The Bismarck Tribune from Bismarck, North Dakota • 2

Page2A Monday, June 24, 1996 The Bismarck Tribune f- HgM rages over popiufar take ELEPHANT BUTTE, N.M. (AP) Fisherman Lee Weeks doesn't have a lot to worry about. His life revolves around catfish, bluegill, bass. But his tanned face ripples with fury when he's asked about a congressional proposal to transfer New Mexico's largest lake and millions of acres throughout the West to private groups of fanners. "Now see, that's the kind of thing that gets me lgry, says Weeks.

hey want to turn this lake over to some guy who "The ASSOCIATED PRESS Scott Enyart looks through prints of photos he took the night Robert Kennedy was killed. Enyart is now fighting to get back the negatives. FT ASSOCIATED PRESS Linda Ortega, here at Damsite Marina near Elephant Butte, N.M., where she runs a store, opposes turning the lake over to farmers who would benefit from the irrigation district. lvl an suing uon live nere so ne can nooa nis neias. iney warn to suck our lake dry." About 55 miles to the south, Mesilla pecan farmer John Clayshulte is trying to figure out whether nuts harvested from his 100-acre farm will cover his water bill this year.

"It's gonna cost me about $18,000 to water these trees," ne says. "That's not right." The two men are involved in a water war being waged from Hawaii to Montana, in courts and in Congress. The debate dates back to the early 1900s when farmers trying to settle the West found little rain and lots of dry dirt. With the help of the federal tovernment, they pooled their resources to build ams, irrigation ditches and canals. These days, farmers who now work that once-arid land and ranchers growing feed for their cattle say they and their predecessors have paid off the irrigation projects and they'd like to own them.

In New Mexico, for example, Clayshulte is one of about 7,000 members of the Elephant Butte Irrigation District. They, along with the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, say they have bought Elephant Butte Dam, surrounding lands, the irrigation mechanics and the 2.2 million acre-feet of water that is the largest and most popular state park in New Mexico. "We've been making our payments all along. Now we've made the final payment and we want the title," Clayshulte says.

"That area brings in a lot of money, and we'd like a small part of it. Backing them is Rep. Joe Skeen, who in November introduced a bill that would force the government to turn over property to irrigation districts where federal water projects have been paid off. "The government agreed that when they paid off the project, they would maintain authority over the water. That time has come," says Skeen.

In addition, Skeen says it is imperative to get the federal government out of the state water business. "Water is a precious commodity and it's a state's right to control commodities. Every other state in the U.S. has that right, so why not the 11 or 12 Rocky Mountain-Western States?" he says. But the federal government contends the 90-year-old Elephant Butte project on the Rio Grande cost $42 million, and that the farmers have paid only $10.1 million.

For that contribution, the federal government in January gave the farmers a small portion of the project canals, ditches and several That's why she opposes Skeen's proposal. "The state park guys, they're our buddies," Ortega says. "They take good care of the grounds, police the area, keep it real clean." Because he proposed the transfer, Skeen has become something of a villain in the area. The congressman "looks at all this water and all he sees is something for his cows to drink. He doesn't care at all about recreation," says Don Brady, an Elephant Butte resident.

Gov. Gary Johnson, who earlier this year released a letter opposing the transfer, now says he supports it if the lake can remain open to the public. "I'm amenable to however it works out, just so long as you and I can go out there and get a suntan or water ski or whatever we want," the Republican governor says. Helen Cole of Los Lunas, dabbling her toes in the water during a recent weekend holiday to the lake, says she, too, wants the lake to remain open to the public. "This kind of reminds you of the ocean in the middle of the desert.

It needs to belong to all the people," she says. irrigation-related structures. The farmers say that wasn't nearly enough. They've taken the case to court, where it is now being mediated, and are supporting Skeen's legislation. If the farmers are successful, the change in ownership would have implications not just for this state park, but for other reclamation projects where districts have paid off their debts.

