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<br />PAGOSA SPRI!'<GS - It was opt:nlng nlght lor
<br />thr congn's!llonally.mandatl"d ?:I/Odr-a River
<br />s>ud,. Wednesday night and, ",,'hUe lht" rnl'eUng
<br />"....s well a.ttl'nded, some aspects 01 tho! study
<br />'~ren.twell'N'celved.
<br />U.S. FOTesl Sl':Tvlce and Colorado Department
<br />(J( Nat\mll Resourc.. otfic1ab detailed their plans
<br />for th<" two-year Piedra Wild and Be..n'c Rlvl'r
<br />:::.tudy and accompanying Piedra Management
<br />Nan before a crowd of nl:!arly 100 persona at the
<br />Pagosa Elementary School,
<br />Thl' lnlUal hearirlgs on the sludy contlnue
<br />tonight with a 7:30 p m. meeting at MUler Junior
<br />HIgh Auditorium In DuranJ:O and al 7:30 p.m.
<br />J:'r1t1ay In n..n\'(~rll.t 1313 Sherman St., Room 110.
<br />['aRosa Spr1rlgs r.."idenL8 expreul.ld concem
<br />a.hout watt"r r1ghta. tlmber ha.r.'ut and the
<br />\'ilgu..ness of the law In the qu..sUon.and.answer
<br />period that followed the prest"ntatlon.
<br />In an am..ndment to the Wild and Scenic
<br />Rivers Act. slgnt"d by the PrE"sldE"nt on Jan. 3,
<br />1975, CongrE"ss ordert'd a study of "PI~dra, Colo-
<br />rado: Th~ ~UddlE" Fork and Foast Fork from theIr
<br />oon(luencE", thence the Piedra to It.! Junctlon wllh
<br />O:llorado Highway ]60, Including the tributaries
<br />and h..ad...,at('rson Natlonal Fof't'st lands."
<br />The rlvt"r study wlll c"Vt'r 237,440 acn's within
<br />the Piedra dralmlge area whilE" thl' man!l.O!:E"ment
<br />plan study wllllnCludt" 241.684 acres of ba"lcally
<br />the same area, Walt Warner, who heads Ole
<br />.!tudy tl':'Im, explainl'd \.hat the two studies ",..r...
<br />oombhwd because buth d.'a1 with dl'h'rmlnlng
<br />'usage 01 thE" land_
<br />John Cooley, another stud)' team member, told
<br />the audJ..nre that the Wild and Sc,'nlc Rivers Act
<br />Is a multiple U9t' act and not Intended to tw ust"d
<br />lor wllderneslI delllgnallon. He also expla.1nE"d
<br />that conlractB with the government for 11St" of the
<br />land that we-re signed prIor to the at..", b..inR
<br />dl-s!gnated for study will b.. honort'd.
<br />However, he added that a moratorium has
<br />been plac('d on new contcar!s for such things as
<br />timber harvt'sl, grazlnfi: and recreallon whll~ the
<br />study Is beIng conducted
<br />
<br />Eligibility
<br />
<br />Tony ;\tOU-Unez, a study leam member Irom the
<br />state Departml'nt of :-;'atural Resources, saId the
<br />titst sl('p at the sludy wUl be to determine It the
<br />Pledra and Ih tributaries fife ellg1ble for !llelU'
<br />slon In the loct IIn(\pr the r('qul~ment.! stipulated
<br />Inthelaw.
<br />He saId the law states that !n oropr 10 he ell~-
<br />ble the rh'er must be f~t"-l1owlnlil" and mu!;t
<br />"poSSl"SS outstandingly rl'markable !Irenic. r('c-
<br />reaUonal. gf'Olol{lc. !Ish and wUdllfe, hi.!;toric,
<br />1UIIuralorolherslmllar\'.alu('s."
<br />~lartln('l'; said, "To Ihe lltudy t..am thp!le ('Ilg1_
<br />bUll)' requir..mE"nts w('r(' not only rumbersom('
<br />bllt w..r.. also 5ubJect to judgmE"lIts With ;lfi emo-
<br />tional base'" As /I. rel!'ult, Ihe study tp.arr. :urt.her
<br />o.~ gulde-llnesln Pilch area "Weare lIub.
<br />mlttlng thE'm tUw ,,-uldE'lInes) to you an<1 want
<br />your comm..nt9 back." Martinez told the au-
<br />Ol'nce.
<br />(:-<)"11")" addl'd that I! H Is det('rmlned !~at the
<br />n.."r hI t'lLfi:lble, an appro:o;lm..t'.!ly or-".h;ll! mill'
<br />"ide rorrid"r wCould be e'!;t..tbll>-ht>tl ar"unl l.J1..
<br />n\'('r and e-I\ch trlbut.af\'. The l'orr\d"r would
<br />hlpr b(' classiilt"d.t.s will.l: SCl'fi.>.:' or r...cr"..Il>Jn.a1.
<br />"1th a dlmln!.~hing set of regulatlons ~lared on
<br />It.e are" dellt':ndJr.f.(In the cla:lsltlcaUOn.
