By Julie Johansen
The Emery Public Lands Council met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday at the county administration building in Castle Dale. Chairman Rod Player called the meeting to order and made small changes to the minutes before calling for their adoption. The agencies were then invited to make their reports to the council members and audience. All agencies spoke about the amount of snow, the chance for flooding and the impact on the area.
Dana Truman, Acting Field Manager for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), reported that work is continuing on the land exchanges required by the Dingell Act. The BLM Travel Management Plan is 60-70% completed and should have routes identified by summer. She also talked about monitoring the range conditions.
Truman stated that Jurassic National Monument opened last weekend and tours there have been well attended. There is also trail work going on in that area. River rangers are monitoring now and ask for reports if the need arises.
Hiring is in process at the Price BLM office, including a permanent field manager. Truman was also questioned about signage on the Swell. The request has been made for recognizing grazers and multiple use. A councilman had been unable to load his cattle out of the corral due to the parking of a large toy hauler in the road. Once again, it was emphasized that the people that are here need to be remembered.
Jaydon Meade, also from the BLM, commented that two of the seven signs being installed have instructions to consider the grazing and multiple use of the land. He apologized for not including that information on more signs. That permittee also drew attention to the overgrazing on his allotment by the wild horses, which he said have severely depleted the feed for his cattle. He was thanked for his information and told it would be considered.
Division of Water Rights State Engineer Marc Stilson spoke about the unusual snow pack in Utah, being at 200% of normal. He continued that it could really dangerous if it melts too quickly. He has spoken to all the dam owners in the area. He then turned the time over Jay Mark Humphrey, Cottonwood Creek Water District Manager, for further information about dam retention and water reports for various drainage.
Humphrey reported that there are 22.5 inches of water in the watershed, which has begun to shrink. He reported that there will be flooding as there is no way to slow it down. Electric Lake will spill, which has never happened. They expect to have 400 to 500 acre feet of water in the San Rafael River from May at least through June, meaning it will definitely not be a place to recreate. There will also be water over the new spillway at Millsite. The Muddy River will be the same way as there is no storage there to slow it down.
Humphrey also reported an update on dam inspections, stating that Joe’s Valley will need repairs in the next few years. The estimated cost is $10,000. The plans are to start releasing water from Joe’s Valley next week. He ended by stating Utah has had more snow than any other state.
Stilson listed dams that they are worried about: Ralston, Joe’s Valley, Millsite and Electric Lake. All the upper Huntington Dams are in pretty good shape. He then spoke about SB 277, which is an Agriculture Optimization bill to make improvements in agriculture to save water. He said that those in Emery County who are interested need to contact Ryan Jones. Anyone applying must be able to quantify what they are saving. The intent of this legislation is to save water for Colorado River Project (Lake Powell) and the Great Salt Lake.
The Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining spoke about the applications they have received for mining. None were for Emery County, and all numbers are down. Most applications in Southeastern Utah are for lithium, potash or helium. This process takes about 60 days for approval. Most drilling is horizontal, very few are vertical, and seem to be more numerous in Duchesne County. Lila Canyon Mine is being sealed off to make a portal inside to the longwall area.
The Division of Wildlife Resources reported next, giving an update about the troublesome bison. Sixty-six bison were on the west side of the river, so a helicopter was authorized for the Tribe to herd them back. This action took place on March 11, but the bison came back over the fence to the west side again about a week later. He then spoke about the filming company Horizon and the mitigation fund for the area where they filmed. The company paid over $70,000 in two separate payments. He then announced upcoming turkey hunts, April 8-27, with a youth hunt April 28-30. Shed hunting is still prohibited until May 1.
The Forest Service reported that they have not even closed the usual gates on roads yet as the roads are still very snow packed. Sage grouse counts are also still pending because of weather. They are working with range permittees for grazing this year. A small pond on East Mountain will be fenced to help preserve the burial toad.
State Parks concluded the agency reports. The ranger said the Green River State Park is still under construction and it has caused the golf course to adapt some of the holes on the course, but it still has the same par and is ready for golfing. Huntington State Park and Scofield are hiring new managers.