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<br />002314 <br /> <br />The vast majorit y of the lands in the region are devoted to the production <br /> <br />of range livestock. The Lower. Colorado River basin supports 'l, 963 cattle <br /> <br />operators and 750 S'heepmen, who graze about 360,000 cattl,e andapproximatel y <br /> <br />205,000 she'ep, part of the year on public domain lands. <br /> <br />The poor condition. of the range indicates that overgrazing is still taking <br /> <br />., place. Complete adjudication of the range privileges is a must before good <br /> <br />management practices can be instituted." Almo st 800 range users' privileges <br /> <br />have yet to be adjudicated. Many of these are ,small operators. For in- <br /> <br />stance, 596 are in New Mexico, where the land is ina deplorable c0ndition; <br /> <br />578 of the New Mexico operators are running sheep. <br /> <br />PART III--PRESENT PROGRAMS ,FOR PUBLIC LANDS <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />A. ';l'ypes of public lands <br />The 28,294,000 acres of public lands administered exclusively by BLM <br /> <br />in the basin vary from the predOminate desert shrub-grassland type at the <br /> <br />loweX' elevatibns to isolated and scattered stands of ponderosa pine at the <br /> <br />higher elevatipns. A moderate belt of pin'on-juniper woodland type and some <br /> <br />chapparel occurs at mediUm elevations. Approximate acreages for the <br /> <br />general vegetation types are shown on tables Nos. land 2. <br /> <br />B. Management practices and uses of public lands <br /> <br />The 28 million acres of public lands in the area are used for a multiplicity <br /> <br />of purpOses: <br /> <br />l4 <br /> <br />