Laserfiche WebLink
<br />o <br />Lf) <br />CO <br />~ <br /> <br />The objections basically are as follows: <br /> <br />Virtually all of the lands to be irrigated under the <br />project are now in private.ownership. In the White River area the <br />project would bring under irrigation 15,740 acres of land which are <br />now dry farmed or used for grazing purposes. About 25 percent of <br />the area is used for the production of wheat. With irrigation, the <br />principal crops would be alfalfa and irrigated pasture. The total <br />crop production would be almost doubled. The local ranchers are of <br />a most decided opinion that instead of forage for big game animals <br />decreasing, it would materially increase. They do not believe that <br />they should be penalized for placing their own private lands under <br />irrigation. <br /> <br />As has been stated, the additional private lands which <br />would be placed under irrigation in the White River area would <br />total 15,740 acres. The proposed project plan, however, contem- <br />plates the removal of 16,800 acres of land, of which 14,000 acres <br />is in private ownership, from a domestic livestock usage to a purely <br />big game habitat. The local residents feel that such an exchange <br />would do little, if anything, to add to the economy of the area. <br /> <br />It is pointed out that the lands proposed to be devoted <br />to big game habitat now constitute an essential part of the grazing <br />lands being used by various livestock interests in the area. It is <br />further pointed out that the lands in question are now being grazed <br />by big game animals in complete harmony with domestic livestock. A <br />serious question, therefore, arises as to whether or not the conver- <br />sion of the Oak Ridge area to big game habitat would accomplish <br />anything other than a serious loss to the economy of Rio Blanco <br />County. Comments on the proposal prepared in 1968 by Board Member <br />H. G. Berthelson and by the Yellow Jacket Water Conservancy Dis- <br />trict are enclosed herewith. <br /> <br />While the members of this staff do not profess to have <br />any expertise concerning big game, habitat, we believe that the <br />irrigation of additional lands in the White River Basin will have <br />an incidental benefit of increasing the forage available to big <br />game animals. Aside from the speculation about big game habitat <br />however, two fundamental issues are raised by the proposal set forth <br />in the project plan. <br /> <br />The first of these two issues is the effect upon the <br />benefit-cost ratio. Under the project plan the $900,000 estimated <br />as the cost of acquiring the 14,000 acres in the Oak Ridge area is <br /> <br />Memo <br /> <br />-3- <br /> <br />September 3, 1970 <br />