Show WRITER PORTRAYS NEED FOR CONTROL OF PUBLIC LANDS ity illy D I 1 Cral houston abe need for controlled use list based upon long lona tinia tinip planning is nowhere moro more apparent than alinn in tile tho case of 0 vast olle thile alnio abundant open range tile alio rouge like toine other hasit lina n carrying which may inny IK a it if usel only to tile tho limit built of sensorial lial productivity may inny so go un till unimpaired by such U uio for ages farm to conic coine thoughtless wasteful exploitation of tills great resource if unchecked will surely add to tile forbidding just duit beds and sli lfting hnud in tho place of once inviting forests and grassy just na tile tho gold old rush of 40 49 left ghost towns to mark tho scenes of otherwise for gotten population bogina bo oina ollis one of 1110 inot st important natural resources Is ia her grazing grounds of stalls acres of land area 83 per cent Is 18 ra ligo land according to tile tho united ted states department of agrical agriculture t tire 0 illse bulletin no 90 almost ono fourth 2276 2275 per cent or of tile primary ry wealth of tho the state in 1931 canto camo from the livestock industry which Is IH 77 por per cent dependent upon graz ink ing fall linies vast irons areas of range are divided no as follows follo wrt 14 per cent pasture 18 per font cont Hin ninor or range and 68 per cent open public doi loul nuli aill find owned spring and anit ranges pasture lands i are anro usually located in ili tile alio valleys near farms and dairy bandied ran died summer dauge 4 aro largely in fit aliu alil derm nerm of national roust forest which occupy 8 position lit in much in ili tho forin fonn of it azy Is a through sli tho middle of tho the santo file forest reserve grass start lit in daggett and duchesne counties in northeastern utah follow the wui wits atell atch mountain southward and pud till in ill washington county comity four gnall abenti not included in tills general description tire iro in ill box el der den callif ithell and sall juisti counties count teg tile the IJ B S ag aff ailse bulletin no 90 in 89 lip proximately of Ut italin Aills open opell public domain t the natural winter and spring and full fall range 4 it la Is situated it in general in III two haq vasti areas in ons on either cither tilde oldo of tho the Nta lonal Vores tm tile desert and tile iho west desert lutgo tracts 0 of grazing land between but cn ta alio to summer and winter ranges lilt aa vo been acquired by stockmen stoc kmen and ara used gette nilly for spring and fall grazing other oilier rangelands are owned by tile state through federal grant for tile benefit of schools and other anto institutions incese feato lands tire located lit in to separate lit in nil all parts of if tho overgrazing seen J tile pioneers iti of 1847 found tile tho country both mountains und ani doa des erts abundant in hardy grasses and palatable palal blo ble browse their scanty cattle herda soon boon liow how ever then canto canio bands of wild horses filu Lr berdi and invasions front from other states until thoro there was fur far more livestock than the alon could a sustain it was obvious iliin ol by 1897 that tile tho was w three ile do of overgrazing over 0 ur grazing faltico then antido tuii evea moro inore by extend ed cd periods of unusually try dry seasons have reduced of tills once treat great source of wealth ton fraction or of iam original dalae this to do surely would hao been less iraa severe had it been possible to 9 kiao ra z a the under carefully planned liln tined public control tho pres nt condition cindI tIon of tho the nit na lional boresta in utah inny bo be cited to tills ills point they havo have been federal con control tr ol 01 sl sanco n ce tile varly years oc the century centar y icil and lino have suffered auff cred with kotlier raligh 9 front from tho of recent dry yea years the ar relative earr carrying yIng libis always been ww komitor tit in tho the main than that of the domain but tile differential lj Is now higher than formerly 0 11 I 1 forsling Por sling director of tile tho forest and italino inderlin IN perlin e nit station cites compre lic stu Ijes conducted ducted by dr 0 horafo stewart senior ecologist ir dr IV AV 1 Cot tion ocolo gast and 8 4 junior range examiner which show that tho recent prolonged drouth on oil tile west vest desert tills liaa kiihl d Il lately 20 per iier cut cent of tho the shrubs over extensive areas of range such auch aa ai within re reach ach of permanent watering places about 50 to 65 percent of tile shrubs have been killed lit in these places mr pOn Aling gos goos on oil to say bay la Is bound to lv lie slow alow of the slow rato rate ot of reseed ing till und growth of desert shrubs and restoration probably will lot tako pinco nt at all unless tho ibbers numbers In bers of stock are materially reduced and tile tho range inan aged property properly ilia pioneers first drove etwo their oxen into tile vast desert country and for two or three do vades ados thereafter tile predominating formigo was grass tho the groat great value of the liu range was ns lu lit its shrubs and other herbage but those who know knew tile country 60 years ago say that they were first impressed with tile tho tall waving grass cross karly harly settlers never livard he aid