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Show I dialogue I An Open Line of Communications j Between People and Goverimeni I I have been concerned for some time about the fire fighting policy of our Federal Land Agencies. Last summer a pilot was killed and a large plane was lost in a fire in scrub brush land on Pinyon Mesa. This past 2 weeks there were fires on North Beaver and Fisher Mesas in an area I am very familiar with. Both fires were in Pinyon, Juniper brush adjacent to areas that have been recently chained to remove the brush so they could be re-seeded to provide more feed for livestock live-stock and wildlife as well as improve the watershed. The response was immediate with numerous planes and helicopters helicop-ters on the scene followed by fire crews, tank trucks, bulldozers, bull-dozers, large planes to drop fire retardent, etc. My first concern is for the safety of the men required to fight these fires in the dark in rough country. My second concern as a taxpayer is the tremendous cost involved to fight a fire that in my opinion is doing no harm, and in fact is probably beneficial. If 10 of the money spent to put it out could be used to re seed the ground after the fire it would make more sense to me. I feel we have a "Smoky Hear" complex in this country which makes us feel all fires are bad and must be put out at all cost. I think it is time that a policy be developed to allow some fires to burn and only fight those that endanger valuable timber of other properly. pro-perly. I would like to challenge the HI.M and Forest Service to let us know what we are paying to fight these fires and what, the benefits are. D.L.Taylor |