Show p Ilf t0 imi ' Utah 2000 a'wm Serving Utah’s Great Pahvant Valley JLHMiv Dairy month Delta a in month oul ol 13 00 (In Advance) Senior Citizens Copy 50e (65 and older) 18 00 In 20 00 out county of USPS County Vol 79 No 51 June 22 19X9 BLM asks commission views on wilderness by Ken Rand The Richfie'd District of the Bureau of Land Management has requested a statement from the Millard County Commissioner on their position on designation of wilderness areas The request was made at the commissioner’s Tuesday June 6 meeting in Fillmore The BLM is preparing to Impact publish an Environmental Statement on wilderness area designation The commissioners statement will be included in the E1S Commissioners in Juab Garfield Sevier and Wayne Counties are also being asked to prepare statements on the issue There are nine areas in the Richfield District now under Wilderness Study Those in Millard Area designation County include Crystal Peak a large part of the House Range including Notch Howell and Swasey Peaks part of the Conger Range and a large section of land around King Top “We’re not in favor of wilderness in Millard County” Commissioner Frank Baker said Mike Styler agrees Commissioner “It doesn’t do anything for anyone who lives here" he said “There is virtually nothing that endangers those Wilderness Study Areas There’s an average of three visitors per day in all of the study areas in Millard County That area covers over 500000 acres don’t see how three people wandering around in 300000 acres per day poses any threat” Baker said he doesn't think people understand what would happen if an area is designated wilderness “They think that they can go out there” he said “but they can't drive there your wheelchair people can’t go there your cattlemen can’t herd their cattle through there It would just take it away from us We’re not overcrowded with people out here on the desert” Styler said there would be problems with public safety “You can’t go in and fight fires in a wilderness area” he said “at least not with mechanical means No machines are allowed in a wilderness area” A copy of the commission position statement to the BLM will be sent to Utah’s congressional delegation “Owens has a bill with a lot of JUAB wilderness on it and Hansen has one with a smaller amount” Baker said “We’re just going to send them a letter with zero on it" BLM Associate Larry Oldroyd Manager for the Richfield District said the bills are not effecting his department “We have our recommendations from the studies and analysis we’ve made” he said “so we’re going to go ahead and come out with ours” The BLM proposal will fall between the extremes of the commissioner "no action” position and the larger tract proposed in Owens' bill Oldroyd said “But here again ours is just a recomthe same as Owens’ mendation I’m sure and Hansen’s Nielsen's they’ll be making their desires known to the president before he goes to the congress” Tentative plans are for release of the LIS this fall "I hate to give you a date though" Oldroyd said “because we've had some trouble with the reviews and the content with thci Department of the Interior people” Oldroyd said the process has already been delayed almost a year CO Shaded areas indicate Wilderness Study Areas in county County to sell airplane kn Hand by MJlard County Commissioners have given permission to Sheriff Ed Phillips to sell the county airplane and get a smaller more economical one For several years FTuDip had tried unsuccessfully to get an airplane to paired the vast West Desert and for other law enforcement purposes “There’s no question that it's a real good tool for a huge rural county wth a lot of remote area” he said In the fall of I9&5 Phillips learned of an surplus airplane in Minnesota The plane a Cessna Sir ymaster with line twin engines was bought new by the US Fish and WildLfe Service m 1977 Getting the plane was not easy Phillips said there is a lot of competition for federal surplus property even though it is free to government entities Lke his department “It isn't competitive as far as dollars go“ he sa d “but it is as far as justification needs and playing the political end of it ” The county was just one of many tgeaics around the nation that watted he Minnesota plane '“NASA wanted it lor a special project on some experimental engines" Phillips said In light of several previous fa led bids for a plane Phillips changed his “1 rewro'e my letter of approach justification” he said “I also contacted our Senators and Representatives with a p'etty strong letter “ It worked “In about 45 day's" Phillips said “I got a call from the regional surplus office in San Francisco to tell me that ! a For sale owrer of this was the proud ne Cessna Siymaster" There were some minor costs The 'ounty had to pick n up from Minnesota at its expense pay a iVJ '‘transfer fee" and ag’ee to keep it for three years before selLrg it or at"apirg on it In addition to transporting prisoners S' tier said Couri'y Commissioner ofit is used occasionally to transport ficials includrg commissioners “when we’re in a rush between two “ ft is also used lor searches meetings “bui not as much as we ar’ticpated it would be" S' ter said The plane was used often during a murder trial George Wesley Hamilton accused in connection