of a sand lit in tills this country and were unacquainted with dune formations waa vas no lie need they say to mrry carry liny hay or grain for tile oxen or horses since tile feed near tile tho trall was always sufficient dry years cited that tho the recent drouth referred to was made serious by over gritz ing it 14 illustrated by the fact that tile years ara of 1897 1898 1899 1900 mid and 1892 wore were far dryer on olt tile tho wt t desert than tho the country tills liua ex cx ced once tile alio herdsmen of celiat day bo borover do not rl member ally oli oh of feed in ill millard and juita where it alio study was waa wade tile tho prec preceding edin 9 abundant years it boains had stored ui it u reserve itsuro sufficient to carry tile thu load over short periods of drouth drout li abundant nature oil tile the other liand had 6 cu cn di before ilia ho drouth of 1920 1934 1034 liy by grow ing birds of locally owned cattle and find aad constant invasions Inui siona by transient herds to tile tho natural control of over rn zing hall ineffective through through ilist allarte slaughter of wild flesh eating which formerly did to keep down numbers of rodents was waa made still worse orsa by many bands of wild horses roo gulting from froin a band wits br brou glit in ill when settlement bo be gan tit all inroads lind taken placa befaro tile oming coming of fill eel herds in ill tho early sheep were found to do well where cattle had long ceased to bo bb profitable and increased rapidly sive wind and stream erosion was apparent api by tills time lind and it nt t I 1 least 0 a 9 t onu one lender leader had suggested snaking in making aking check dams to keep keel the country from being washed away live stock men inen generally were concerned about the range being over oer stocked and requested aid from Washing tollo D 0 public control wan maa Illo inevitable tile question of overgrazing over grazing was made the subject of lit I 1 meeting at denver colo in ili 1898 allot restricted grazing areas under tho the control of federal government i was ailva advanced na as a start lit in tile tho right ja tho the first firs treal real restrictions canio to td utah soon after with tile organization in 1903 of the mantl national forest lenders leaders lit in the national forest movements at that time hoped that control of grazing on tho the summer would automatically control estock numbers lit in tho the state and would flie therefore restrict grazing on oil the open public domain they reasoned that only such livestock as aa were summered yum mored on the forest go to the winter ranges and therefore ther eforo grazing on the public domain would control itself the theory sounded logical but the trend to a free sheep movement had not beep considered and their hopes failed to national forest regulations be hiim came increasingly effective as aa now new aretis went into tile iho reserva and abid grazing were more and more i restricted with respect ct to of livestock allowed ou im me forests forc sta forest areas began to return from dust beds tile tho mantl forest re rosin 0 lias has been called it ft dust bell toj to sonic semblance of their original carrying capacity tho alio total number of Ilves tock graying in tile tho state however con to Iner vaso and depletion of desert gangew wont went on oil unchecked whilo forest service regulations were uie really effective in ili controlling conti oiling nuni lillin bois berti ot of ILy livestock estock in fit local herds alili which hl ili largely dependent on oil tile national fore orata ats lit in utah for muni nier range here wes no ron con arol over invasion luv aslou of the open public domain liin ly by tran transient liardi alerd f brought on to tile tho west desert f from row other baates by train loads loada utah livestock met men seelig tile result of invasion front out of state flierl sli fil leop erl determined to increase their own hords to got get their share of tho the vanishing browse before out il dory got it till nil then cattle caino tile mriln mitlon from filin cattle to fil leep on oil ninny of Bin sui ninor niner ranges tills this love was followed follo weil by tile ill together Kether to too general practice of grazing on oil tho the public doi linin both lit in nier and winter tills series of d lit in the drouth beginning lit in 1024 lovestock seemed to pay no ito attention to tb diminishing feud feed however ho oer and numbers continued ti to Incitti so until 1931 tiia natural vegetation near permanent watering places place bo be cattle increasingly scarce tho the grass II tn ili ever eer widening areas began to take on oil a 0 stripped appearance and soil blowing bo taino calne more anoro active first lit in one then another shifting sand band alli almost covered coi cd tho the little rema lulng browan tit in certain Ert sections binol leftin left in other I 1 places brulli ou oil high hilgh crowns arowna aan nn old but greatly accelerated pho on oil desert range lange resolution passed tho devastation do went ent on oil tul check j edin 1932 tile seriousness of tile tho situation bevvino so apparent that a r alution requesting federal conch control arol finally passed tile national a ti convention but only over oer the protest of two of neighbor states two years later tile the taylor