Casper Star-Tribune from Casper, Wyoming • 21

Thuuday. Dc. 1. 1377 SUr-Tfibun, Cspf. Wyo -fl Outdoor council predicts pressure on water quality i i I I Flights halted RIVERTON UPI) Frontier Airline has discontinued its service to Riverton because o( work being performed alongside the city's airport.

A Frontier spokesman at Denver said late Wednesday talks were under way between airline and city officials In an effort to speed up service resumption. Frontier, which operates four flights daily to and from Riverton, halted service Tuesday after city workers dug a number of trenches near the runway to install aircraft navigational aides. The work was expected to continue until Friday. The airport had one set of navigational aides, the airline spokesman said, but Frontier requires two for its jet service. By late Wednesday, three flights had been canceled, the spokesman said.

Indian sentenced CHEYENNE A 24-year-old Shoshone Indian was sentenced to four years In prison Wednesday for assaulting a Bureau of Indian Affairs employee. Bedeaux Rivers Wesaw of Ethete pleaded guilty on Nov. 3 to charges that he assaulted John Leshaw with a .38 caliber revolver while Leshaw was performing his official duties. On Oct 9, Leshaw arrested Wesaw and his wife at Ethete for drinking and creating a disturbing but when he tried to get them Into the police car, he woman leaped on his back and Wesaw grabbed the agent's revolver from Its holster, federal officials explained. In sentencing Wesaw, U.S.

District Judge CA. Brimmer ordered him to serve a minimum of 12 months and receive alcoholic rehabilitation treatment before CHEYENNE The executive director of the Wyoming Outdoor Council predicted Industry pn-Mure iniinil prupatcd Met quality standard revisions The revisions will be the subject of Knviromwtilal Quality Council public hearing Thursday al the Nalrona County Library in Casper, beginning at 9 a Colleen Kelly said the Wyoming Outdoor Council supports the DEQ in strengthening Its atrr quality standard "There will undoubtedly be a great deal of pmure from in dustry against adopting these revutions because thry feel the standards will hamper development," the Council's eicculive director said. "But there Is no reason why reakonable standard to protect our outstanding water quality should have a negative effect." Major points In the revision Include broadening the DKg'i present classification of streams to protect alers that now exceed standards. Listed as class I waters In the revision are I rivers and lakes. Including portions of the Snake and upper North Platte Rivers and Fremont Lake.

Kelly said all of these waters are high quality and have no existing pollution problems. Point source discharges, excluding Irrigation return flows, would not be allowed In the future if they would lower the quality of the water. Urging citizen participation at the public hearing. Kelly said Wyoming has "the unique opportunity to maintain many of our streams at a high standards, avoiding the excessive sprndlng of (ax dollars necessary (or cleaning at a later date. The Environmental Quality Council will conduct a second public hearing on Friday on a request to designate Jackson Canyon west of Casoer as an area of rare and uncommon wildlife value The heating begins at 9 a.m.

In the Natrona County Library. I GLENROCK IS GROWING, a situation familiar to many Wyoming communities. ThiS pair of apartment buildings is neartng completion on Arnold Street. Clifford Hunt Is the developer. (Picture by Adella Gould) Growing evidence Rapes increase in Laramie WYQ! By MOSELLE KLEPPINGER LARAMIE Six rapes occurred In Laramie between June and October of this year according to Laramie Police Chief Ted KerstingH one more than occurred during the same perlodlast Records' for November were not com Douglas store fire termed arson being considered for parole.

IRS seeks books CHEYENNE The Internal Revenue Service Is seeking court orders to conipeV' three men, Including two from CasperTTo- produce their income records. Named In the petitions filed In U.S. District Court were Michael H. Cotton and Lowell Summerford, both of Casper, and Joe F. Runningbear of Rock Springs.

The government petition said IRS agents have been investigating Cotton and He said he couldn't give a reason for the increase. "It's hard to tell why. Is It because of the fact that more were reported, or that more place?" he said. Laramie police are searching for a suspect In connection with three rapes and two attempted rapes In November and December, but Kersting said no other rapes occurring this year could positively be traced to the same suspect. According to University of Wyoming Campus Police Chief Donald Miller, two sexual assaults occurred on campus In November, one possibly connected with the suspect wanted by the city police.

lUIUer said city statistics don't Include the campus assaults. Kersting said the city police are working with county authorities and the highway patrol In their Investigation of the recent assaults. Harrington said. The fire was termed "preventable." He said if the building had met current state fire codes the blaze wouldn't have spread as fast and firefighters could probably have saved the building. The (Ire started In a storeroom In the southwest section of the building and quickly spread through a large Inventory of flammable material In the storeroom, according to Douglas Fire Chief Ed Smith.

Also adding to the problem was the maze of false ceilings from numerous remodellngs over the years, Smith said. The building was valued all -approximately $100,000. and the contents were estimated at $1 15.000, Smith Officials also said a second fire was discovered at "I p.m. in the Converse County Hardware Store, one hour after the second alarm was sounded In the Ben Franklin store. That blaze was extinguished by store employees.

