CORRECTION IN DPS OFFICERS

Our Program and Banquet Chair is Frank Dobos this year, not Bill Gray as incorrectly stated in the DPS Banquet article in the previous Sage. Sorry.

-Christine Mitchell

Ref. "Picacho Tales", May 1992, Desert Sage. The referenced article stated that there was a trip leader. My memory has been corrected; all of the participants were leaders. Additionally, failure to reach the objective was due to the unsuitability of my van for crossing sandy areas.

Maris Valkass

*** CONSERVATION SUPER ARTICLE ***

As we move into our new Desert Peaks season and the continuation of the Sierra Club's 100th anniversary, I would like to present the conservation focus of the Sierra Club for the coming year. Our Club has decided to do something about the antiquated laws governing the use of our public lands (Yea!) The focus will be on a public lands reform, which includes grazing, mining, endangered species, etc. I've had a lot of requests to summarize and hopefully clarify some of these issues which seem to have so many varied viewpoints. ENDANGERED SPECIES The Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 has been our most potent weapon in the fight to preserve our wildlife and our wilderness areas. Many of our Sierra Club lawsuits on issues ranging from wildlife to public lands to clean water have utilized the ESA. We have seen the effective use of this act in the fight to preserve the desert tortoise. The ESA is now up for reauthorization. Anti-environmental groups have targeted this act because of its effectiveness. It is important to our environment that this bill is preserved and strengthened. LAND USE - GRAZING 270 million acres (80% of the western public land administered by the BLM, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service) is currently leased for grazing purposes. In 1991, cattle producers on private land paid an average of $9.22 per AUM (animal unit month). Meanwhile, WE leased our PUBLIC land at $1.97 per AUM (animal unit month) and PAID $3.88 per AUM. Between the U.S. Forest Service and the BLM, the grazing program has cost us $650 million over the past six years. The forage eaten by cattle is not available for wildlife, and thousands of wildlife are killed each year to protect the livestock (at taxpayer expense.) The GAO says more U.S. plant species are destroyed or endangered by livestock than any other single factor. Topsoil loss on grazed rangeland is 3.1 tons per acre, while replenishment is 1.5 tons per acre of topsoil.

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