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Show ... I LJr- p, Ul -A v Shown during a stop at Apple Brush Flat during the range tour are Paul Howard, State BLM Director; Jim Bates, Fish and Game; Roger Banner, Range Specialist for USU; and Don Taylor, Wayne Cattle Association president. (Photo by Barbara Ekker) Henry Mountain area range tour studied moisture, plant status By Barbara Ekker A range tour of the Desert Regions of the Henry Mountain Resource area was conducted May 30th by Marty Lampman, BLM area manager of Hanksville. The group included: Paul Howard, State Director, Direc-tor, BLM; Kimball Young, State assistant to Senator Jake Gam; Edward Dar-rell, Dar-rell, State Communications Communica-tions Assistant to Senator Orrin Hateh; Don Pendleton, Pendle-ton, District Manager, BLM, Richfield office; Edward Smith, Chief of the Branches of Biological Resources, Utah State Offices of the BLM; Roger Banner, Extension Range Specialist from USU at Logan; Al Logosz, Range Program Leader, State Offices of BLM; Dwight Williams, Wayne County Commissioner; Don Taylor, Tay-lor, President of Wayne County Cattlemen Association, Assoc-iation, Ray Dawson, Regional Re-gional Manager of the Utah Farm Bureau and Sheril Slack, Range Specialist Spe-cialist Program leader, Richfield BLM. Kirk Mul-lins, Mul-lins, game manager Bullfrog Bull-frog and Jim Bates, of the Utah Fish and Wildlife joined the tour. The tour began at 8 a.m. and the areas covered cover-ed were south of Hanks- r ville on Half-way Bench where the curly grass was at half-growth for this time of year. The bunch grass, match wee, and brown weed show evidence evi-dence of being wiped out by last year's drought. The sand grass is seeded and if there is sufficient moisture through the 1 summer months this area i should improve. i Then the tour went i north of Hanksville near the FAA airport. This area is abound with desert flowers. It was learned that nature protects many desert flowers with a coating or inhibitor which must be washed away if it is to bloom. If there's not enough water in rain form, these seeds lay dormant for years. It is reported by Arlo Richardson, Richard-son, State climatologist, that this portion of southern south-ern Utah has had its second wettest year since 1931 and this is the reason for these floral displays. Five hundred botanical samples were gathered last year for a coal impact study and this year this count was tripled. The tour continued into the Blue Valley, Kitchen Town, Giles, Caineville area on U-24 and then to Notom, Sandy Ranch, Dugout Creek, Apple Brush Flat. The tour was to give all concerned an observation of the present rain conditions. No decisions deci-sions on grazing permits were discussed, these will come in the fall following summer months of possible possi-ble precipitation. Presently Present-ly for the water year October 77 to May 30. 1978 rainfall is 4. 33 inches. This compared to the water year (Oct. 76 to Oct. 77) being 2.56 is quite a boost to the range conditions. rr""B"STS"l""8"8"B-S'B"'B III tSl |
