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Show OWEN SEVERANCE PRESENTS THE FIRST... DONALD CURREY AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL INSENSITIVITY The Premier "Winner: NATURAL BRIDGES NATIONAL MONUMENT This award is being established to recognize those who are following in the footsteps of the infamous Donald Currey. In the early 1960's, Donald Currey, a geographer from the University of North Carolina, obtained permission from the U.S. Forest Service to cut down a Bristlecone Pine tree to study the tree rings for a research project. Why he didn't use a coring tool, which is the normal way to study tree rings ( and wouldn't permanently harm the tree), isn't known. What is known is that he used a chainsaw to cut doom the largest Bristlecone Pine tree that he could find. It turned out to have been the oldest living tree on earth - about 4,900 years old. To "honor his infamous deed, this award for environmental insensitivity has been created for the most deserving. PHOTO 1: The dog-le- g mm "dog-leg- ." PHOTO 5: fence as seen from Deer Flat. The first recipient of this award is Natural Bridges National Monument Superintendent Steve Chaney and those of his staff who are responsible for building a fence on the north boundaiy of Natural Bridges National Monument. The fence line was cut through an old growth PinyonJuniper forest, causing substantial environmental damage. (This part of the Monument's northern boundaiy runs along section lines; therefore, much of the fence cannot be on the boundary since PHOTO h The fence: Photo 1.) The purpose of this fence isn't clear. It is a three-stran- d barbed wire fence that range cattle wouldn't even slow down for. (Four or five strand fences are normal.) Where the fence crosses low ridges, the top of the fence is about knee high. (Photo 1) Where it crosses shallow drainages, cattle can go under it. (Photo 3.) And cattle can bypass the fence by going down larger drainages that can't be fenced because floods would destroy the fence. In addition, there is more than a mile of old growth PinyonJuniper between the Monument's boundary and the chained area to the north that is actually being grazed. As is usual with old growth PJ forests, there is nothing for cattle to eat; cows would it makes a easy enough lor a cow to step ove- r-- ' - - - wZam damage, not by cows but by NPS staff. have to pack a lunch for the hike to the Monument. I couldn't find any evidence of cattle having been in this part of the Monument. However, I did see a few cow pies on the way from the chained area to the fence - they were in a pile of bones. Evidently this cow forgot to pack a lunch. The most disturbing aspect of the project is the amount of environmental damage that the Park Service created. In the process of hacking the fence line through the old PHOTO 3: or mim Crypto-bioti- c EIGHTEEN to walk under. |