grazing act providing for foi federal cou con tl ciol of f tile public domain passed congress and became a lar lair on oil juno june 28 1934 the fundamental purpose of the act ve cording to its ita supporters la Is to risen e grazing privileges on oil tho open public domain for those whoso choso hera liardi j ranch ranches and farms farina tire lire near tile tho range alt utalia livestock industry hopes that tills this lue asuro liaa has como come in ili time to save faie lit in part tit it least ono one of tile tho must moat valuable natural ro butali livestock men generally although not always completely united among themselves have hao been in favor ta or of control from the f first the story of their struggle to save the value of the range Is one of the interesting intoci eating tales la in the annals annala of western history wo repeat it hero here as toli told to us by a pioneer who has been valiant from early times in the fight for economic conservation of our range resources the range our pioneer says was over stocked by 1897 at tile tho flygt nice ting of tho national livestock association nt at denver deliver colorado in 1808 when ilia lie national forests were up ill for discussion tile question of overstocking over stocking of tile range was considered us As serious A few it leaders aders in tile country advocated control of tile the public domain der its as early as aa 1901 1902 1002 r tho lillo building of check dams dama lit in southern and waiters ranges was advocated even ejen before tills time to savo save the cotil country itry train from being wash ed cd amily president on october 22 1903 appointed tile rub pub hi land commission to study con can on olt tile ranges that commis reported its findings to tile president lit in february 1905 strongly recommending public control of grazing lands A of western range stock imn wits appo lit in january Jn nuary to ndel so with tho the president in ill washington us as to tile alio boat best means of handling bundling the matter in alay 1908 president called a meeting of growers of the several notates tit it which tile tho public domain was wai tho the subject 1 haa as lieen boyell given consideration by live stock associations and others almost since 1898 I 1 ny hy 1917 western utah cattlemen were very much concerned about tho the need for public control shel sliced Sli cep p of fourne course wi can thrive on oil tho the bronso lit in country where cattle benitto havo have long ceased to bo be profitable some however liow our were not altogether ready to follow the lend lead of their few farseeing m ring representatives at p roundup round up nt at the Til Thoin ompson ral in ia 1917 it wua vas suggested that something should be 10 dono that it cl ww was time to do 10 some homo nc ac tive byork toward securing curIng so federal matrol of thu public domain tho the huesto c k mail inon tit at tile meeting were 1 cry t y favorable to start action and roii estel one or of their number to 4 with the regional foresters when lio lie returned to ogden end tco what might bo be dono in this his dl atlon tho forester when contacted suggested that eliat tile tho livestock mon men concerned sign a petition requests ag by the federal government such a R petition was drawn up and sent pent to tho the group they failed to tako take action however and nothing mm 11 4 dono until tho following year when tile tho group again requested their representative to do something ugilt lt it it Is evident front from tills this lethargy on oil the part of oven even cattle men let that many livestock people were afraid of public control sheep atell join many utah sheep men have been in favor of public control almost front from tile beginning and tile iho state otate Wool growers association tills liaa beau very fictive in favor of rf the measure masuro only about that timo time I 1 it electing of the cattlemen and wool growers wua wits hold bold in tile uintah Uinta ill balsin chero tho need at 0 immediate action was discussed s of Oon gross don B D colton was present at that meeting ilo wits way also present at a mec meeting of stockmen stoc kmen nt at tile the great basin ox ex Perin leat station near ephraem a short time later where a committee headed by william ret creon drew up resolutions for federal control those resolutions presented presente d sometime soni etline later to it convention of representative cuttle blittle and alleen inell county commissioners and other loading citi citizens zelis from froin each of 27 counties of tho the state two counties were not represented the convention passed on oil the resolutions and sent them to congressman colton in ili washington 1 I 0 where they lio lie caino canio the basis for tile colton bill blitch although considerably modified finally passed tile congress oc at tile united states ni na tile the aylor 1 razing brazing act it Is now generally recognized by live men that tile tho most moat profit all ablo use of the range to tho the gerat I 1 rat number of people lit in tho state depends upon nion our ability to build 1 iii and maintain it sustained I 1 yield sustained yield being the average carrying capacity ot of the ladiko tit at 11 point which will not further deplete vegetation and will cullow for re seeding and new growth lit in reasonable ahne |