Local headwaters need relief from grazing
MY TURN
Local headwaters need relief from grazing
JERRY YEARGIN F orest service administrators are currently in the process of rubber stamping approval for their own management practices on many parts of the Carson National Forest.
No real changes are contemplated by those officials, and the water quality problems that have been documented in some areas are not addressed in their plans. In fact, Carson Forest hydrologists don’t even have the facilities for water testing, and they have no mission to assess Forest Service compliance with the Clean Water Act. In 2005 the New Mexico Environmental Department began a water-sampling survey on the upper R’o Fernando de Taos which showed numerous bacteria “exceedances”, violations of the Clean Water Act, which were apparently linked to riparian grazing. The result?
Forest Service hydrologists soon identified a single case of interrupted surface flow near Valle Escondito, and they asked the NMED to reclassify the upper R’o Fernando with a lower water quality standard.
They did that by creating a new assessment unit specifically for the R’o Fernando headwaters, with a new water standard allowing more than 10 times the previously acceptable level of pollutants. That should fix the problem, right?
These conscientious professionals are now doing environmental assessments for 26 management areas, about one third of the Carson Forest. If intensive riparian grazing from the Bush years is earned over without objections from the public, key habitats could be at risk.
The public comment period ends very soon for the Flechado and Santa Barbara areas, where the R’o Fernando and the Santa Barbara River are located.
Like the R’o Fernando, the Santa Barbara River has had problems with riparian overgrazing. This river has been designated an Outstanding National Resource Water, deserving special protection from water quality losses. But livestock impacts are still routine on the Santa Barbara and the R’o Fernando.
The Santa Barbara and Flechado areas have great recreational potential, and both areas qualify for grazing phase outs under the Carson Forest Plan for recreation sites.
To enhance public recreation, grazing permits should not be renewed in those areas.
Officially, the Forest Service has not taken note of any water quality problems or impairments on any of the areas being assessed. Also, they have offered no reports on the remaining populations of trout, if any, in the rivers and streams on the Carson Forest.
However, an environmental worker with the state told me confidentially that the apparent absence of juvenile trout on the R’o Fernando was “alarming.” Another comment the R’o Fernando may soon be assessed as biologically impaired.
Forest Service employees already have too much to do They do not monitor water quality, and if the trout are disappearing from the R’o Fernando and the Santa Barbara, administrators may not even know it.
Regarding riparian zones, they are only reporting on one indicator for the public record: the height of “stubble” on the streambeds. (Currently, 4-inch stubble specified.) But obviously, abundant grasses, shrubs, and trees are needed for a healthy riparian environment.
Stubble is not enough. Forest Service publications list “No grazing” as an option which has already been considered in detail, and dismissed But that alternative could still be the outcome for some areas, depending on the number of requests from the public. It’s your choice and your vote. For a limited time only, until Sept. 7, fans of cool, clear water and these rivers have an opportunity to make their opinions count. Send your e-mail now to Camino Real District Ranger John Micra, comments-southwestern-carson- caminoreal@fs.fed. us and ask for “Alternative A-No grazing” for the Santa Barbara and Flechado areas.
Jerry Yeargin lives in Taos Canyon, on property adjacent to the Flechado management area of the Carson National Forest.
