Emery County lands council welcomes new member

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

The Emery County public lands council welcomed Kim McFarlane as their newest member. He is from Green River. He works at the Green River Medical Center. They see people there from all around the United States and from outside the country as well. He is an avid horsemen who grew up in Price. His father was born and raised in Cleveland and he spends a lot of time riding horses in Huntington Canyon.
Council chairman Rod Player said the BLM has a publication out called connecting with communities which shows how they want to do their planning. He said it’s not much different than how Emery County has been doing things in communicating and planning with the local agencies.
Randy Johnson, public lands consultant said the county needs to move quickly on the Public Lands Initiative and get comments back very quickly.
Player said he has been seeing some negative comments about the PLI. He thinks if you read the entire document it may change your perspective.
Josh Palma from the BLM reported the oil and gas lease sale will take place Feb. 16 at the Salt Palace. There has been a lot of interest in the sale. Emery County has been asked to be a cooperating agency in the master lease planning process. There will be a wild burro gather in March on the Sinbad. The BLM is in the middle of the planning process for the Joe’s Valley bouldering plan.
Player said he’d heard the BLM was gearing up to do the travel management on the west side of the county. If anyone has issues with routes, camping sites, ponds, irrigation improvements they need to be denoted on a BLM map so they are aware of them. If they are on the map they can be protected. There will be public meetings concerning this travel plan in the future. In the current planning process for the routes by Green River, the BLM is going through all the routes and comments and developing alternatives. When the alternatives are ready there will be public hearings to receive input on the alternatives.
In the next few years all the areas in the Price Field Office will be reviewed for travel management.
At the legislature, Rep. McIff’s water bill is being introduced under small corporation changes. This bill defines the ability to sell and transfer water shares. Sen. Bramble has a similar bill in the Senate.
Chris Wood from the DWR reported deer and turkey have been released in Emery County. The Wildlife Board approved the deer management plan. Elk were taken from fields around Ferron on a special depredation hunt. Forty landowner tags were given out, over six days 36 hunters were out and 16-17 elk were taken and the other elk were pushed back up into the foothills.
McKita Hansen from the DWR reported on the habitat management strategy for the DWR. They have a WMA at the Hatt Ranch, Frenchman Ranch and the Chattin Ranch. PacifiCorp donated water rights to the DWR to keep water in the San Rafael river for the six endangered fish species. The DWR releases pheasants on the WMA. The DWR has done tamarisk removal on their properties to open them up. Most of these properties aren’t fenced and are sometimes visited by trespass cattle. The water can also be used to irrigate crops.
Bryan Torgersen from SITLA asked the BLM to make sure SITLA has access to their lands as the BLM works through the travel plan. SITLA has been working to extend the lease on the Industrial Park in Green River. SITLA is reviewing the Public Lands Initiative. SITLA has asked Elmo if they would like the Victor cemetery. The Elmo council will discuss it in their meeting.
SITLA is leasing their land to the BLM for the bouldering. The lease fee will be paid by the American Alpine Club. Torgersen said it is SITLA’s concern that is not the highest and best use for state land. The highest use is for oil and gas. They will have signage at the spot there to highlight SITLA’s purpose.
Player asked if SITLA would be interested in trading that land out. Torgersen said there is a huge resource there for oil and gas and they aren’t excited to give it up, but they could look into it. The grazing rules have been approved by the SITLA board.
Johnson asked everyone to be aware of a Margaret Dayton bill that wants to change the Utah constitution to limit the money that can go into the schools, to cap it. Torgersen said the interest from the permanent fund is the only discretionary funds the schools have to use. He would be surprised if the bill goes anywhere.
Darren Olsen from the forest service said there are wildlife closures on the Hole Trail, Black Dragon and the Horn Mountain trail. April 15 is the opening date there. When the other mountain roads begin to be muddy they will be closed. Currently the roads are open for snowmobiles. The forest service is working on Environmental assessments on four sheep allotments above Joe’s Valley.
After a meeting with the Gentry Mountain grazers it was determined the aspen re-generation is going well there and the 25 percent reductions imposed after the Seeley Fire will be lifted. The grazers used electric fences and kept the cattle moving and the aspen are doing well there.
In the state parks report Aaron Farmer reported the Green River golf course was closed but is openagain now.
Water has been run to the campsites in the state park. There is a park ranger position available in Goblin Valley.
Jonathan Hunt from Huntington, Scofield and Millsite state parks reported the parks are busier than ever. There are bills in the legislature to create more state parks. The state parks don’t receive any funding now and are self-sustaining. If more parks are created then maybe funds will be coming to the state parks.
Sherril Ward, council member gave the water report, basin wide the Mammoth-Cottonwood is 109 percent of average. The Dirty Devil is 152 percent of average.