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Show EROSION IN BEAVER MOUNTAINS CAUSING HAVOC TO RANGE The danger of floods to the Beaver district due to rapid run-off the water shed, was the subject for a very interesting in-teresting talk given by Forest Supervisor Sup-ervisor H M. Christensen, of the Fish Lake District before the luncheon of the local Lions' club on Monday of this week. "The condition is very serious. This is a dry year to begin with. Pange conditions were poor. There has been a scarcity of good grazing materials from the beginning of the season. Erosion is found to quite a large extent over the entire district, and every single condition is prime for a big flood right here in Beaver. The only thing we lack is a cloudburst together with a heavy general rain," said Mr. Christer.sen. He explained that the condition has been growing from year to year and has more or less culminated this year. Just because the Beaver valley val-ley has had no serious floods is no . reason to believe that it never shall. Having noted so many characteristics characteris-tics of flood conditions existing here, the personel of the Fish Lake Forest Service made request to the State authorities for aid. They were referred re-ferred to the state land board flood survey commission who sent men to Beaver. Mr. Christensen presented the findings of the flood survey commission com-mission to the Lion members, who were very much interested. The Lions' Club was asked to sponsor a trip to the mountains so that first hand information could be had. The Lions Club voted in favor of sponsoring sponsor-ing the trip, and the president appointed ap-pointed a committee of five to select a representative group from the city and county to make the trip to the mountains on the following day. The following representatives were chosen to make the trip: Dr. Petty, city council and Lions club, H. M. Christensen, Forest Service, Wesley W. Farrer, Pine Creek Forest Users Association, Joe Bakes, president of the Fish and Game commission, George P. Low, president of the South Side Forest Users Association, Lew Mar Price, County Agent, Gus Easton, Game, Ken Barton, Lion's club, C. F. Harris, Chairman County Commissioners, Raymond L. Corn-well, Corn-well, Beaver Press reprsentative, and T. W. Gunn of the Beaver Wool Growers. The group was gotten up hurriedly, and few of the men represented repre-sented had the official sanction of the groups they represented. The group of eleven men left Beaver in cars Tuesday morning to visit as many of the different sections sec-tions of the water shed as the time would permit. The first stop was made on Crazy creek, just off of the Merchant valley road. Here the attention at-tention was called to the group by Mr. Christensen of the extreme erosion ero-sion taking place, altho some of the gullies did show grass, of several years' growth. But all of the range grass was cropped short. There were many weeds left, all unpalatable, the main one being the snezic, a weed which is found in over-grazed areas. There is an abundance of these weeds scattered over the entire area, showing show-ing that they are being re-produced because of the lack of good grazing grass. The forest service people say this weed is very common in sections where the range is being depleted by over-grazing. All of the smaller aspens as-pens were found to have been cropped crop-ped off and no smaller trees were found growing. Only in few sections are there any young trees growing. The other sections sec-tions visited showed similar conditions. condi-tions. No recommendations were mnde by the group, but a more extended ex-tended trip was advised and Lew Mar Price was made chairman to see that the trip was made. An account of their findings will be published next week. |