Show has km variety of activities throughout state Management of nearly ha half i of Utah's land area involved the Department of the Interiors Interior's Bure Bureau u of Land Management ina in ina a wide variety of activities during 1975 According to Paul L. L Howard state director for Utah the bureau was involved in su such b programs as r recreation mineral development grazing woodland products and the preservation of environmental and cultural values of historical places The bureau administers administers' nearly 25 million acres in Utah or approximately tely 47 percent of the states state's land area A REORGANIZATION of field offices was completed completed completed com com- In mid 1975 con Coal consolidated s ifS 15 l f into five Following public meetings across the state a decision was made to lo locate te district offices in Salt Lake City Vernal Richfield Moab and Cedar City Prior district offices in Fillmore Price Monticello and Knab were redesignated as area offices and Hanksville became the location of a new new new area area office New district boundaries coincide with county and multi multi- county planning district boundaries Mr Howard stated that the reorganization is helping the th bureau to accomplish the thein in jn- increasing creasing and diverse diverse facing its field offices by improving im- im proving on the on tle rund management and establishing a a. structure to respond better t to national state and 14 regional concerns is a II v f 1 THE TILE PROPOSED tO megawatt power generating project in southern Utah continued to occupy a lot of efforts A draft environmental en impact statement EIS on the proposal was prepared by and released to the public by the Department r of the Interior in July e A I Following public meet meetings In four foor western states and a period of time for interested ted pe op le to tomake tomake make comments on the the EIS the bureau is now preparing the final environmental environmental en en- impact statement The final EIS is expected to be completed early next year and sent to the Secretary of the Interior who will make a decision on whether to allow the project Bureau personnel are also involved in statement or presta pre- pre sta statement work on three other proposed fired coal-fired generating plants in Utah Emery near Castle Dale Warner Valley near St. St George and In- In Power Project 10 miles north of Caineville In year mid-year started preparation oG of a draft EIS analyzing possible effects of the proposed alunite project l in Beaver C County ty Alunite or ore e would be mi mined mind and processed at the project site in the south southend southend southend end of Wah Wah Valley which is approximately 30 miles southwest of Milford the primary raw material for aluminum would be the major product WORK IN preparation preparation L for Utah's first draft EIS on livestock grazing was started by during the year The pilot effort has been titled the Hot Desert EIS and includes most roost of the national resource f lands in Washington County will prepare 20 grazing statements in Utah over the x If next 13 years due to a suit against the bureau by the Natural Resources Defense Council Approximately head of cattle and a half a million head of sheep graze part cf of the year on administered lands in the state In a wild horse roundup by on Dugway Proving Grounds in October 19 horses were captured under a cooperative agreement between between between bet bet- ELM and the theUS US U.S. Army The bur bureau au is responsible for forthe forthe forthe the management and protection lei of wild horses and burros on federal lands r o LEGAL ACTION was initiated by early in the year to halt activities of trespassers on administered land in southern Utah Some people including self-proclaimed self polygamist Alex Joseph had without right title or permission occupied occupied occupied oc oc- oc- oc national resource lands in the scenic Cottonwood Canyon area northeast of Kanab The people had filed homestead applications but the theland theland theland land was not available for homesteading ading Some occupants have been removed from the theland theland theland land by court order Litigation U Is pending on remaining trespass problems A first for in Utah and a rarity for the bureau nationally occurred in May when two young women were hired as survey aids for the summer During the year crews surveyed miles miles' covering approximately acres in Utah A new member 12 citizen board was appointed in August to advise the state director concerning the management use protection and disposition of lands and resources on nearly half the area of the state Two competitive oil and gas lease sales on known geologic structures involving acres were held during the year High bids for the leases totaled Public meetings were held throughout the state to discuss possible i l of oil pil and gas leasing categories on administered land Intensive studies are being made with emphasis on public input to see if more land can be made available for this kind of leasing During the year geothermal steam leases on acres of administered land in inthe inthe inthe the state were offered for competitive bidding High bids for the offering totaled The first geothermal drilling operation of federal leases got underway in January in the Roosevelt Hot Springs area northeast of Milford Continued test drilling in the area has indicated a potential for production of geothermal resources in commercial quantities LINE BASE environmental studies by oil shale lease leaseholders leaseholders leaseholders holders on national resource lands in eastern Utah continued during the year Developers are preparing a a. a proposed mining plan which is expected to be presented to the bureau in the near future In September a tract of land in eastern Utah was recommended for prototype oil shale development by situ in-situ in methods The bureau was active in issuing various way right-of-way grants Included were rights rights-of- way for power transmission lines from Huntington to Sigurd and from Sigurd to Cedar City A joint utilities transmission study was initiated by in November to identify coordinate coor coor- coordinate and plan electrical transmission requirements within Utah for the next 10 years A check for more than 3 million was sent to the Utah Treasurer in August as the states state's share of funds received from federal lands administered administered ad ad- ministered by for the first half of the year In January a check for approximately 25 million was sent to the state so in tn 1975 augmented Utah's treasury by 55 million Mr Howard noted Ownership of acres of administered land was transferred to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources under the Recreation and Public Purposes Purposes Pur Pun poses Act THERE WERE fires on national resource lands that burned acres This was a anota nota notable Me decrease from the acres burned in 1974 The bureau was also involved in Bicentennial projects such as the placing of concrete markers along the Pony Ex Ix x press Trail a and d restoration of old relay stations Mr Howard pointed out the the bureau was active in the management and development of recreation sites across the state River running is a growing sport and nearly passenger days were spent this summer on portions of rivers administered by in Utah With increasing public use of the administered national resource lands there are more violations either unintentionally unintentionally or intentionally So the bureau this past year for the first time employed some professionally trained law enforcement officers One was Clarence Thompson who has bas hasben ben assigned o. o will wil work closely with local and state law officers in educating the public and ard in enforcing the laws law |