumping ground for transient sheep during the winter season eason kept on the Increase until alone at al atOne atone one time In the neighborhood ola ofa ol of a million head of sheep beep were kept for several everal months month each winter on the tow low ranges of the county Such an invasion of the foreign flocks over a period o oTA of 4 v. v TA A t decimated d ec AM I i ma m ft I t ed k 4 the i. i A. A ra H i S 4 v. v TA A t decimated d 4 ec AM I i ma m ft I t ed k 4 the i. i A. A ra H i S 4 years ranges killed kill kill- ed Cd off grass gras and browse browe and left the country an easy prey to erosion the loca 1 ranchers de de- clare clara This situation not only In Grand county but in man many other ither sections of the west led to the enactment by ky congress a of the Taylor grazing act which ranchers ranch ers era supposed would eliminate the overcrowded conditions and allow the district to revert to the former economic range use uie when every l local al ranch had a substantial herd of catUle rangIng rang rang- ing lug in its vicinity Taylor Tallor Act Ad a However the ranchers rancher declare the grazing service by adopting a an arbitrary period between the years yearn 1029 1929 and 1934 1034 failed to go back far enough to protect the rights of the ranchers ranch ranch- ers Ir many of whom had been tor forced ed out of this the livestock busl ness long before ore the fictitious and and arbitrary priority period I was set up From the tho beginning l lor of or its administration the Bureau of ot Land Management has sought to freeze all grazing preferences to the period 1924 1934 and its evident intention to eliminate year-round year grazing grating within the Grand district is obviously designed designed de de- signed to and perpetuate the local range almost exclusively ely for lor the uso use Colorado sheep sheep- men many of whom own little or no base property in Utah but still ore are given preferential treatment treatment treatment treat treat- ment over tho the local ranchers It ItIs ItIs Itis is charged This in spite of the plain wording ot of the preamble to the Taylor grazing act which describes the tho act as a measure to stabilize the livestock industry industry indus Indus- try prevent overgrazing and f give ranches ranchos a preferential right to use of the federal range i inear near or contiguous to the local ranches 1 1 |