| OCR Text |
Show /3, ^n failing to defend staff effects on Ashley National Forest to prevent damming of Rock Creek and^Whiterocks Kiver tor (J.U.F. developments. (BuRec. pressure!) in allowing the destruction of the long, fought-over China Meadows. Under citizen opposition, a Bureau of Keciamation cam proposal for East Fork Smiths Fork River on the North Slope of the Uintas, at China Meadows, was relocated farther north on the river. China Meadows is a beautiful riparian basin, trailhead for hiking into the wilderness, to Red Castle in high country, and a prized fishing spot. For purposes of trucking rip-rap from a site determined ten years ago to the proposed dam site, the primitive access road to China Meadows was widened and ungraded, the historic wooden bridge was destroyed and replaced by a wide, concrete affair, and, to disguise the mess left from trucking rip-rap over temporary culverts across the river, a parking lot was developed. The wholly unnecessary alteration of the area's primitive qualities are justified on the need for a loggging road - which would not be the road ever used for this purpose! (personnel providing me this information is now under agency scrutiny!) • in failing to protect the rare, wild mountain trout streams on the Uintas (rare in Utah), by developing research which would support the value of these as self-sustaining fisheries, as streamside habitat for wildlife, and as esthetic resources for primitive area users. Even though the importance of riparian ecosystems is just now being recognized, these streams have been highly valued by recreationists for years. Tne C.U.P. has been around since World War II. Yet I near the Forest Service say they didn't think about the streamside values - only the fisheries - which they haven't fought to save, INTACT. Somewhere along the line, mitigation of wildlife resources to be compromised by C.U.PT developments, has been the thrust of federal and state agencies in Utah. Entire professional careers of wildlife and fisheries biologists working in Utah have been SDent on trying to mitigate the lost resources. To date, the BuRec has mitigated only at Flaming Gorge N.R.A. A mitigation mentality dominates the thinking: not how to demand resource protection"! WHY? The field level guys are Incensed at stream degradation. Has the Regional Forester done his utmost to stand up to the BuRec. or hasn't he? The failure is at this level. So, the Forest Service is culpable - in refusing to insist on water storage projects elsewhere than at Rock Creek Canyon and Whiterocks River Canyon, in failing to go to top Agency levels to get mitigation of lost resources - when salvage•efforts have failed. in failing to assign a fisheries or wildlife professional as Forest Service liaison with the Burec, rather than a timber man, |
