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<br />prepare those views from the state of Colorado so that the record is <br />clear. Otherwise, I think that the record is going to be the White <br />House, one-sided, and there is no,questions about it. But if you could <br />support me in that request, I would 'sure appreciate it. <br /> <br />MR. SHERMAN: I think it is a good suggestion. We did request the <br />Department of the Interior to allow the state to select one or more I <br />persons to serve on the panel in an advisory capacity. The' 'Department <br />of Interior did not get back to us on that, not unexpectedly. <br /> <br />MR, ROLAND FISCHER: You should make a real strong point of that <br />tomorrow and really hit them with it, I would comment here-, Mr. Chair- <br />man, that I did write a letter to the White 'House requesting a meeting <br />with the President and Hamilton Jordon. We have' been working with <br />Congress to put in this review process. - . We haven't heard' from anyone <br />and we are going to hit them with it tomorrow. We have had no. response <br />from this very open administration. <br /> <br />MR. SPARKS: One of the things that we'll hit:them with is the environ- <br />mental impact, the big game migration and what have you, Mr. Sherman <br />will discuss those particular problems about the so-called impact on <br />big game habitat. That is giving' us -a-great deal of trouble in both the <br />Fruitland Mesa and the Savery-Pot Hook projects. According to many <br />people, big, game animals don't.. graze on farmland.: Once you start farming, <br />they all leave. We have some pictures here,'wich we will show. These- <br />are pictures of farmland taken throughout western Colorado- in the- l'ast. <br />two or three months. I-want- you to note-the unidentified objects on the <br />farms. They look like big game animals. <br /> <br />MR. STAPLETON: The gentleman in- the back. <br /> <br />MR. WALTER ERTEL: Walter Ertel, I am a member of the Montezuma Valley <br />Irrigation Company. We will be a_, pr ime contractor for the Dolores proj- <br />ect. We'have a decision to make-soon,' the signing of the commitment.of <br />our water rights to this project. I am beginning to have some misgiv- <br />ings. If the President is not going.to be convinced. at this time or <br />any other time that these projects are worthy and worth while, are we <br />going to have to go to Congress every_year and fight this for ten years <br />before we see our project completed? And should one of these years we <br />fail to get funds from Congress, what becomes of our ability to help I <br />ourselves with our water rights committed and. the probability or . <br />possipility of maybe expanding some of our storage reservoirs that we <br />presently have with Our water already-committed in.a project killed. <br />Can you enlighten us to some degree? <br /> <br />MR. STAPLETON: I won't enlighten you, I will let somebody else do that. <br />This is the wrong time to raise questions such as that. If we haven't <br />got a unified front now, we are never going to go anyplace. I realize <br />you have some pr~blems, but we-have all worked long enough on these <br /> <br />-22- <br />