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<br />Fred EberUng, a candidate for the State Houso
<br />!n>m DL~t. r.9. {'xf,res.sed COllct'rll o\.t"r wal"r
<br />rlghta and reducE"d Umber harvest in thl' study
<br /><l.rt:a. H.. r",;.d a portlull oJ ttt' IaN "iucll .....ould
<br />p-rmlt condemnation of watter rights anr:l a.skl.'d
<br />till'" study team wl1..'lt pt)5SlhllJt). tht>re was that
<br />!iUCh condt"mnalion would take place.
<br />CooII'"Y, rt-plylng to th" t....o questions, SOlid,
<br />"\'\''hllE'' Ol... sludy Is on and until we t1~.t('rmme
<br />ehglblllty or de-slplation, lhero> are only a "t-ry
<br />few areas we can go in and Umber harvnt.
<br />Th('re (ould be timb-Eor han'est under the SC1'nlC
<br />and rec~aUon clas....~ificatlons. but I Imagine
<br />there would be 80me management re:!ltrlcllons."
<br />In reply to tht' walt'r rights questton. h.- saId,
<br />'''TIlere Is a sUm pos81blllty that peopl~ ('ould lose
<br />~ir water r1J::hlll, Yes. the !t'lo;al TJ,echan'cti are
<br />there (In U;e law). Hut, no, I Jusl can't conc<;:;,'e
<br />r1lhall'ver happt'n1ng."
<br />
<br />Timber questions
<br />
<br />In ans....er to a.notherquestlon. W..mer said cne
<br />at the Items to bl'" stUdied would be to delerminf'
<br />tvw much timber harvest would be 10l.'t by cla!-
<br />sificatlon or th.. river and to d..le-rmlne whether
<br />the cla:!lslficaUon would outwelt;h the economic
<br />vaJueoflhatloss.
<br />Anoth..r memb('r of the audlencc 8ald thallhe
<br />rrvratorlum on tlmbpr harvest wlUle the study Is
<br />bl!mg conductE"d could force San Juan Lumber
<br />Cb. ot P_KOlI.io. Sprlnt;s out of busint'ss. He ",aid
<br />lh..no is a potenllal of 28 mUlioll board (t'{>\ of
<br />timbt'r per y..ar ,,'hlch rould be harvestt'd. b:.it
<br />the moratorium llmlts that to I million l>oard
<br />f~t.
<br />~tallY audll'"ncl' rnembt"rs qUi7.Zt'r:I the sllldy
<br />tf'am on Ihe v.guen('ss of the law reJatin/!: to sUl'h
<br />lhlnJ:ll all classlf::,1ng a tributary Il9 free'flowing
<br />wn..n it Is dry part ...t thf" year; Blu<lyin~ ht'ad-
<br />waler:l and trIbutarIes wt.Jt'h originate on f'l'l.
<br />vale land; and r('slriclng accf'SS to the area for
<br />tl'!.hing and hunting.
<br />The study team membeMl explained that they
<br />have been attempttng to obtain clarifications on
<br />nnny of thos.. point.! and ,,'ill conllllue those f'f-
<br />turtsll!lthellludyronUnu('s_
<br />Team memb('f11 81at..0:1 thaI II.n.'r the lnlllal
<br />public hearing!!, the next 81t'p .....ould bE" to I:iludy
<br />Ult' I.'Ilg1blllty of lhe trlbutfules ano:1 map the
<br />O'COsyslems of the area. At the .sam(' time, they
<br />-.uld anal)'w and evaluale the publlc Input (.>b-
<br />taln.....' all a rt"!lull of Ihf' h....rIngs. Th..y asked
<br />that anyonI.' wishing to comment do so Within 30
<br />mys to facUltall' the evaluation of th(' data.
<br />Werner said the nellt :sh'p would be to conduct
<br />p.lblle workshops to ,lIscuss tht' ..1l~lbUity find.
<br />Ings :l.nd the-II d.."elcp altt'rnativt'S ann l,..g1n
<br />classlflcatlons of the rl~'er llfld trlbu!arit''S. The
<br />a1tt'rnatlvrs would t.'wn be te!';lt'd to d..lerm!ne
<br />!twlr validity and anoth"r public II1b'lIng woul i
<br />ht-h('ld.
<br />The hna.1 fh't" step3. W('rnt'r Sa'l1, In'-ui'.,'
<br />"Tiling th(' numf'mus rl'porh. /:alnlm: appro',a.
<br />d. !.hos.. r..ports and flnally submlttmg lhcm to
<br />th.-Presldenl.
<br />Ont' m('mber ot Ihe audlrnce. after slltll"g
<br />:':lfOl,l"l1 mo,"e :hc.'1 1....... h')ur" (jf II,,' ht'.-.~I:lY.3. ~ot
<br />U;l ':1 ,1i5~1l5t a:1d dr.'.\' la,,;;h:l'r ltorr. tr.e ;l:,.-
<br />c.,'u,... "ITh a !,;.rt."I! ~U"~ll"... "y(,\. ~r)iJ'"
<br />about fl'" )'t'ars ap1 t~t' l.:t..s 'lsl"l to ....o!".: t_-.:<
<br />:"-.nJ. If this thUlg go.... li\r,),,~h. are tI,~y ~"in.;; :.-
<br />{1:) the same thIng wllh us that U\"y did ....lth tnI'
<br />L1.es an<i put u!; on n r<,s~r"'aUon ?"
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