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Show &3L The Park Record Wednesday, March 14, 2001 Let your smile be snow white! S. Scott Kimche, D.D.S., LLC. Family and Cosmetic Dentistry 1901 Prospector Avenue, Stc. 26 645-8500 Call for an appointment. Convenient evening and weekend hours. Most insurance plans accepted. Bush proposal axes wetlands program MILWAUKEE (AP) A federal program that has preserved more than 30,000 acres of Wisconsin wetlands wet-lands would be eliminated in President Bush's proposed 2002 budget. Farmers, duck hunters and environmentalists envi-ronmentalists said they are stunned at the decision to end the Wetlands Reserve Program, though they are hopeful that bipartisan efforts in Congress will lead to the programs continuation. It was first authorized in the Reagan administration and approved by former President Bush. Since its inception in 1992, more than 90,000 acres of marginal farmland farm-land have been restored to wetland status in the United States, and the conservation initiative is so popular it is continually oversubscribed. In Wisconsin, which served as a pilot for the federal program, 328 separate parcels have been restored. This year's federal appropriation is $8 million. The national program is expected to meet its authorized cap of 1.075 million acres sometime this year, after it was extended by bipartisan efforts in the last Congress. Bush's budget outline, a 207-page blueprint of bis 2002 budget released Feb. 28, calk for the elimination of U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that "have completed their term or mission." Alison Pena. of the Wisconsin Natural Resources Conservation Service of the USD A in Madison, said she already has received 82 applications for $12 million in projects proj-ects this year, proposing restoration of 8,000 acres. She said she expected applications to double by the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30. "We were absolutely stunned to see that (Bush) would not reauthorize reautho-rize a program with such significant benefits to the farmer," Pena said Scott Sutherland, a Ducks Unlimited representative in Washington, said he is confident that legislation to extend the program soon would be introduced. Alan Wentz, Ducks Unlimited group manager of conservation programs, pro-grams, said a lot of land was cultivated cultivat-ed in the 1960s and 1970s that probably prob-ably should not have been farmed "Eventually, crops weren't successful suc-cessful because the land was flood-prone," flood-prone," he said. As wetlands, those acres filter impurities from surface and ground water and serve as habitats for plants and animals, he said. The program provides an economic eco-nomic incentive for farmers to protect pro-tect sensitive land and allows restoration of lands drained for agriculture agri-culture before 1985, said Tom Thieding, of the 47,000-member Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. Under the program, farmers choose one of three options, while retaining ownership of the land: Payments equal to the full agricultural agri-cultural value in return for a permanent perma-nent conservation easement. Lesser payments in exchange for Cost-sharing assistance for restoring a wetland for a minimum 10-year period. Jack Campnell, 66, said the program pro-gram was a hfesaver, allowing him to sell conservation easements to all 700 acres of the Columbia County farm where he had grown carrots, onions and mint It was all wetlands. Campnell, weary of low prices, bad weather and deteriorating drainage systems, said he likely couldn't have sold the land to another farmer. "It just kept getting wetter and wetter," he said "Without this (pro gram), I wouldn't have anything. that the program h its mission, said Ellen Lippincott , assistant wetlands habitat coordina tor for the state Department of Natural Resources. Charlie Luthin, executive director direc-tor of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, said he was dismayed by the proposal to cut the program "A lot of farmers are finding that, once restored to wetlands, the area has a new recreational value," Luthin said. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in January significantly reduces the states ability to regulate wetlands. It ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers did not have authority under the federal Clean Water Act to regulate wetlands not connected to interstate waterways. DNR officials have estimated that 20 to 80 percent of the 53 million mil-lion acres of state wetlands are not protected because of that ruling. The DNR is urging the state Legislature to establish a law restoring restor-ing the DNR's authority to regulate those wetlands. How To Buy Your Park City Dream Home At The Best Price Spring is just around the corner. You have been counting the weeks, the days, until your move to the Park City area. After many visits on ski vacations you are actually coming here to live. You know your timing could not be better. It is a buyer's market. Prices are soft and there is a broad selection