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Show THE SAN JUAN RECORD Wednesday, November 3, 1999 - Page 6 PRENATAL CLASS Environmental groups sue BLM over ORV abuse 23. million acres in Begins November 16 Every Tuesday A coalition of eight regional age from unregulated ORV manages and national conservation use. The suit follows a year Utah, is being sued on a stategroups filed suit in federal and a half long investigation wide basis for failing to control court to force the Bureau of by the Southern Utah Wilder- ORV abuse. Last month, SUWA released Land Management to begin ness Alliance (SUWA) into the its report Overriding Utah controlling runaway abuse of growing problem. ved The land is being damaged Wilderness: The Search for public lands by hicles (ORVs) on BLM land. every day, and immediate ac- Balance and Quiet in Utahs The suit seeks to force the tion is needed to control the Wilderness, documenting the BLM to comply with existing abuse, said Heidi McIntosh, toll the land has taken as a laws that require it to control Conservation Director for result of BLM inaction. Some areas, such as Indian Creek SUWA. damage by ORVs. Conservaand San Rafael Reef have been tionists also seek to close proThe lawsuit is a precedentposed wilderness areas that setting action, as it marks the so damaged by ORV abuse are suffering ecological dam- - first time the agency, which that their eligibility for wilder- Land managers needed, no experience necessary week course for expectant mothers and their coaches Learn new breathing techniques, pain control & prenatal care There is a $20 fee for ail expectant parents Classes held in the Conference room at San Juan Hospital in Monticello by Jim Keyes, USU Agricultural Agent My whole being is filled with anger, as I sit down at my computer and pound on the keys. I just finished reading an article written by Mark Muro, n environmenta alist who just happens to be an editorial writer for the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. Hes calling for a federal buyout of public lands grazing permits. He calls it a golden boot off the public land, a permit retirement program. He says that we have a great American tradition of paying farmers not to farm and fishermen not to fish. Why cant we pay ranchers not to graze? Well, Ill tell Mr. Muro why! If a farmer puts his land into federal a crop program, when the program is over the farmer still owns the land. If a rancher removes cattle from well-know- his permit, when the payments dry up, the ranchers right to graze is gone. Its just tough luck for what Mr. Muro and aging calls, Cash-poo- r ranchers. Its always been amazing to me that assorted journalists, lawyers, and university professors, with no background in resource management, can give the BLM and the Forest Service orders on how they should operate. Whatever happened to making decisions based on sound scientific facts? Most BLM and Forest Service personnel dont have part time jobs as attorneys. Then why should these Environmental Crusaders try to manage the public lands in their spare time? so-call- ed Scientific research has shown that removing grazing from low rainfall envi- ronments can be one of the major causes of desertification. One only has to drive down to the border of Canyonlands National Park and Dugout Ranch. One look at the fenceline contrast immediately shows which side of the line is the healthiest. Removing grazing from an arid region may sound like a great idea, but research plots and general experience have shown that this is not effective in increasing biodiversity. World renowned botanist and zoologist, Allan Savory, says, The number one public enemy is the cow. But the number one tool that can save mankind is the cow. We need every cow that we can get back out on the range. Savory says, Rest from grazing doesnt work in brittle environments. There is a loss of biodiversity and erosion of the soil. Most people dont understood that resting an area of low rainfall is probably the most destructive tool known to science. They dont understand the role of animals in nature. Even though grazing is an important tool of range management, it still has to be controlled. It should only occur at the proper time in the life cycle of the plants being grazed. This is why we have trained professionals working in our land management agencies. any. Ninety-fou- 5 all r percent of BLM land is open to ORVs, and it is increasingly harder to get away from the roar of an engine or the damage these vehicles cause. McIntosh noted that even if the BLM closes the proposed wilderness areas to ORV use, there are 104,000 miles of dirt trails and roads in Utah outside of the citizens wilderness proposal. The idea that they will have nowhere to ride is simply untrue, said McIntosh. In addition to SUWA, the parties to the lawsuit in The Wilderness Society, Sierra Club, America Lands Alliance, Utah Council of Trout Unlimited, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Friends of the Abajos, and Wildlands Center for Preventing Roads, whose combined memberships total almost 800,000. The coalition of conservation groups is being represented by attorneys from SUWA and the Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund. Ranchers make all efforts to insure that the renewable natural resources they use will still be intact for generations to come. Next time you hear a journalist, attorney or professor of English literature spouting off about the need for management changes on the public lands, think to yourself, What if I were suddenly called upon to teach a college course or present the closing argument in a murder case? Wouldnt make much sense? 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