Document text
Corps to fence Elk Creek Dam By PAUL FATTIG TRAIL - The Army Corps of Engineers wants to erect a nearly 22-mile fence around the Elk Creek Dam project this summer to keep cattle out. The cost, covering fence materials and labor as well as removing brush and noxious weeds, would be about $140,000, officials estimate. The fence would be 4 feet high with four strands of barbed wire. It is intended to block cattle access while allowing deer and elk to easily jump it with smaller wild animals slipping under it. The fence proposal is part of a long-term management plan for the half-finished dam on Elk Creek about a mile upstream from its confluence with the Rogue River. The problem is that current unrestricted access to the site allows cattle to continually munch down native and introduced grasses, giving noxious weeds free rein, explained Steve Stevens, the Corps' environmental compliance team leader on the fence project. "Cattle grazing in the area has given noxious weeds like yellow star thistle and Scotch broom the upper hand," he said. "This fence will stop that." It will also stop cattle from disturbing and destabilizing creek banks, officials said, noting that such activity prevents the establishment of healthy riparian vegetation. The Corps is working with the Bureau of Land Management, which retains mineral and vegetative use or disposal rights over about one-third of the project land, much of which was formerly under BLM jurisdiction. The area is currently open range with grazing allowed on both sides of the stream, said Bob Budesa, range land management specialist for the BLM's Medford District. "The primary reason for this, since the dam will apparently not be built at this point in time, is to restore and protect the riparian area," Budesa explained. "There is quite an infestation of star thistle there," he added. "It's one of the largest population of yellow star thistle this far north." The proposal calls for removing the noxious weeds by mowing, hand digging and grubbing and herbicides. Once the project is completed, grazing may be allowed again on a controlled basis, Budesa said. "Once the area is rehabilitated and in more favorable condition, we might allow livestock to graze and reduce the growth of too much vegetation," he said. "But that would be in a very controlled situation." The Corps is seeking public comment on the fencing proposal by June 8. For a copy of the environmental assessment or to make comments, write to District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineer District, Portland, Attn: CENWP-PM-E, P.O. Box 2946, Portland, OR 97208-2946. Written notices should refer to Public Notice No. CENWP-PM-E-01-05, Boundary Fence Installation. Comments can also be sent via e-mail, to: [email protected] Construction on the half-finished Elk Creek Dam began in 1986, but was halted by concerns over fishery and water-quality concerns. Current plans call for the Corps to notch it as early as next spring to allow Elk Creek to flow unimpeded through the dam. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.