"Eight-and-a-half million acres in the West could be affected," says Mary Cook, realty specialist in the federal Bureau of Reclamation's Upper Colorado Region in Salt Lake City. Much of that has slowly shifted from being simple irrigation projects to also being fishing, boating and recreational sites like central New Mexico's Elephant Butte Dam that attract flocks of tourists each year. Linda Ortega sells bait, cold soda and sun block from a small store on the Elephant Butte Dam Site Marina. On the wall is a picture of her in 1955, when she was 10 years old. It snows the 62-pound girl hoisting a 65-pound catfish.

"My daddy caught that," Ortega says. "I've been having good times at this lake my whole life." L.A. over MFEC photos LOS ANGELES (AP) On assignment for his high school newspaper one June night in 1968, Scott Enyart pointed his Nikon at Robert F. Kennedy and saw history through a 50mm lens. "All of a sudden," Enyart recalls, "he dropped from the frame." What Enyart witnessed in the pantry of the Ambassador Hotel were the last frantic moments in the life of a man who might have been president.

Enyart's photographs could potentially show so much, answer so many questions about a case that has been dogged by allegations of incompetent investigation and cover-up from the start. But the photos, Enyart says, are missing. In a lawsuit against the city that is scheduled for trial by midweek, Enyart alleges the pictures among 108 frames of film he says he exposed that night were either lost or sold by the Los Angeles Police Department. Enyart wants the city to give his photos back or, at the very least, fork over some of the money he says he could have 01 iCoirTi 0 000 nPTPiEir kiME iiilpl Call 223-2255 and enter category number If you would like to skip past a particular aay in any category, pusn tne Key. made for the dramatic -images.

He accuses SQUTHRLDGE CENTRE the city of Support services: Croup Category AA-NA 3580 Al-Anon 3587 Gambling 3594 Eating disorders 3601 Veterans groups 3608 Family violence 3615 Parenting 3622 Sexual concerns 3629 StCrf Hd Puttine up three litJ if litwf aecaaes oi roadblocks to cover its actions in the 25 yssrs ri ii'c rl r'-n investIgatlon fcsj J. II a Iiwl bum!) "These Dolice Health related 3636 I Singles starting over 3643 All others 3650 Leno picks up wheels Classic car buff Jay Leno celebrated the 100th anniversary of the American automobile with a visit to the Motor City, where he bought two sports cars to add to his collection. The host of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" picked up a Dodge Viper, his second Viper, and a Ford Indigo, a so-called "concept car" with a V-12 engine that can reach 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. "It's not a matter of price," Leno said Saturday night at a Detroit's gala centennial dinner. "For my money the best stuff is in Detroit." Leno proudly said he drives a "100 percent American-made car," a 1955 Buick Roadmaster.

The comedian then asked three audience members to name their car brands. The answers were a Toyota, a Jaguar and an Acura. "How about that, we're in Detroit and three out of three people drive foreign cars," Leno cracked. Weekend celebrations wound up Sunday with the National Auto 100 Parade, with Leno serving as grand marshal. His love of classic cars and motorcycles is well-known.

How much he spent on his latest purchases wasn't disclosed, but last year he paid $450,000 for a 1934 black Murphy Duesenberg speedster. BISMARCK TRIBUNE Volume 123, Number 176 (ISSN 0745-1091) Customer Service (701) 223-2500 Toll Free in ND: 1-800-472-2273 Customer Service hours are: Monday-Friday, 5 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; weekends and holidays, 6 a.m-11 a.m. Delivery Questions Your Tribune should arrive by 6:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and by 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

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Personnel Margaret Wade Publisher Kevin Giles Editor Lani Renneau Advertising Mgr. Phil Grider Circulation Mgr. Paul J. Patera Controller Paula Redmann Marketing Mgr. tq fc3 a very pretty iiliMiifcfa officers are going to be put on the stand and describe Sponsored by HEARTVIEW FOUNDATION 1633 Sq.

