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Show Messenger-Enterpris- Page 6 August 12, 1993 Thursday, e, Fee hike spelis doom to Utah ranchers, says Farm Bureau Delta, said Secretary Babbitt has proposed increasing the fee times, by almost to $4.28 per animal month (AUM) by 1996. The current fee charged ranchers to graze cattle and sheep on public lands is A proposed increase in grazing fees announced today by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt will eliminate many public lands ranchers in Utah, and place enormous hardship on the rural economy of the state, according to the Utah two-and-a-h- An experimental conservation In project Is being applied to Twelve-Mil- e Canyon, severly the floods ten years ago. Workers apply a special bamboo cover to protect newly planteddamaged In seedlings an effort to prevent serious erosion. in other critical areas. The areas in Twelve Mile The treatment is experiThe Sanpete Ranger District has completed carpeting a mental, said Ed Schoppe, the are steep, bare, and subject to districts range conservationist. severe erosion problems. The roadside cut in Twelve Mile to be treated is first cleared to is area Its the speed up purpose Canyon that is about as long as of he added. large rocks and then seeded a football field and almost that healing process, with mountain brome, orchard If the treatment works in wide. Its the largest of several grass, yellow sweet clover, Twelve Mile Canyon, similar cuts on the new road in Twelve rehabilitation measures will be crested wheatand othergrasses Mile Canyon that was conwith hand drills. structed after the floods of 1983- - adopted elsewhere, particularly After seeding, the carpeting is laid down, and thats an arduous part of the process. The materials, built mainly ofshredded coconut fibers, comes in large rolls resembling the kind of carpeting that goes into homes and businesses. It is anchored at the top of the cut in a ditch, and then laid down in strips, stapled into the ground, overlapped and held in place with rocks. The material comes in huge rolls ten feet wise, and in a color many home owners like; beige. The August rains, Mr. Schoppe said, should also help Fred VanDerVeur (center) accepts award from Governor Mike bring the grasses shooting out Leavitt and Lt Governor Olene Walker. of the ground and appearing through the coconut cover, which, by the way, is biodegradable, which means it will eventually dissolve into the earth, hopefully having fulfilled its purpose. Fred H. VanDerVeur, of close coordination, planning, The crew giving Twelve Manti, warden at the Central and the ability to develop ateam Mile Utah Correctional Facility at its new look will soon be capable of implementing a deschool: Doug Whitlock, back Gunnison, was honored July 29 tailed in plan without benefit of Mike Governor Leavitt and by who attends Weber State; Robphased execution. the Utah Public Employees Asert Aycock, the University of He was masterful in getsociation as one of two runners-u- p Utah; Steve Brenchley, Utah ting full cooperation and supfor the Earl Conder OutState University; David Teets, ofcitizens and governmenport Award for standing Employee Kentucky State University; and tal leaders in the surrounding Rex 1993. He was recognized durIvory, South Sanpete communities. He directed the School District ing a ceremony at White Compsychologist. of over 200 staff memhiring on Utahs Capimunity Chapel Beryl Elliott, Sanpete bers from a area and tol HilL is recruited over 240 volunteers Ranger District the crew boss. This is very different from work Winner of the states highwho now provide 1,200 hours of in the classroom, he noted. est award was Joyce B. Fox, service to the facility each With all that Salt Lake City, Board of Retough physical month. work on the runner-up other The was steep slopes, it is gents, VanDerVeur provides adbut John A. Mathews, Murray, clashard, hopefully every bit a3 valuable to services ditional, sification manager with the rewarding as an afternoon in a local residents through drug chem lab or an hours lecture in Department of Human Reand law enforcement awareness a classroom. source Management. programs in schools, a partnerVanDerVeur qualified for ship with Job Service, making the Conder Award by first claimavailable a modem computer University researchers ing departmental honors as the literacy lab and college courses seek 19th century Top Employee ofthe Year. Thirthrough COMNET and VNET, teen state workers were selected and establishing (with the help musical instruments and honored by their peers for of the Utah Arts Council) a rothe departmental award which tating art museum in the CUCF University of Utah rewas created and funded by the Administration Building. searchers are seeking informalegislature earlier this year. In commenting on the de- tion on historical musical inAccording to O. Lane partmental winners, Leavitt struments for an essay on Utah McCotter, executive director, said, These employees have arts in connection with the of Corrections, Department made valuable contributions to states 1996 centennial celebraVanDerVeurs career . . .has state government. They are tion. involved several difficult assigngreat assets to their departAnyone owning, or know-ingtments. Of particular note was ments and to the citizens of whereabouts of 0 planning for and opening a large Utah. pioneer or Native American inbut somewhat geographically struments or memorabilia, Departmental winners reisolated correctional facility. In or ceived letters ofcommendation please call adult corrections this is a parIan 1010 to write Murdock, from the governor, plaques, and