| OCR Text |
Show R angelan ds Suffer FromDrought Drought conditions in many central Utah counties have seriously affected livestock forage production. Exceptional dryness during the past year has intensified the situation on many ranges administered by the Bureau of Land Management to the point where the Bureau and the range users must jointly consider adjustment of current livestock use in order to protect future productivity. Adjustments which assure a balance between use and available forage are imperative according to Richfield District BLM is encouraging livestock operators to take voluntary non-use in areas where forage is insufficient and will refund grazing fees in certain cases. Mr. Pendleton further stated that severity of conditions could cause complete closures of some ranges, Letters are being sent by appropriate area managers to licensees emphasizing the seriousness of the situation and suggesting various courses of action which may alleviate adverse range and economic impacts. Sheril Slack, staff range specialist for the district, observed that supplemental feeding tends to concentrate livestock and thus intensify impacts on soil and vegetation. Therefore, no "feed lot" type operations will be permitted on natural resource lands (NRL). |
