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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 24, 2005 Grazing area raises contaminant concerns By PARIS ACHEN Mail Tribune The planned expansion of a federal cattle grazing allotment 10 miles south of Williams has fueled concerns about fecal contamination in waterways, including one that supplies water to the Oregon Caves National Monument. The U.S. Forest Service plan calls for increasing the Big Grayback Allotment by 25 percent while reducing the number of cattle allowed from 70 to 60 head. Forest Service officials said the plan will dilute the effects of cattle defecation and grazing on the environment and decrease the risk of the animals wandering outside the allotment boundaries. "The purpose is to balance the needs of multiple uses and the environment," said Mark Hocken, range specialist for the Applegate Ranger District in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. But environmentalists and officials with the Oregon Caves National Monument said the plan for the taxpayer-subsidized allotment fails to protect waterways or adequately address problems of errant cattle. Advertisement "People don’t want to see our last wild places trashed by cattle, especially when grazing is being subsidized by taxpayers," said Spencer Lennard, an environmental activist from Williams who plans to appeal the expansion. Grants Pass resident Philip Krouse owns the 10-year permit for the allotment and pays about $500 per year to graze his cattle there. The permit expires in 2012. The user fee is set by Congress. Krouse is required to pay half of the $53,200 it will cost to implement the plan. Taxpayers pay the rest. Krouse did not return calls seeking comment on the plan. Environmentalists and monument officials said the Forest Service could save taxpayers money by buying out the grazing permit, which would require congressional approval. They said they oppose the Forest Service’s decision to keep the Bigelow Lakes, Grayback and Miller Lake botanical areas and Lake Creek in the allotment. Lake Creek supplies drinking water to the monument, located outside Cave Junction. Monument officials said they worry grazing at Lake Creek could contaminate the water supply for the tourist attraction. An estimated 90,000 people drink the water annually during visits to the monument, officials said. Grazing increases the risk of contamination from cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps, they said. "We are concerned about cryptosporidium in the water, especially from young calves, one of the main transmitters of the (parasite)," said John Roth, monument natural resources specialist. "We do have a filtration system, which supposedly may block it. We do know normal Clorox doesn’t kill it." Hocken said the Forest Service could not justify excluding the creek from the allotment because there is no proof fecal parasites and bacteria in the water come solely from cattle. Humans could be another source, he said. Lennard said the cattle also worsen living conditions for fish by causing erosion in tributaries, mucking water with sediment, he said. The plan increases the allotment from 19,700 acres to nearly 26,700, primarily to provide topographical boundaries, such as ridges and thick forests to keep cattle from trespassing. Costs include a $26,800 network of fences to keep cattle out of Bigelow Lakes and a $13,700 fence along Thompson Creek on the east side of the allotment to slow the migration of cattle into environmentally sensitive areas at higher elevations. Other expenses are a $10,695 fence near the Little Bear Ranch to help mark the allotment’s southwest corner boundary and the $2,000 reconstruction of a corral at the intersection of Roads 70 and 968 on the west side of the allotment. Reach reporter Paris Achen at 776-4496 or e-mail Grazing area raises contaminant concerns ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Fundraisers Advertisement s