Lake Havasu Wildlife Refuge Gets New Management

  Lake Havasu City, AZ – Supervisor Buster Johnson would like to inform the public that as of Monday the Lake Havasu Wildlife Refuge is under new management.  The Wildlife Refuge’s Deputy Manager, Daryl Magnuson, has taken over as acting Manager.  “I look forward to working with Mr. Magnuson and hope we can rebuild our relations with the Refuge,” Supervisor Johnson stated.  “Relations between the Refuge and local government have been estranged over the past few years, and I am hopeful that with new management communication can start to take place again,” Johnson continued. According to Johnson, Linda Miller, the prior Refuge Manager’s, last day was Friday.  She has been reassigned to the Yuma office.  “Federal, state and local officials along with myself and concerned citizens have been calling for her resignation since she closed off parts of Lake Havasu City waterways under the Refuge jurisdiction over a year ago,” Johnson stated.  “The boating restrictions implemented were done so without any communication or notice to local officials or citizens.  More than $252.8 million is contributed to Mohave County’s economy through boating recreation on Lake Havasu.  No documented evidence was ever presented to prove that these activities were causing any harm to the wildlife or natural preserve of the Refuge,” Johnson explained.   “I am hoping with Mr. Magnuson communication between the Refuge and local government can start to take place again,” Johnson said. Mohave County has already begun actively engaging Mr. Magnuson in regards to another issue in the Golden Shores/Topock area.  According to Public Works Director Steve Latoski, an Environmental Assessment (EA) that was done for the County will need final approval from the Refuge to remove an existing manmade berm upstream in the Sacramento Wash.  Removal of this berm will help to restore the wash to its historical flow path.  “The EA report is done and in the USFWS hands for review.  We anticipate USFWS concurrence with the EA findings of no significant impact by the end of this year so that the County’s offsite project can proceed concurrent with the Oatman bridge project,” Latoski stated.

As U.S. is Poised to be Knocked Off as World’s Richest Economy, Federal Government Sits on Its Uranium

Lake Havasu City, AZ – New figures released by the World Bank’s International Comparison Program predict that by the end of 2014 the Chinese purchasing power will surpass that of America.  According to Supervisor Buster Johnson, the restrictions imposed by the federal government when it comes to access to mining of our natural resources is one of the main reasons the U.S. is poised to be knocked off as the world’s richest economy after holding the position for 142 years.  “In the northern strip area of Mohave County, the government created the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument closing off access to over 1 million acres of public land that could have been used for mining clean coal and natural gas reserves.  The federal government again in 2009 shut off more economic development for Mohave County taxpayers when they broke their 1984 agreement and shut us off from 28 billion dollars in economic development by restricting us from mining the richest deposits of uranium in the country,” Johnson explained.   According to the Comparison Program’s figures, based on 2011 prices, the purchasing power of the U.S. Yuan will surpass that of the U.S. dollar in 2014 despite China’s economy being just 60 percent the size of America’s at market exchange rates.  “Our nation is rich in natural resources which, if safely recovered, would not only employ our people and bring back prosperity but could make us self-reliant again.  Yet the federal government keeps putting up road blocks and dragging their feet on major projects, like the keystone pipeline, that if approved could bring economic growth to our country for years to come,” Supervisor Johnson stated.   Johnson has been questioning what the answer from our federal government is on the issue, and from what he sees it’s more regulations and taxes on the American people.  “Road infrastructure is in desperate need in this country.  The federal government’s answer to the problem is a bill that would allow all states to place toll booths on our former “free” ways,” Johnson explained.  “America was built on dreams becoming reality and on dreamers being rewarded for their hard effort.  By enforcing more restrictions and expenses on the American people, it is inevitable that other countries will surpass us in wealth,” Johnson ended. ###