Figure 5. — Generally we speak of resources in terms of what they contribute to the 

 economy. But some resoui*ces may become a liability. This once-productire rangeland 

 was converted to sagebrush and pinyon- juniper cover; now it is being riddled by ero- 

 sion. Sediment leaving the area is not only a loss of capital here, but a liability down- 

 stream. 



examples could have been chosen. Those de- 

 scribed here merely illustrate the nature of 

 the problem. 



Condition and capacity of the resources. — 



Land in a declining condition presents a 

 problem quite different from that of healthy 

 land. Thousands of acres of public range- 

 land below the plateau in the Paunsaugunt 

 Area are seriously depleted and virtually 

 unproductive. Much of this land is laced by 

 active channel and sheet erosion. One might 

 conclude from the viewpoint of private in- 

 vestment that range rehabilitation there is 

 out of the question because gi^azing values 

 cannot justify such expenditure — that the 



land is unproductive and useless. But the 

 loss of soil from the watershed is only part 

 of the cost to society. Every acre-foot of 

 soil swept away contributes to the eventual 

 demise of Lake Mead or to the impairment 

 of other facilities. Much of the land under 

 erosion in the Paunsaugunt Area drains into 

 the Paria River and, in turn, into the Colo- 

 rado, a major lifeline in the Southwest (fig. 

 4). This fact changes the whole complexion 

 of range management problems in this part 

 of the Paunsaugunt Area. The Paria River, 

 carrying one-sixth of its volume in sediment, 

 is one of the most heavily silt-laden streams 

 in America. 



8 



