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Show G CIassTofl1952 holdsTeunion Volume 71 See Story on page 10 Price 50 Cents Wednesday, August 5, 1992 Number 31 Farm Bureau hold mid-year conference The Utah Farm Bureau Federation held their Midyear Conference on the campus of Utah State University at Logan, Utah last week. Leading a delegation from Sevier County was Sevier County President, Stuart Johnson, Aurora. The newly appointed president of USU, Dr. George Emcrt, welcomed the group to the campus. A debate by three of the four candidates for the U.S. Senate from Utah, was the highlight of the first session, and it was followed th next day by a debate by the five Gubernatorial Candidates for Governor of the State. Both groups mainly responded to questions from Farm Bureau members attending the conference. These parts of the conference were broadcasted by many radio stations throughout the state. The conference also included a report of the Governors Agribusiness Task Force, a review of Child Labor Laws - mainly as they apply to the farm - and the erosion of private property rights. The second day of the conference the group divided into farm issue groups to surface some of the concerns of the business of farming. The issues brought forward will be researched and presented to the membership at the UFB Farm Bureaus annual meeting in November. President Ken Ashby conducted the sessions. Colleen Cowley carried with her and presented to the leaders the Quilt of Counties. Each of the county organizations had made a quilt block, and these had been combined into a beautiful quilt top. The quilting process was done at the home of Pearl Cowley by herself her and other Farm Bureau members and friends. The quilt will be given away at the state convention. Others attending from Sevier County were County Vice President, Gary Cowley; Carma Johnson; Mr. and Mrs. Tom Christensen; and Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Black bear relocated from Fish Lake A young black bear was removed from the Fishlake campground area last week, after spending a week touring the campsites there. Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) Officers put up a trap, and the bear was caught within 30 minutes, according to Leo Hovinga, DWR Area Conservation Officer. In fact, I think he was just tired and was looking for a place to get away from people. He didnt put up much fuss even after he was caught, and just seemed happy to be there. The 125 pound bear had been seen in the campground area during the past week, and was transported to a remote area of the Fishlake National to be released. Officers say this is the second time a bear has been removed from campgrounds in this part of the state. Earlier, a bear was removed from campgrounds on Boulder Mountain. Hovinga said this bear as just going from fisherman to fisherman, camp to camp, and trashing coolers and campsites looking for food. Hovinga sites poor food supply for the upswing in bear sightings throughout the state. Food is really hard to come by this year, he said. He added that there are a few bears in the surrounding mountains, but they pretty well keep to themselves and are rarely seen. In fact, in his nearly 20 years in this area, Hovinga said this was the first time he had actually seen a bear in the wild. Immunization Clinic scheduled The Central Utah Public Health Department will hold an immunization clinic in Salina, Wednesday, August 12, 1992 at the American Legion Building from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. $188,520 seized in vehicle stop A 1 987 Cadillac was stopped for speeding by a Sevier County Sheriffs Deputy on July 30th, one mile north of Neither occupant in the vehicle was the Richfield. owner, and a consent search was made of the vehicle. Hidden in a rear passenger compartment wa $188,520, believed to be drug money. Neither of the two people claimed any knowledge of the money being there. Booked into the Sevier County Jail for further invesage 35, of Chicago, tigation was Cesar Rodriquez-Ortialso of Chicago. and Carlos II; Figueroa, age 28, was held for Ortiz later and was released, Figueroa Immigration as an illegal alien. z, Annual Seniors party at Maple Grove This is a group of senior girls that were part of a senior party held at Maple Grove last week. The students ate hamburgers and then finished the night off with games and fun. Picturee are: Deborah Johnson, Heather Edwards, Heather Hardy, Chrissy Poulson, Amanda Christensen, Amber Erdie, Dusty Ercanbrack, Lacy Anderson, and Lisa Brown. F could g up 33 percent In a few days, the Congress will once again take up the divisive and controversial issue of raising grazing fees on public lands. I will once again vote against the proposed increase and urge my colleagues to do the same. Ive made the usual strong arguments against this increase before: First, that it is too steep, doubling the grazing fee in less than three years; Secondly, that an issue this critical to the survival of family ranching in the West should only be addressed through the normal committee process and not primarily on the floor of the House of Representatives. Third, that cattle on the