Show 7 Vernal Vernal Vern District highlights s years activities j I 1 The Vernal District of oC the Bureau lU of Land Management manages the national resource lands public lands with I Duchesne Uintah h and Daggett Counties The national resource lands ar are those lands remaining larter after national parks national forests national wildlife refuges state grant lands and private lands lanm were taken out of the Vast acreage of public lands ands acquired by the United States Slates Inthe in inthe the he These national resource lands are administered ad ads ministered for a variety of uses Including minerals wild wildlife liCe livestock grazing forest products watershed protection and recreation Following are brief highlights of work activities accomplished by the Vernal District during the past yea r DISTRICT REORGANIZATION TION The district boundary was changed during the year to 10 include all of Uintah Duchesne and Daggett Counties The three resource areas within the district were combined d to 10 make two Iwo The two resource areas are arenow arenow arenow now divided by the G Green een River Jerry Huff fluff is the Area Manager of the Diamond Mountain Area which includes all the national resource land north and west of the Green River George Cropper is the Area Manager for Cor the national resource lands sout south h and east of the River LAND USE USg PLANNING Land use plans which the Bureau calls calis Management Framework Plans were completed for the district during 1975 This marked the end of a seven year effort to complete comprehensive land use plans for the district The districts district's planning efforts will now be directed at specific project plans and updating the Management Fra Framework Plans as new information becomes available MINERALS l On April 23 1975 the Department of the Interior called for nominations of possible leasing areas for in oil shale prototype i research and development these Thes leases would He be tie replacements for the earlier proposed leases which did not receive bids last year The call for in situ nominations closed on July 31 with the nomination of 9 tracts in Colorado and Utah by six companies In general oil ail il shale once it has been made permeable can be retorted distilled or decomposed by heat tJ heat at in the ground lin in situ by bya a variety of methods not dissimilar to surface retorting methods Following the nominations a Tract selection committee was formed to analyze and make recommendations on which tracts should be offered for lease ease The recommendations of this interagency committee were forwarded to the Oil Shale Environmental Advisory Panel so that the Assistant Secretary of f the Interior Jack Morton Horton could get their advice and comments by the first week in November Two tracts were judged by the committee to be best suited for prototype In situ oil 1 shale development One tract Is about 3 miles southwest of t the he already leased tract C C-b C b In Colorado and the other is about 15 miles west of the previously leased tract U U-a U a in Utah Two other Utah Ulah tracts were recommended as all alternate e sites The suggested that since the Selection Committee rejected all tracts nominated in inthe the center of oC the Basin in Colorado he should consider reopening nominations so industry in in- would have an opportunity op Ope to nominate tracts outside I the he Pica nee Basin They furl further her felt Celt that if it is decided to proceed with the in situ leases serious consideration should be given to 10 obtaining industry Input to ensure that the widest range of technologies available is used I IThe IThe The panel also advised that new sites selected should be of sufficient distance to allow each effort to be evaluated on its own merits that conflicts should be minimized by consulting with state and local officials and that an effort be made to 10 refine estimates of economic socioeconomic impacts before final selection is made After the Secretary of the Interior makes his decision on which tracts to offer for lease a detailed environmental analysis and the publication of a Supplemental Draft Environmental Environmental En Impact Statement covering both tracts would follow Because of the short time timeframe timeframe timeframe frame for development of the draft statement and submission to 10 the Council on Environmental Environmental En En- Quality in February 1976 the State Stale Directors in both bolh Utah and Colorado are making a joint effort to form a team learn to develop the draft statement LANDS LANUS The City of Vernal has made madean an application for way right to construct water waler tanks and pipelines to upgrade the Ashley Valley culinary water system The d district office will ibe working