The Investigation committee has asked Douglas citizens with pictures of the Naze to allow Investigators to study them for possible clues to the cause of the fire. By NORMA McMACKIN DOUGLAS Arson is suspected as the cause of a fire Monday that destroyed the Ben Franklin store here, according to Deputy State Fire Marshall Harrington. "The fire Is definitely not an accident, and even though the investigation isn't complete, the fire was manmade," Harringjonsaid. The Investigation Is a Joint effort of the state Fire Marshal's Office, the Douglas Fire Department and Police Department and the Douglas building inspector, pleted by Wednesday, but at least two additional rapes have occurred In November and one so far in December, Kerstlngsald. According to police reports there were five reported rapes during the same June through October period last year.

Kersting said figures for 1975 were unavailable, but two rapes were reported In 1974 and three in 1973. Kersting said the figures show an Increase In rape over the last two years, but he couldn't say bow the figures compare to other cities In the state. Summerford to determine corporate income tax returns for Mountain Services, for 1973 to 1977. The petition, which identified Cotton as vice president of the firm, and merford as vice president, claims the two men appeared before an IRS agent but refused to produce records or to testify. counties cope with growth, Jentzsch said.

Land use plans are being developed and Funds for second bond issue-guarantee wanted win oe usea as uie guiaing ioor tor mese areas. The association will keep' tabs on By VIRGINIA GIORG IS EVANSTON-Energy development will continue to Impact Uinta County, according to Richard Jentzsch, the executive i director of the Llncoln-UinU Association of Governments. Rocky Mountain Energy, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific is projecting their South Haystack Coal Mine to open in 1978. The mine will employ 300 miners and these people will need a place to Jentzsch -said. Using national figures of three persons per family, he said the mine could increase population and relate these to community impact to help the communities obtain grants to keep pace with the demands for Increased water, sewer, police anfi fire protection, etc.

In addition, the association has completed housing surveys, is doing feasibility studies, economic development plans, park and recreation plans, road priorities, CHEYENNE The Capitol Building Commission will ask the 1978 legislature to appropriate $1.4 million to guarantee a second state bond Issue for capital Energy impact will continue in status of future bond issues in doubt without a backup appropriation. Sen, Robert Novotny, R-Fremont, co-. chairman of the Joint appropriations committee and liaison between that committee and the commission, warned that it would not be simple to get the $1.4 million appropriation through the legislature because many lawmakers oppose retroactive mineral taxation. would depend on individual landowners, Jentzsch said. Other areas also may be subdivided, but they would need to show there was adequate water and sewer tacllities.

In Evanston Rocky Mountain Energy is talking of using Upland Industries, the Union Pacific land holding company, to build their own housing development on UP land there. For these reasons, Jentzsch said it's hard to pinpoint where the actual growth from the South Haystack Coal mine would occur. Uinta County populations projections place the county's 1985 population at 12,085, up from the present 9,883 estimated Inhabitants. However, Jentzsch said stepped-up oil development could double the county's population, and Evanston's population could triple. Jentzsch said the impact from oil develpment is 'definitely uncertain." He.

added the oil companies would like to bring in 70 rigs to work the Overthrust Belt, but there are not enough rigs available. With 30 workers per rig the county's 'population could Jump considerably. The association of governments was established five months ago and is designed to help Uinta and' Lincoln State Treasurer Ed Wittenburger said the state cannot proceed with a second bond issue for $9 or $10 million without the backup The million would guarantee a high rating for the state's bonds by. insuring a Uinta County Sen. Rex Arney, R-Sherldan, who at- repayment if impounded coal tax moi tonHoH tha nnmmlcclnn maalina aalt th paid under protest must be refunded.

Revenue from thp additional 5 nprrpnt the area's population by 900. The mine will be located Just south of the Carter Cutoff and the commuting distance from Evanston, Kemmerer and Brldger Valley would be about the same. Therefore, officials have been unable to determine where most of the people would live. Some apartments had been built in Kemmerer In anticipation of Utah Power and Light expansion. Now that has Been delayed for seven years, so there will be some housing available in Kemmerer.

In Brldger Valley, Lyman has some vacant lots for mobile homes and single-family dwellings. Housing in Mountain View Is extremely tight. There is the valley waterline, which could promote subdivisions along the line's route, but this eic. In March all reports will be combined into one, according to Jentzsch, and a three-year economic plan will be demised. Communities are at a full eight mill tax levy, and the county is at a full 12 mills.

No more funds can be raised through taxes. Jentzsch said the association has applied for $4.9 million in grants various state and federal agencies, and $2.5 million already has been received. "It was Important to note there had been no denials," he said, adding that the total amount of grants probably would increase considerably over the next few years. The $4.9 million In grant applications would provide $2.7 million for Uinta County. tax helps finance the capital facilities HIIUVU Ulb VVIilUIIOIMVil IllVVVIIIg) UUIU viiv i legislature will have to decide whether it wants to proceed with new capital -facilities projects.