public lands can already cost the grazer more to raise than cattle on private lands. I would like to offer a new argument: There is an environmental reason for not passing laws which drive ranchers off the public lands. In the same way preservationists ancl hunters and fishermen have formed an informal, successful alliance to protect wildlife in this country, environmentalists and ranchers should join together to preserve the open spaces of the West. Like wildlife, open space is a commodity that will only survive as long as it is a valued part of an economic system with many supporters. How much support would wildlife have if all hunting was banned? I say wildlife would suffer, just as open space will gradually disappear without its traditional economic and cultural underpinnings. As ranchers go out of business or sell their ranches due to economic difficulties, they are being replaced by an influx of ranchettes, condominiums, subdivisions and development. The choice may turn out to be between cows and condos. Winning this unnecessary war against graers could lead to the loss of the West we all know and love. I would much rather see cows grazing the public lands than to see open space fill with new subdivisions. To preserve the open spaces of the West, we should preserve responsible traditional uses, or the economic vacuum may be filled with something foreign, something unfamiliar, and something much more destructive to the spirit of the West. If cattle or sheep are overgrazing the land in certain places - and they undoubtedly are - it is more honest to address the problem through more determined enforcement of existing law and enactment of additional protective laws, if necessary. We do not need to price ranchers off the land in order to protect it. There is a new model of environmental protection ln-lieu-of-t- axes amount to $407,000 for Sevier County Senator Jake Gam, today announced 29 U tah counties will receive nearly $9 million as part of the federal governments (PILT) program for 1992. h, Talent Find Contest set for Saturday The Sevier County Farm Bureau Talent Find competition will be held Saturday, August 15, at 4 p.m. at the Sevier County Fairgrounds, according to Nolan and Vicky Bastian, chairmen of the Farm Bureaus Young Farmer and Rancher Committee, sponsors of the event. County winners in each of three divisions will compete in the Utah Farm Bureau Talent Find at the Utah State Fair, September 1 9th. The divisions are: Beginners - up to 6 years of age inclusive; Juniors - ages 7 through 12; Intermediate 13 17; and Seniors 18 to 30. The Farm Bureau Talent Find is the largest amateur talent competition in the state. The Farm Bureau wants to provide an opportunity for young people to develop their talent here in the county and at the state level, according to the Bastians. Those interested in participating should contact 1 ; or Farm Bureau Office at 896-543- 2 Vicky Bastian, for more information. The public is invited to attend the Talent Find -- 896-883- Payments-In-Lieu-of-Tax- Gam said the counties will share S8, 860,477 from the Department of Interiors Bureau of Land Management federal (BLM) to help compensate for the lands located within their boundaries. Payments are being made two months earlier this year as part of President Bushs efforts to stimulate the economy. non-taxab- le PILT payments keep many Utah counties afloat, said Gam. When some of our rural counties are 95 federally owned, this translates into a 5 tax base from which these counties must build roads, maintain bridges and provide other normal services to the area. The PILT this burden, he added. payments help off-se- t Sevier Countys share of the PILT funds is S407, 1 39. Sanpete County will receive S384,545. The county receiving the most in PILT funding is Box Elder County, with $836,375; next is Washington County, with $808,616. Receiving the least is Morgan County with $9,789. Payments totalling $99,398,485 have been sent to 1,934 local government units across the U.S. States receiving the largest amounts include: New Mexico, $10,492,453; California, $10,194,587; and Utah in third placer, with $8,860,477. Rhode Island gets SO.OO - as there are no federal lands within the state. rntfianmijiu developing which must include an alliance between We are all in this ranchers and environmentalists. that binds us one and all, environmentalthing together, ists, ranchers, and all Utahns alike, is our deep and abiding love of the land. None of us wants to see the character and beauty of the traditional open spaces of the West changed forever. For that reason, there is a very strong environmental argument to be made for continued, responsible ranching on public lands. Wildlife input sought Aug. 6 The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will hold a public meeting in the basement of the Sevier County Courthouse on August 6, at 7 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to present information and solicit public input on the waterfowl seasons in Utah and proposed changes in fish management in Wayne County due to the whirling disease outbreak. The public is encouraged to attend and share ideas on these subjects. |