Grand Jury Believes
Feds Destroyed Spring

ELKO, Nev. — Woolverton Spring in North Ruby Valley was deliberately destroyed at about the same time the U.S. Forest Service had heavy equipment in the area, the Elko County grand jury has concluded.

The panel said, however, it could not indict anyone for the environmental destruction because of stonewalling by the U.S. Forest Service, which is refusing to respond to subpoenas.

"A long as this matter is being litigated, we cannot comment on it," said Cheri Howell, the agency's public affairs specialist.

The Forest Service is involved in a lawsuit seeking to block the grand jury's investigation by refusing to let its employees testify or respond to subpoenas.

According to the findings of the grand jury, the Forest Service contended a ground disturbance between 1981 and 1984 choked off the flow of water from Woolverton Spring.

But Ruby Valley ranchers claim that the forest service used a tracked bulldozer to cover the spring. The grand jury found it was done between 1986 and 1991.

"Records normally kept for the equipment which identify what project the equipment was working on and for how long, show that the dozer was used for a number of hours which are not accounted for in the records," the grand jury report says.

"Due to legal objections and a lack of cooperation from the USFS, the grand jury was unable to obtain additional accurate and detailed documentation for project work in North Ruby Valley during the time in question."

While its investigation centered on the spring, the grand jury also found that the Forest Service has shown a "blatant disregard" for the citizens of the county and placed "unreasonable" restrictions on water users.

"They have also designed and implemented an administrative system which virtually guarantees that a permittee will lose any dispute with the Forest Service, either locally or on appeal," the report says.

The grand jury said this is the first of many interim reports on the progress of its investigation into the management of public lands.