The commission also heard of revisions iif the capital construction program to free $550,000 to enlarge the Soldiers and Sailors' Home at Buffalo. Gov. Ed Her-schler had recommended trimming funds from other projects tor the state institution addition, citing the number of World War II veterans who will want to enter the veterans' home. program iur uie suiie, dui coai companies maintain the new tax Is illegal because it is levied against (he prior year's production. The Belco Petroleum case now before the Wyoming Supreme Court is expected to determine the legality of retroactive mineral taxation.

Attorney General Frank Mendicino said he toll thp first 97 million In hnnris Icciuwl by the state were legal but added that the Jit indy weather Elusive Jackalope evades hunters JACKSON High winds coupled with Above-freezing temperatures and fresh snowfall Wednesday left Jackson roads a glare of ice and caused a number of traffic High winds also hampered traffic on" ill suuui ui maimer. U.S. 189 Just south of Jackson was closed lor a time Wednesday afternoon by a semi that skidded off the highway and bloclcsd the road. T- h.1 UA CnnL-A the jackalope. Some parts of this tourist Industry have never been very popular, like canned jackalope milk, but Herrick sold more than 165 trophies at up to $35 each last year, and already has sold more than that this year.

Tourists who purchase Jackalope permits are surprised to learn they may only hunt the creatures "on the 31st day of June, between the hours of 12 midnight and 2 a.m." Herrick said he does not know how many of the legends surrounding the Jackalope began, such as the one about the creature's extraordinary ability to imitate the human voice, or the story that said the first man to see the jackalope "was a trapper named Roy Ball in 1829. Actually, the original jackalope was sold 43 years ago to the late Ball, who put it on display in his La Bonte Hotel here. This jackalope was stolen from the hotel in September and the culprit remains at large. Still, the jackalope Is not the only unusual creature indigenous to this part of the world. On display-in Herrick's taxidermy shop was an animal he called the Wyoming catfish, made from the tail of a fish and the front of a "I could sell more of these if I could get more cats," he said.

Two of the favorite sports in Douglas are convincing gullible tourists that the jackalope does exist and reinforcing the beliefs of those who already think the horned rabbit is real. A California man "He was wearing a Hell's Angels jacket" told Herrick he wanted to catch some jackalopes and start a breeding farm. Herrick recalled: "I told him that they shed their antlers that time of year, and you can only hunt them during the winter. Luckily, he hasn't been back." Herrick said. "People get real mad if you tell them there's no such thing as a jackalope.

They lake It very seriously. And why make people mad? DOUGLAS While thousands of hunters roam the West this year in search of big game, few. If any, are lucky enough to catch the legendary jackalope, that jackrabbit that humbles Its ears by sprouting a pair of deer antlers. Although Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, and other creatures of disputed existence have gained more scientific attention, Douglas residents thought enough of the jackalope to erect a eight-foot statue of it in the middle oftown. Some people here insist the jackalope does, indeed, exist, but Ralph Herrick, a Douglas taxidermist, admits, somewhat reluctantly, that he and his brother, Doug, created the Jackalope in 1934.

One evening when they were late for dinner, they placed a recently-caught rabbjt beside a pair of antlers on the floor of the taxidermy shop. "When we came back, Doug said, 'Let's mount it the way it Herrick said. Since that time, Herrick's Jackalope trophy business has continued to grow. "Lately. I can't make 'em fast enough." he said.

The Douglas Chamber of Commerce Issues thousods of jackalope hunting licenses every year to tourists, and signs on the highway near here tell motorists to "watch out for the jackalope." Although the creature's fame has spread throughout the West. Herrick and a South Dakota company are the only two concerns now producing jackalopes. Herrick's brother stopped making them more than 25 years ago. Gift shops in town do a brisk business selling jackalope postcards and other novelty items. The jackalope was the main attraction here until the discoveries of vast deposits of uranium, coat, oil and natural gas more than doubled the town's population to 7,500 in the last three years.

Herrick said his business has grown independently of the town's new-found prosperity, as persons from around the country began to hear about WCIC UIUW1I UUW1I III IIIC OlldllC River Canyon, blocking U.S. 26-89 for a ishort Highway crews quickly cleared the downed trees. I Teton Pass and Togwotee Pass were both slick, with high winds and blowing. snow. Travel was termed "hazardous.

High winds have gusted through the Lander area over the last few days, for-tcing the highway department to post high wind warnings Wednesday for truck and trailer traffic on both Beaver Rim along the Rawlins-Lander highway and U.S. 287 1 to South Pass. I Winds gustlng to 50-70 miles per hour Wednesday blew two semi trucks off the road in the Beaver Rim area. Seventy. i h.

winds blew a pair of oil tank trucks off U.S. 287 in the Red Canyon area, near South Pass. No injuries were reported in 'either accident. Saturday a large overhead sign at the Rawlins-Rock Springs junction on U.S. 287 south of Lander was blown down by a 51 m.p.h.

gust. Debris was scattered over the 1111 there is a Jackalope Yes Virginia nignway. creaung a iratuc nazara ocfore highway crews cleared the road..