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o ----0-- a .... -- c:I':l ":.., ,', ",-,'.". ,', '.:. :' ~, ." " .:.~' ,.,,:<" .: ',," '~, . , , rt \~ l? "-~-..-_ ~h ..'~,. ......~ By JOHN LEWlS Now that the general run of people are interested in damming up some at the tri- butaries below the John Mar- Un Dam 10 stop SOffie of !.he Ilood damage, we believe that they will find that they will be htndered by the same group thai has tought against the permanent pool 1n John Mar- UIl Reservoir so long. But, we wish them aU the luck in the world as it is sometlting that has been neg- lected too long now, That boulder field at the mouth of Mud Creek shows Ute power that a flOOd creates when one does come do'WIl. SOffie oI those boulders un- doubtedly weigh several tons and it doesn't look possihIE that they eould be pushed dOwn stream as they were, Jatm Martin Resen-oir is a beautiful sight HOW with over 371,000 acre feet of 'Wa- ter In It, and if Frank Evans' bill could be passed In the house, H7162, there might be an eXcellent chance to es- tablish a permanent pool, as over 15,000 acres of the Game and FJsh Departments water washed out at Setchfleld Lake south of Las Animas. They should at least be able to claim tbe 'Water as thefr own. That has bE'€n one of the prOblems in setting up a permanent pool _ where the water was coming from. The water tram that lake should furnlsh almost enough w.der to keep up the evap_ oratIon on a 10,000 foot POOl. Outside the damage that the floods did coming in below ,John Martin Darn, the water stored there should make the farmers happy for same time to come, providing they take care of It. Unfortunately we do not be- lieve that will be the case as we saw a good example of 'NiI..sted irrigation water last SlUIday. Driving down a cer- tain rOad, we noUced a good sized stream coming down through a furrow in a t1eld and running down the barrow pit and then to a drainage ditch leading to the river, and the man who was sup_ posed to be lookIng alter the water was noWhere in sight. Now that the John Martin Reservoir has over 16,000 acre feet ot water above the conservatJon, or irrigation " ."...,....... .-+- pool, we believe I:hatnowwould be a good time to write YOur Congressional Representative in Washington and tel! them tha.t you want the Game and Fish Department's water held In the Reservoir Wltil Con- gress acts on a bill to allow room tor the paol. Senators Gordon Allott and also Peter H.Dominickshould also be asked to enter a blll in the Senate to set up thJs pool. There should be some good Iishing and goose hWlt_ ing at Two Buttes and John Martin this taU and until the lakes are drained agaIn. Boat- ers, Swimmers, water skiers and picnickers wiU be flock_ ing to those places from now 00, We have a bulleUn at hand stating that efforts ar~ bewg made to bUild a dam fn the F'lat Tops Wilderness areas in Southwest Colorado by the Rock1' Mountain Power Com- pany. This area was t'stab- lIshed in 1932 and consists' of 117,800 a~res and is beIng considered for the National WHderness SYstem. There are twelve units in Colorado that ar!! under consideration tor the Wlldereess plan. Two big darns are being con- sidered for the Grand Canyon eVen when there is not enough water now to till downstream commJUments. "I give my pledge as an Am('r_ iean to taHhfully detend from waste the natural resources of my Country, its soils, minerals, torests, \\later and wildlife." That Is the pledge adopted by the Colorado and National Wild- life Federation. There are two Hems that this pledge mentions that do not apply to our vicinity, that is forests and minerals, but salls, waters and Wildlife do have definite meaning In the Trl-state area. What a waste of waters and soils we had in Our recent floods - a great deal o{ whJch could have been prevented by darns on tributaries of the Ar- kansas River below the John Martin Dam, but even the Sail ConservaUon Service has been unable to get permiSsion from the Kansas-Colorado Compact to build such dams, and we wonder if even the U. S. I,' C,Jrps of Engineers wil! fare any better after they spend a lot at their time and the Pllblic money to recommend such dams. ,..' We are rather disappointed in the verdict I of the Kansas- ..J Colorado Compact a few days . ,:.; ago in deciding to f('_rl}ain neu__--'---__ ...~-tra1 on a-permanent pool in the . John Martin Reservoir, es- pecially as the flOOd control pool was inVaded by over 17,000 acre feet above the conservation '. or irrfgators pool level. The bad part of this matter is that the Game and Fish Department lost almost that much or more water that legally belongs 10 them as comJng {rom Setch!ield Lake south of L:H: An'm"C' ~",l Conservation Awards program, in which each state winner will be given a grant at $1,000, and an expense paid trJp to Washington, D, C. next year to compete {or the Natlonal A ward of $2,000. individuals or groUps may be entered but Only one member of a group will have h.Is expenses Paid to the Na- bona.! AWJ.TdS meeting. state categories will beastOI_ lows; Slate Conservationist, Wttdlife Conservationist, Soil Conservationist, Water Con_ servationist, Forest Conserva_ tionist, Conservation Educator, Youth Conservationlst, Legis_ lative Conservationist, COnser_. vation COmmunications, COil. . servaUon Organization. Watch YOur Lamar Trt-st.at~ Daily News tor further detaIls on this SUbject, and Inquiries may be sent to "Colorado Wild- lite Federation, P.O.Box22193 Denver, Colorado B0222."Duck hunters wishing to take advan. tage 0{ the teal season in Sep- tember must have apermittrom the state G.une, Fish and Parks' Departmf'nt, plus a Duck stamp' and reKular huntlnl!" Hcen.se: the . permits cost nothing and can be secured at any sporting goods' store.