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Show uAhjCe7 cK' econ HOMETOWN NEWSPAPER FOR SAN JUAN COUNTY, UTAH Volume 87 Number 26 Si SINCE 1915 50 cents March 24, 2004 Wv'v.' Why are the pin-yo- n trees dying? Felony court report by Jim Keyes, USU Extension For the past several years, the Pinyon trees in the Four Cor- - Shop at Home features Blanding Napa ners area have been under attack. The culprit is a small, almost imperceptible critter - known as an Ips beetle. In normal conditions, the Ips are a helpful insect because they remove unwanted trees from the forest, thereby providing more light, water, and nutrients for the rest of the trees. However, when the entire population of Pinyons has been stressed by extreme drought, the number of Ips can increase to an epidemic level. Currently, there is no sure fire way to control this pest. Trees that are definitely infected need to be removed from the area to protect uninfected vegetation. The Forest Service has found some success in spraying trees with using a carbarvl spray. A common one that can be found locally is the product Sevin SL. The chemical should be mixed according to the directions found on the label. When spraying trees the insecticide must cover all sides of the trunk and branches, preferably to the top of the tree. To be effective, the spray actually needs to drip from the tree. If any portions of the trunk or branches are missed, the Ips can infect the untreated area. A one time carbaryl treatment has been found to be effective in controlling Ips for at least a year. Always use extreme caution when applying pesticides insecticides. Follow instructions and safety recommendations. As the weather becomes warmer the Ips will begin to fly and attack trees. Their life cycle is about eight weeks long, but there can be up to five generain one tions produced season. Now is the time to protect your trees. For more information, contact Jim at 459-182- 5. 4 for Laura Leatnam are Wednesday March 24. 2004 at 1 p.m. at the Monticello City Cemetery. Mining activity is set to increase significantly in the historic Lisbon Valley with the announcement that Constellation Copper Corporation will open a copper mine. Construction begins this summer. E Ja'o Elc-- gri I'uhetn is Travm Hunt M.ur Photo courtesy San Juan County girl Charity Crystal & Cory Raisor March 10 troy Mikko Menarn-Whuie- Menard-Whaie- by Anna Thayn There have been rumors of copper being mined in Lisbon Valley for several years. Finally, after nearly ten years of waiting, the rumors are about to become a reality. Constellation Copper Corp (CCC) is moving forward with a Lisbon Valley copper mine, with initial construction set to begin this coming summer. This project is a long time in the making for CCC. In 1995, the Bureau of Land Management approved an application for a copper mine in Lisbon Valley. Lisbon Valley, approximately 30 miles northeast of Monticello, has been a site of intense mining activity for nearly 100 years. The BLM decision was appealed by two environmental groups. As a result, extensive environmental impact studies were done which eventually showed that the copper operation would have no adverse' impact to the area, specifically the ground water. federal administrative appeals court ruled in favor of CCC. In 1999. a Unfortunately, during the four years the application was lied up in legal action, the price1 of copper reached an all time1 low anel the1 project lost its economic feasibility. s Now. five years later, t he' t have turned and the1 price of copper has gone1 up, due1 to coppeT inventorie'S being at an all time low. According to UtU Pre'siele-nGreg Ilahn. the low supply i ( e creates a great environment to bring the Lisbon plant online. Halm saiel it is difficult tee gut a mining prefect such as this up and running in the United States, giving CCC an edge since they have already gone through the permiting process. Copper mined at Lisbon Valley will be shipped mainly to the eastern United States, RTI officials encourage poten- tial job applicants to contact Workforce Services in Blanding or Monticello for information. The new startup has sent out several orders, which are being used primarily in testing facilities and in high volume areas. RTI hopes to leverage one big order into the next and provide significant employment opportunities for local residents. copper wire, copper tubing and brass. Hahn states that most of the copper used in the U.S. is imported from other countries and a premium is paid for copper mined in the U.S. The company is projecting a net cash flow of over $83 million. Constellation will be setting up temporary offices in Moab, where General Manager Robert Washnock will have the task of hiring a staff. The construction phase of the project is planned to begin by mid summer. The construction phase will take 12 months. A copper processing y Cherry Travis Whaley March Lisbon Valley copper project set to go seeks 21 temporary employees RTI, Inc., a company which has made Monticello its base of operations for the creation of railroad ties from recycled plastic, recently received a major order and is seeking 21 tempoemployees for two rary full-tim- e to four weeks. They will work in their facility in Monticello in three shifts running 24 hours a day, five days a week. See page Graveside services where it will be made into RTI See page 3 y 1 & 1 Halt Danny Palmer March giil plant was recently purchased in Nevada. It will be moved and rebuilt in Lisbon Valley. The company will also build an administration building and a shop. Eventually, the general office will move from Moab to the Lisbon plant Amanda & 1 1 Pr . Currently contracts for the $50 million construction process are being bid out. Halm states that the company will subcontract much oft he labor to local firms who have the necessary skill sets and are compet it ively priced. In 2005. they will begin the process of hiring and training a staff of over 10 people to operate the plant. It is estimated that they will have an annual payroll of $9.1 million and will put $16.6 million into the economy each year in goods and services. CCC estimates that they will pay $2.4 million annually in sales, property, and severance taxes and royalties, in addition to state and federal income 1 taxes. The employee projections mean that the Lisbon Valley project would become the largest single employer in San Juan County. With an ever decreasing property tax base in San Juan County, this project could make a significant difference in the nt Blanding broke the record mgr March. 20. temperature on News Roundup Letters to Editor.... Society Sports Community News Legals Classified Real Estate 6 8 10 12 16 18 19 SJEffiyjtpcQ AN-- local economy. Constellation Copper Corp has a mine in Mexico that will open two years after the Lisbon Valley Mine, and one third interest in a copper company operating in Australia. March 22 snow report 12.7 of water in 29" of snow 14.1 is multi-yea- r average low 2.1" in 1996 is multi-yea- r 29.4 in 1993 is multi-yea- r high Current snow is 90 of normal of normal La Sal snow is 63 |