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Chad Kourajian Target Marketing Libby Simes HR Mgr. Established in 1873 The Bismarck Tribune is the official newspaper, State of North Dakota, County of Burleigh and City of Bismarck. Published daily at 707 East Front Bismarck, ND 58504. Periodicals postage paid at the Bismarck Post Office. Member of the Associated Press.

701-250-2022 CELLULABPIIIS Actress avoids confusion Jim Inman Wlnrmr of the 199S Western CELLULAR PHONES ACCESSORIES RENTALS Scott Enyart how they conducted business 25 years ago. It's not going to be a very pretty picture," says Enyart, now 43 and a special-effects man for the movies. The city contends the pictures exist only in Enyart's teen-age imagination, that whatever photos he took at the Ambassador were returned to him as prints. The negatives, the city alleges, were lost in an unfortunate theft earlier this year. "I'll call it wishful thinking and, frankly, that's what it is," says Skip Miller, an attorney for the city.

"If they were important evidence, they would have been used at the (Sirhan Sirhan) trial, as 40 other photographs were." On June 5, 1968, Enyart was taking pictures for the Fairfax High School Gazette of Kennedy's celebration after winning California's Democratic presidential primary. When Kennedy finished his speech in the hotel ballroom, Enyart followed the New York senator into a nearby kitchen pantry. He says he was snapping him in profile when Kennedy suddenly twisted out of the viewfinder and turmoil erupted. Enyart says he raised his camera over his head and pressed the shutter repeatedly. He climbed up on a steamer table and took even more photos.

Minutes later, he returned to the ballroom to record the chaos there. Police confiscated Enyart's film he says it was three, 36-exposure rolls and interviewed the youngster at Rampart Division station. A transcript of that questioning still exists. But not all the pictures. Enyart received about two dozen prints from the police, all of which showed either the speech or the ballroom after the assassination.

None of what he considers the important ones, those showing the scene in the pantry immediately after the shooting and the apprehension of Sirhan, were returned. Told that investigators had sealed all evidence in the case for 20 years, Enyart waited until the late 1980s, then requested return of all his photos. The images, he says, could be valuable to himself and to history. Enyart filed suit, the city said it didn't have his film, and he failed to turn up any trace of his negatives independently. Then city attorneys reported finding the nrgatives, misfiled under the wrong name in the stale archives in Sacramento.

They sent Enyart a proof sheet they said was made from the archived negatives and arranged for a courier to deliver the negatives to him. Then things took a turn for the weird. The courier claimed the package of negatives was stolen from his rental car in Inglewood. Now all Enyart has left is a proof sheet and a lot of suspicions. He says he now doubts even whether the proof sheet images are his pictures.

Additionally, the negatives proofed on paper were from bulk roll Ilford film, and he was using prepackaged Kodak film that night. Kirkwood Mall Bismarck NO Dealer ot the CELLULAROKS" AUTHORIZED DEALER Year Award Becky Lee Meza is proud she's the girl chosen to play Selena in a movie about the Tejano singer's life and tragic death. She just doesn't want adoring Selena fans to confuse her with the original. In Biblical times Jesus showed us a sign of love was to wash someone's feet (a mode of transportation). As a sign of love we would "I want to be looked at as myself," Becky said during a break from singing Selena songs at a homey San Benito, Texas, Mexican food restaurant, calling herself "ordinary." But from the throaty voice to the flip of her long, dark hair and dynamic stage presence, it's easy to see how and why the 10-year-old performer was chosen to portray Selena as a child in 1 love to wash your mode of transportation.

Becky Lee: Identity. ovanaei temple will wash your car (All donations refused) Saturday, June 29th 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Just brin 2 vour car to Alii the upcoming Hollywood movie. "She was more a role model than an idol," Becky said. "A lot of little girls wanted to be like her." Becky's first public performance, at a cousin's wedding, came just last year on the evening of March 31 the day Selena was murdered.

Becky won the part after a talent search evaluated more than 20,000 other girls. i KIRKWOOD HARDWARE HANK'S and we'll do the rest! evangel tempi is in the community to serve!.