on rl an n environmental tr men at atana ana analysis lysis of the proposal in 1976 One thousand four hundred and forty acres 1440 of land within the District has been classified as suitable for ex ex- change It is hoped that through this classification national resource resource lands surrounded by private lands can be exchanged for private lands surrounded by national resource lands thus blocking up private and federal lands Applications may be filed by any person firm or corporation desiring to exchange lands and legally capable of conn consummating con summating an exchange Lands classified for exchange are listed at the Vernal District Office A withdrawal of ap ap- A il Vi-v Vi to N NN w N H t 0 11 t to r. r 1 t i Mr T JI I 1 rt Il c 1 1 i 7 1 va iF r. r t 1 nN Ji I I 1 II f. f I r r s a T r. r rf rIO 10 Y r Q i i i t 2 j r l lt j. a. a Jl L I l L I v I I Y J yA y- y r- r I I U I A 9 N y l r 1 i O i st It b r ti RJ 1 I t 1 I 11 i iI I 1 r t-M t I I T Hla t J if t r I J f Ji r r G o or I l I i. It lIV R q 1 f I I j I P N r I rIN 0 I 0 r Z rt I 1111 III V 1 l. l I- I i I.- I. il I- I k J A i f I Ik Yd II M 1 l. l r yr rl 1 J. 1 t J J r I Ir v I 1 t- t r I J I 1 r. r 4 r. r ft 1 c 1 l t t fN 1 I it l LEM u pt W r r t. t hll b r 1 i i 7 lY r Bf I Y J 1 Y I ti r III j ir i j. J I JI I Of t Y I t i it j FEDERAL OIL SHALE TRACTS e i r I Q I I I i. i rZ r- r M c S- S RECOMMENDED SITU IN-SITU f ALTERNATE Z ALTERNATE V tj f J Jr r 11 1 L l r Q 17 w I IU I I nt at et etS S n 1 Nut iff LImo 1 0 t t 10 o u s. s I 4 S. S U Y t Or O 1 0 Il Ue 0 H 1 I U OF OP LAO LAND t. t c W x VERNAL DISTRICT OFFICE U U 8 e c NN CM C- C M h NN 0 H proximately acres has been proposed for the Green River corridor from Little Lillie Hole to the Colorado state line The proposed withdrawal will close the area to all forms of mineral entry and from disposal under the public land law laws Leasing of minerals will still b be allowed with wilh protective stipulations but road off vehicle activity will not be allowed The withdrawal is isto isto isto to protect this highly scenic area from any activities that might hurt value WATERSHED AND SOILS Elul Jul larked d the he beginning eg irig oa of a comprehensive water waler quality monitoring program Many key locations are being sampled at periodic intervals to gather information on on biological and chemical con con- lamination The Bureau has also contracted contracted contracted con con- with to install two str stream am gauging stations on Panel le Draw t to o monitor water quality and stream flow Particular attention will be given to suspected abnormally high concentrations of Boron A series of permanent photo plots is being maintained in the district to monitor road off-road vehicle ORV use This photographic record will be of value in determining if ORV's are doing damage to public lands RANGE HANGE MANAGEMENT GEl A significant impact on the range management program resulted from the decision on a lawsuit by the Natural Resource Defense Council The Council contended that a Bureau wide Bureau wide environmental impact statement covering the range management program was inadequate and should be developed to 10 cover much smaller land units In his decision Judge Thomas Flannery ruled in favor of oC the Council and directed that an impact statement be written on smaller land areas Two Environmental En En- Impact Statements lEIS EIS on grazing will be prepared by the Vernal District The first will be completed in 1980 An Allotment Management Plan will be prepared for each allotment within the EIS area All of this work must be completed completed com com- within a rigid time frame The Vernal Districts District's first area includes all of the theland theland theland land in the Browns Brown's Park Diamond Mountain and Ashley Creek planning units This effort will require writing about 90 Allotment Management Plans and the impact statement by 1980 The Courts Court's ruling also provides that no construction n range management can be undertaken on any allotment that does does' not now now have an Allotment Management Plan An An Allotment Allotment Allot ment Management Plan must be completed and the Environmental Environmental En En- Impact Statement written for the unit before range can be madeA made A considerable number of requests for changing the class of livestock grazing national resource lands were processed during the year All were requesting a change from sheep to cattle Such a request requires a detailed analysis to assure that the change will not havea detrimental effect on the range resource or other associated uses of the land Use by cattle usually requires considerable fencing and water development to provide adequate management on areas where prior use has