OCR Text |
Show More Than 200 Men Gather For Field Trip Large Group of Forest and Range Officials, Livestock Live-stock Men and Others Join In Field Days at Desert Range Experiment Station j The vast possibilities of regulated regu-lated grazing as a means of restoring re-storing to winter ranges of the west lost values as feed areas were vividly portrayed to more than 200 people from Utah and surrounding states Friday and Saturday in the progress of a field tour of the Desert Range Experiment station, 50 miles west of Milford. The station sta-tion was established in 1933 by the United States forest service as a branch of the intermountain forest and range experiment work of the service and is the only one of the seven branch stations devoted to methods of management of semi-desert semi-desert winter range. Accordingly, the work of this station is looked upon with nation-wide interest by those who own livestock or have anything to do with this industry. Nevada, with winter range problems prob-lems very similar to those of Utah, was the largest represented state outside of Utah but Idaho, Wyoming, Wyo-ming, Arizona and New Mexico also had representatives present. Milford's exceptionally large hotel accomodations were taxed to the limit Thursday evening, despite de-spite threatening weather, in order to take care of the influx of visitors, visit-ors, with others remaining in Beaver Bea-ver or not coming in until Friday morning, and the start from town, wi.th between 50 and 60 cars, in the caravan, was an impressive sight, caravan, p Local fiftyinteresedare not only for visitors but also for Milford townspeople, who are just beginning to awake to the importance import-ance of this station and the magnitude magni-tude of its work. . On the way out to the station stops were made at various points to demonstrate the devastating effects ef-fects of grazing abuses, combined with drouth. The first stop was 2'i miles west oi town, where sagebrush, one of the most important import-ant of range feeds for spring-fall grazing, has been killed out to an extent of 60 per cent or more with most of this bench land now vege- i tated with russian thistle where there was once a good stand of sagebrush as well as fair stands of grasses, such as wheatgrass, cur-lygrass cur-lygrass and some bluegrasses. Another stop was made on the i east slope of Wah Wah valley, known in early days as a paradise-for paradise-for livestock, with one of the most noted stands of white sage in the west, mixed with desert grasses. Comparison of vegetative growth and forage value per acre of open range shows that the russian thistle must be depended on now for for feed purposes in the main while the managed areas show encouraging en-couraging trends toward re-stocking with desirable growths with the thistle being crowded out of the picture as native growths gain in vigor. I The manner in which a badly treated area may be brought back, as compared with a severe case of . over-grazing, is afforded at what is 1 known as the Wood or Levi well in Pine valley and, being only a few yards off the highway, should be visited by townspeople and others at the first opportunity. Here there is a small enclosure established estab-lished in 1932 as a preliminary to the huge experimental area on which work was begun the year following. On the outside, " on ground that is and has been extremely ex-tremely heavily grazed because of the well, russian thistle has increased in-creased from practically zero until is now forms 55 percent of the total cover. Rabbitbrush, . an unpalatable un-palatable feed, shows an increase on the outside area of 20 percent and a decrease of 32 percent on the enclosed area. White sage, a very desirable spring-fall feed, has increased on the protected area about 30 percent and shows a decrease de-crease on the outside area of 11 percent. Ricegrass has almost disappeared dis-appeared from the outside area i while an icrease of 47 percent is noted within the enclosure. Curly-grass Curly-grass likewise has decreased 50 percent on the outside but increased increas-ed 70 percent on the inside. Similar stops were made at other points within and adjacent to the huge experimental area of 55,000 acres under fence, with the comparative com-parative results explained by means of a public address system, which made it possible for everyone every-one to hear clearly all that was said. Time was also given to the answering of questions and to the discussion of special phases of the work. Tasty and substantial meals were served to the visitors in the large C C C mess hall, left intact, along with other barracks buildings, build-ings, by a former C C C company, to whom goes the credit for the fencing and much of the other development de-velopment of the area. Friday evening, following supper, sup-per, a public meeting was held in the mess hall, with Reed W. Bailey, director of the intermountain forest for-est and range experiment station, in charge, and William Peterson, director of Utah State Agricultural Agricultur-al college extension service, as chairman. A history of the desert branch station was given by Selar S. Hutchings, assistant forest ecolo-gist, ecolo-gist, in charge of the station, and the rehabilitation of the winter ranges as a research project was treated by Dr. George Stewart, senior ecologist, who may be con-( con-( Continued on last page) o Enjoy Field Trip (Continued from page 1) sidered as the father of the desert station. Other speakers of the evening included Director Bailey, Director Peterson, Dr. George Thomas, president of the University of Utah; W. H. Molohan, chief of the bureau of grazing, department of the interior; Mr. Pettit, head of soil conservation work for the state of Nevada; C. N. Woods, associate as-sociate regional forester; and Ernest Er-nest Winkler, assistant regional forester. Program numbers consisted ot male quartet numbers by Alvin H. Baker, James Angell, Richai'd Hickman and Ralph Thompson of the Milford high school; a trombone trom-bone solo by young Hickman; a bass solo by Thompson and two vocal vo-cal solos by Mrs. Les Farnon, also of Milford, Miss Ruth Pobl accompanying accom-panying at the piano. Following the program a wonderful showing of colored slides and a splendid tajk on desert plants and flowers were given by Dr. W. P. Cottam, head of the botany department of the University of Utah. The trip was thoroughly enjoyable enjoy-able and enlightening and Selar S. Hutchings, assistant forest ecolo-gist, ecolo-gist, who has charge of the station sta-tion and to whom is due the major part of the credit for a most successful suc-cessful field trip, is to be com-! com-! mended for the care and consideration consid-eration he showed for even the smallest detail of a big undertaking. |