of properties. With so many neighborhoods to choose from, how do you make the best choice? One idea that works well is to take some time and rent before you buy. But, don't get locked into a one year rental. You need a flexible situation. A month to month rental allows you to follow your own timing. So, who is offering a deal like that? There are many condos in town that were used for short term rentals during the ski season. Some of these will be vacant during the off season. These units would be a good possibility to rent on a month to month basis. Here is a good one... 2 bedroom plus loft, 2 full baths high end remodel, new furniture, washer dryer in unit deck, sunshine, good alpine views, hot tub, sauna, pool, tennis $995 month Available month to month 040101 -121501 Other furnished condos available. Call Tom Ward (owner agent) 800 647-3727 wardusa.net Jfissp,E.'ff Activists organize to protect dwindling prairie dogs DENVER (AP) After writing checks for environmental causes overseas, Chip Heldman decided his help was needed closer to his suburban back yard. He learned to remove and relocate prairie dogs, whose underground colonies are increasingly giving way to houses for people along the Front Range. Heldman was among about 200 people, mostly from grass-roots groups working to protect prairie dogs, who gathered on Saturday for Colorado's first prairie dog summit. "The prairie is not that glamorous glam-orous but the prairie is our rain forest for-est and the prairie dogs are our VALLEY KUBOTA On Main Street in Heber The new sub-compact tractor has brute strength exceptional maneuverability. Can use a variety of implements incl. loader, box scraper, snowblower. Come take a closer look at this new series tn XL Kvboht 1 whales," said Heldman, who works at Sun Microsystems in Broomfield. The goal of the summit, which featured presentations by wildlife experts from across the country, is to organize a coalition that politicians and landowners will listen to. Activists are worried that even as prairie dogs decline, local, state and federal governments are making it harder to protect them. A state law prohibits prairie dogs from being relocated across county lines without with-out the other county's approval, Heldman said. It could take up a day to ride horseback through a prairie dog colony around the him of the last century. Experts say prairie dogs now occupy about 1 percent of the land they did over 100 years ago. They are considered an important impor-tant part of the ecosystem because they are food for such animals as foxes, hawks and eagles and their tunnels provide shelter to burrowing owls. Developers and ranchers complain com-plain the rodents dig holes that trip cattle and horses, ruin pasture by chewing the grass low and pose a health threat because of plague outbreaks out-breaks in their colonies. Con Slobodchikoff, a biology professor, at .Northern Arizona University, thinks his' research into prairie dogs' communication patterns pat-terns will convince people to protect them. He said he believes the animals' system of alarm calls allows them to describe details of each predator approaching their colonies, such as its shape and speed. Residents in Flagstaff, Ariz., used his findings to convince city officials to relocate a prairie dog colony from land where a baseball field was being built. John Hoogland, a University of Maryland professor who has studied the animals for 25 years, believes saving large colonies is the key to preserving the species. That requires incentives for ranchers, he said. Aside from tax subsidies, Hoogland said, ranchers could benefit bene-fit because cattle like to graze on top of prairie dog colonies. Prairie dog droppings fertilize the land, and although the animals eat some of the grass cattle would, their pruning helps keep pastures fresher and The federal government has made the black-tail prairie dog, found on more than 214,000 acres in eastern and southeastern Colorado, a candidate for the threatened species list. However, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials say they do not have enough resources to put the animal on the list. The state wildlife commission decided to protect prairie dogs from sport hunting nfext year to try to keep the animal off the list because of the restrictions listing would bring. 1 Wlien was the last time a LoclXl committee Sougfht Your Approval? Call us old-fashioned, tut at Frontier Bank your satisfaction is important to us. Borrowing money can mean endless running around, long waits, and decisions that take forever. Borrowing from Frontier Bank means you actually meet with the people who make decisions on your loan, like Chris Wold and Eric Miller. They'll take the time to understand your project and walk you through the loan process. So when you come to Frontier Bank, you're not dealing with some faraway committee. You're dealing with Chris and Eric. For local knowledge, swift decisions, and good old-fashioned service, stop by to meet Chris and Eric. 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