been by sheep These range improvements improvements im im- will not be allowed until after the Environmental Impact Statement has been completed The first will not be completed ed until 1980 WI WILDLIFE Inventory work covering most wildlife creatures from Crom tiny aquatic organisms to the majestic elk is continuing over the entire oil shale area This exacting work is going on almost round the clock and will continue un until I sufficient information is available to 10 provide direction for making management decisions The work involves cooperation between the federal government state agencies and private industry Since the area is home to 10 a wide variety of wildlife including certain species on the threatened species list it il is vital that the oil shale development be so that wildlife species can tolerate it it The first step in the development of waterfowl nesting habitat in Parlette Wash was completed last summer A fence was constructed constructed con con- which will ill keep per per- milked livestock out of the marsh area during the critical nesting period Other segments of the project will be bo completed as funds become available Fishery Finery habitat improvement work has been done in Willow WillowCreek WillowCreek Creek in Browns Brown's Park Log I og drop s structures were lle placed Heroes across in the im lo to create a aKol Kol This provides cover and a resting reslin area urea for trout and andis is a favorite place to lo find them 1 Peeper Deeper pools tend lend to 10 keep the water temperature down on small streams and this is vital during the summer months Structures that have been in operation for a year have created pools two feet feel deep with wilh the scouring action of the water falling over the log The structure also tends to stabilize the stream bottom bollom as the small gravel and nd other material piles up against the upper side of the log lag More of these structures are planned for this import important anI Ii little II Ie stream RECREATION fishing scenery out outlaw alv laty t a 1 lr 7 EMPLOYEE DICK LARSEN points out damage caused by road off vehicle use hist history ory and a new Colorado State Slate Highway have created a not increase in recreational use in Browns Brown's Park A new paved highway completed in 1974 connects Highway 40 in Maybelle Colorado with the Utah State Stateline Stateline Stateline line in Browns Brown's Park The effect was an immediate increase in inthe inthe inthe the use of national resource lands in t the west end of the park Traffic volume near the Taylor Flats Flais Bridge jumped 67 percent in 1974 compared to the previous summer season This summer traffic increased again by 27 percent A few years ago Browns Brown's Park was a remote area enjoyed primarily by local residents of Utah Colorado and Wyoming Car license plates front from Ark Arkansas Arkansas' New N w H Ha Hamp- Hamp hi mp- mp s I T Y I J JONE ONE OF MANY Interesting sandstone sculptures found Inside the Devils Devil's Rock House The area will soon be designated as an on outstanding natural area shire New few York California Nebraska and other states can now be commonly seen in Browns Brown's Park People disagree about how the area should be managed for Cor recreation Keep as primitive as possible and keep the Cadillac people out pave the road please Dont advertise advertise ad ad- vertise Should have a pay payphone payphone payphone phone are just a few Cew of oC the comments taken from Crom the visitor register at Indian Crossing A new visitor display describing the in Utah was last Installed ailed in the Vernal Museum of Natural History The exhibit is d mixed media display which uses pictures lights and a recorded message to tell what the does docs In Utah A unique area south of Vernal named the Devils Devil's Rock Hock louse House e will soon be designated as an outstanding natural area The Devils Devil's Rock Hock House contains eroded sandstone which has weathered to lo create pillars minarets toadstools and other fanciful shapes The site has been protected from Incompatible incompatible in jn compatible uses such as mineral developments off road off road vehicles rock collecting etc mg The publics public's careful use of fire kept t the districts district's fire suppression work to a minimum this year Only 12 fires were suppressed this year by the fire crew despite the extraordinary amount of fast Cast burning vegetation that grew last spring The hopes people will beas beas be beas as careful next year so that the destruction caused by fire can be kept low i f 11 k kI I I ku U I It t 11 I i OUT WITH THE OLD and in with the new Ivan Hall 1011 and Judy Brown of the Vernal Museum discuss installation of the BIM exhibit with Tom Oaks exhibit contractor |