wiu See PLANE page 3 Public notices There are e ght public notices in this issue of the Cfcr tinkle Progress They are: A notice of a public hearing on Dtlta City’s budget A notice of license renewal for KM XU FM notices of sale of - To property A no1 ice to creditors and announcement of appointment Common' y Service Block - Grant applications berg accepted A notice to wa'er users - A notice of a trus'ee's salt See page 7 Millard County Commissioner 3 days - June 21 22 and 23 and Jer'E Brinkerhoff Norman Utah's Governor Bangerier is flying the California dairymen to Millard County as part of his rural economic value added development program Garn seeks GAO study of AF plan by Ken Rand Sen Jake Gam said he will seek an investigation by the General Accounting Office of Air I orce plans to build an electronic battlefield in the West Desert The move was in response to a request by Juab County Commissioners for help from Utah's congressional delegation in gelling the investigation of the project The project if approved will impact Millard and Juab Counties The request for the investigation was made at a special meeting in Nepm Monday April 3 Commissioners had requested a briefing by Air f orce officials on the project It was the third meeting with the Air I orce but commissioners said they called it because they felt the Air Force had not been candid in the other meetings Still not satisfied the commission voted to write to Utah’s congressional delegation asking them to request the General Accounting Office or the Office of Technical Assessment evaluate the need for the project The request was made April 17 Commissioners main concern is with safety of county residents The project calls for an increase in the number of flights including night flights over Nephi and the West Desert The Air Force said no live ammunition will be used but commissioners still fear accidents Commissioners also see no economic benefit for Juab County resulting from the project Also vxrrie West Desert residents say they fear the project will further erode their quality of life arid hurt their livelihood “We have had many profrom residents of the VSest test Richard Desert” Commissioner Brough said “Pursuant to your request" Gam wrote to the cornn ission in a letter dated May 24 “I have contacted the General Accounting Office and asked them to assets the status of t"e I Combat Range and report back will be back to me as soon as possible in touch with you when I have received the information from the GAO " Brough said he was pleased wrh Garn’s action “He seems to be the only member of our cor grcssionaJ delegation who really tares about the citizen in rural Utah and their unique problems he said “1 sincerely hope that I lie GAO will conclude that the Combat Rarge is not only entirely too costly but that a is not feasible in terms of the reality of modern will host the alifornia dairymon for left to right frank Baker Mik Styler Dairymen tour county A group of dairymen from California are in Millard County as Ibis issue goes to press touring the area as a potential relocation site The dairymen who currently buy a lot of locally produced hay for their operations arc considering relocation as a result of economic factors peculiar to a high population state where land values sometimes rise into the thousands of dollars per square fool Recently a delegation from Millard including officials with the County University of Utah fxtcriston Service went to ( alifornia where dairymen there were told that Millard County was the land of milk and money and LWt Gary to right Slay Karen S of that they ought to onsid-frlocj'mg here Mari of them did of will fer the county’s among those touring Delta illrnore and 'hr county this week I he economic prospects of an influx of new dairies to Millard ( ounty has not gone unnoticed m the state capital Governor Norm Bangertc-is assisting fie county tour by flying the dairymen he project is consistent into the area with Hangcrtcr's valued added economic development program for the state Since the lour began after this issue went to press detail’ about the tour will apticar in our next issue hern Sharron lamb Pri ton f inlinson and Delta hospital gels a flag warfare" Sen Orrin Hatch suppor’s the project He rejected the commissions request in a s'a’emen! released May 26 "Thousands of taxpayers dollars spent of an additional investigation before t the LIS (LrivironmentaJ Impact j is comple’td may be a of rffom and may be a waste of money" Ha'ct said Ch her members of the delegation have not responded to the request A Draft LIS on the project is due for release m lace J uly Public hear ir gs ii follow since because thne was no flag to fly on ir Bui that changed recen’ly when a local resident recently made an anonymous dona 'ion of a flag to the Auxiliary “V e try to support the hospral i'h any help we can do" Auxiliary presi dent Karen Sco'hr'n sad “ e lake cate of all the plan's atd visit the pa 'rea'uret Basse! artih i‘ 'ha'fon Moip’al Preston I mlmvm ay fuse and "’itc ea h morning af’et noon e pole One task remains bdo't complete S'ay sad t n slid 'ring 'o 'he fgc trass fyjte out how to bad he has to the lop of !) fagjrfil- Millard County Welcomes California Dairymen June 21 22 23 DA IR Y INDUS TRY of A MERIC A |