ticularly difficult assignment Salt Lake City, Belmont Ave., bonuses. $750 i requiring an enormous amount Utah 84105. Murdock is a research assistant to music historian Dr. Roger Miller, associate professor of music. JENNINGS nations rangelands needs (Continued from Page 1) 84. Warden Fred VanDerVeur honored by Governor im- provement. And, clearly, there remains strong disagreement over the fees that should be paid for public grazing. This proposal should focus the debate on fees to a reasonable range of options that balances the financial needs ofranchers and the need for additional resources for rangeland improvements. As promised, we are putting a proposal on the table and invite the public to make their views known. In most states, this fee will still be well belowmarket value, BLM Director Jim Baca said. Weve settled on a fee that assures the public is compensated for its resources, but which is at a level that will keep families working and living on the land." lessen the impact of fee increases on ranchers. After the phase-i-n period, annual adjustments to the fee would be limited to no more than a 25 variation of the previous years fee. Assuming the Forage Value Index (a figure used to calculate grazing fees) remains constant, the grazing fee in the first year of implementation would be $2.76. The grazing fee for the second year would be $3.52 These proposals respond to the concerns that Secretary Babbitt and I heard during our recent field hearings in the hard-worki- West, said Assistant Secretary Lyons. There is clear agree- ment that the condition of the ng Middle School sets Aug. 19 as date for orientation There will be an opportunity for students to become familiar with the school and receive information that should make the transition to the Middle School smooth and enjoyable, Petersen said. Students in grades 6, 7 or 8, who are new to the area, are asked to stop by the school after Aug. 16 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. so we can help you get enrolled and off to a smooth start," Petersen added. Ephraim Middle School will be holding an orientation meeting for students who will be in sixth grade this year, and their parents. The meeting is scheduled for Aug. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Middle School in Ephraim. Principal Jim Petersen indicated that there were new teachers and some changes in the sixth grade program and that he hoped every parent and student could attend that evening. worked with respected econand others to develop a new fee proposal that would charge ranchers for the actual value of the forage consumed by livestock on public land, Ashby explained. That new formula was recently introduced in Congress by a group of Senators last Friday, omists an Aug. 6. Feds propose ar from experimental treatment BY BRUCE For more than a year, the to phase in the fee over a three-yeperiod, a move intended to Canyon to benefit 12-Mi- le per AUM. $1.86 Farm Bureau Federation. UFB President Ken Ashby, ranching community has Our proposed new fee formula will meet the Clinton Administrations goal to raise an additional $35 million per year from grazing fees, while the Babbitt proposal goes far beyond that goal, Ashby said. In a series of meetings held by the Secretary throughout the west earlier this summer, ranchers and agricultural economists repeatedly told Mr. Babbitt that significant increases in grazing fees would wreak havoc on livestock producers as well as the rural economics that depend on the public lands grazing industiy. A study by New Mexico State University Economist John Fowler shows 42 of public ranchers will go out of business if significant fee increases are made. A more recent Pepperdine University study by Thomas Dudley shows federal land ranchers have no economic advantage over private land ranchers. Secretary Babbitt has ignored the testimony heard in his public hearings, as well as these studies, and has proposed a fee level that will sound the death knell for many Utah ranchers, Ashby added. The Farm Bureau leader says Babbitt also proposes to lands-de-pende- nt eliminate grazing advisory boards as presently constituted, take private water rights away from ranchers on public lands, and take federal possession of any new improvements ranchers have made on their federal lands grazing allotments. "Congress needs to enact laws governing grazing terms and conditions, as the Babbitt proposal is certainly an attempt to bypass Congressional oversight in this area," Ashby said. We will work with Congress in an effort to adopt a legislated, equitable grazing fee formula for grazing fees, as well as other terms and conditions for the wise use of public lands," he six-coun- ty said. Pkkii I jivii omental Education Conior Snow College, the USDA Forest Service Manti-LaS- al National Forest and Intermountain Desearch Station he cordially invite you to join us for the dedication of the pre-190- Emergency Plumbing ToiWrfi, Emergency tenrice, 24 hr. Bath, Kitchen remodeling. Water heater changeout. e Xshwashen, dhpoaala. e Water aoltener. b Scott Layton Plumbing 835-0- 3 1 1 will A light lunch 1 j dedicate the center on August 19. 1993. at 11:00 a.m. at the historic Great Basin Station location approximately 10 miles cast of Ephraim. Utah up Ephraim Canyon. Help us launch one of the Forest Services first research stations on its new educational mission in resource management. We fcujcet. and all other plumbing need. Great Basin Environmental Education Center hosted by Panoramaland Travel Region the newly rehabilitated buildings and site s will be served following the ceremony. Tburs of will follow lunch. I. |