OCR Text |
Show present legislation does not provide an integrated conservation approach for the management and use of these lands. The lack of uniform policies has resulted in fre- quent conflicts among the public agencies. Some of these stem from differences in basic law and its interpretation and some from differing administra- tive policies. There has been some progress in recent years in coordinating policies and programs of the various Federal agencies as related to range use, but watershed conditions are not yet satis- factory. Generally, operating units are composed of pri- vate lands intermingled with Federal and other pub- lic lands which are operated as a unit. A large segment of the industry is developed around year- long grazing. However, in the northern part of the basin, grazing operations are seasonal and are rounded out by feed produced on irrigated farms. Operations vary from a few large units controlling extensive areas of land to many small units com- prising less than 10 head. This complex pattern of ownership makes it difficult to obtain uniform conservation treatment. Conditions of range vary from well managed units with good ground cover to poorly managed, depleted units that contribute substantially to the erosion and sedimentation prob- lems of the basin. Depleted units may be found along the Rio Puerco, Rio Chama, the lower reaches of the Pecos, and elsewhere in the basin. Sedimentation in reservoirs and channels, de- struction of valuable irrigation land, increasing flood damages throughout the valley and heavy loss of water by salt cedars and other water using plants are to a large degree outgrowths of an inadequate Federal conservation program. Studies of the Rio Grande and Pecos sub-basins show that livestock numbers should be adjusted to the carrying capacity of the range. Associated with the stock reduction program should be more intensive range management prac- tices. These will include such; measures as delay- ing the use of the range in the spring, better salting, fencing, and water facilities. And, in addition, there should be extensive revegetation. In the Pecos watershed, for example, nearly 160,000 acres of range should be reseeded; on the upper Rio Grande, over 250,000 acres; in the lower Rio Grande, per- haps another 150,000 acres. Of the total area needing revegetating probably half should be on the public lands. The application of these measures, however, cannot solve the problem to the extent necessary to provide adequate watershed protec- tion until ways and means of relieving the grazing pressure that now exists on the smaller tracts are provided. Another phase of land treatment involves the use of small supplemental engineering structures. A structural program in the channels, especially of tributary streams, is also needed to support vegeta- tion and range management on sloping lands. These engineering works must be installed to hold back much deposited material and to stabilize its movement. Beginning about 1934, the Resettlement Admin- istration bought privately owned grant lands and other tracts in the middle Rio Grande. Many of the purchased lands were key flood and sediment source areas, water source areas, and the like, where conservation programs were installed. Over a mil- lion acres were acquired, nearly half for Indian use, and an almost equal area for Spanish-Americans, with some other lands for joint use. Later the Farm Security Administration made loans to the local cooperative associations by which the latter purchased several grants: 130,000 acres in the Sangre de Cristo grant; 54,000 acres in the Ortiz Mine grant; 17,700 acres in the Abiquiqui grant; 45,000 acres in the Chilili grant. Steps had been taken to acquire 70,000 acres in the Lobato grant, but the negotiations fell through. Congres- sional action in 1946 forced the elimination of the Ortiz Mine grant purchase and the money was returned. The price paid for the grant lands was less than $1.50 per acre. These greatly improved lands are today being given conservation manage- ment, and illustrate what may be possible through Federal loans and grants to cooperatives and other local associations. In addition to the purchase of grant lands, the Farm Security Administration purchased other lands suitable for farm development and resettle- ment. Most important among these resettlement projects were the Bosque Farms in the Middle Rio Grande sub-basin south of Albuquerque and the Rio Farms along the lower Rio Grande at Edcouch, Tex. The Bosque Farms were purchased to provide resettlement for the farm families moved from the Taos Land Utilization Project. Final development resulted in the establishment of 42 farm homes on a little over 2,400 acres of irrigated land. The Rio Farms when completely developed will provide about 350 farm homes. In January 1945, the Gov- ernment loan to the Rio Farms Cooperative was repaid in full. At that time there were 165 farnx families settled and purchasing their farms. This- 329 |