features which are of marginal "park quality" value at best. Waite's estimate that 500,000 people per year will visit the park by the end of the century is not supported by a study; it is nothing more than a guess and a hope. Canyonlands National Park, recently established in southern Utah, has not attracted the numbers of visitors predicted by its promoters. All of the small towns in the vicinity of Canyonlands display 55 a number of boarded-up motels and cafes. The number of visitors at Redwood National Park in California, another re56 cent park, has been 20 to 25% of the predicted number. I believe that Dr. Waite's figure of 500,000 is at least twice as high as it should be. At the same time, Dr. Waite has grossly underestimated the economic value of capital, natural resources and commerce associated with withdrawing the South Snake Range from multipleuse management. These lossess would probably be about five to ten times as much as Dr. Waite has indicated. We are left with a large number of unanswered questions about what to expect if Great Basin National Park is established. How many visitors is the National Park Service expecting? What kinds of facilities would the National Park Service expect to construct inside the park? Are the proposed boundaries firm or will they expand in the future? Does the National Park Service have any interest in the Indian Villages or Osceola and does it have the funds to develop them? If so, what sorts of alternative plans will be considered? What restrictions will be placed on grazing and mining inside the park? These questions and many others need to be answered before the debate on the park question can proceed in a constructive direction. Dr. Waite's promotional literature does not 55 Personal knowledge. 56 Personal conversation with Russell D. Butcher, a staffperson of the National Parks and Conservation Association, Washington, D.C., 13 January 1986. constitute a study which will help answer these questions. New studies are urgently needed, particularly in the area of economics. The value of the park to the economy of the state and the county is an unknown quantity at the present time. Also unknown is the nature and extent of development which the National Park Service will recommend after spending three years in the completion of a management plan. Meanwhile, an alliance of environmentalists and commercialists pushes the proposal forward. This alliance is inherently weak because each of these groups has different reasons for wanting a national park. These reasons, once a practical level is reached, will be in direct conflict with one another. Once a Great Basin National Park is established, the practical level will have been reached. The environmentalists and the commercialists will find themselves on opposite sides of most subsequent park-related issues. Who will take the responsibility for resolving the conflicts which the promoters of this park will be unable to keep under control? The National Park Service will probably have the deciding influence in determining how the existence of the park will affect the adjacent communities. My guess is that the park, if established, will prove to be a disappointment to virtually everyone and most of all, ultimately, to the employees of the National Park Service who will have a tough and nasty job on their hands, that of trying to administer an over-sold and sub-standard national park. BIBLIOGRAPHY Baker, James, "The Snake Range, Alpine Lakes and Bristlecone Pines", Sierra Club Magazine, January-February, 1984. Barton, Manes and Malsor, Roy E., Jr., Summary of Snow Survey Measurements for Nevada, 1941-1962, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, September, 1962, Baker Creek # 2. Eimbeck, William, his report in Russell, Israel C., Fifth Annual Report, 1883-1884, U.S. Geological Survey, 1884, pp. 342-343. Fairbridge, Rhodes W., The Encyclopedia of Geomorphology, Goode's World Atlas, 15th Edition, Rand McNally, Chicago, 1980. Heinrichs, Jay, "Is It The Oldest Living Thing?", National McWhirter, Norris, Guinness Book of World Records, Stirling United States Forest Service, "Proposed Glacier Scenic Area", Nevada National Forest, East Ely, Nevada, February 15, 1956. Waite, Robert S., "Is It Time To Create Nevada's First National Park?", Mountainwest Magazine, June, 1978. Waite, Robert S., Proposed Great Basin National Park: The Story Behind The Scenery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, November 25, 1985. Waite, Robert Starr, The Proposed Great Basin National Park: A Geographical Interpretation of the Southern Snake Range, Nevada, University of California, Los Angeles, Ph.D., 1974. Senator HECHT. And thank you very much. Mr. Alfred M. Buranek. STATEMENT OF ALFRED M. BURANEK, NATIONAL TREASURE MINES CO., SALT LAKE CITY, UT Mr. BURANEK. My name is Alfred M. Buranek. I reside in Salt Lake City. I am a graduate geologist by profession and during World War II served as geologist for the State of Utah from 1941 through 1948. Other than a 2-year leave of absence while in the Armed Forces, for the past 20 years I have been president and general manager of a small publicly owned resource company, National Treasure Mines, which controls and virtually owns Mount Wheeler Mines, Inc. It is the purpose of my testimony to present factual information and data on the unique beryllium mineral occurrences of the Mount Wheeler area, White Pine County, and the uncalculable loss not only to the aforementioned companies and adjoining property owners, but more importantly to the Nation as a whole, are these strategic and critical mineral deposits. If these critical mineral deposits are forever lost because of the little-needed and untimely creation of a national park. It should be recognized that major beryllium deposits are extremely rare in the United States, and elsewhere throughout the world. The only ongoing mining of beryllium ore in the United States is Brush Wellman's operation at Spor Mountain, Utah. Beryllium in its brief entrance into the industrial fields has become a most vital and necessary industrial metal. Already its uses are manifold, but it is a must to defense applications, nuclear, and aerospace programs in forms of metal, beryllium-copper alloys, and beryllium oxide. Its high conductivity, strength, and light weight permits certain alloys to be aptly termed the metal of no fatigue. At the congressional hearing held in Ely, NV, November last which I attended, I was appalled at the misinformation or complete lack of knowledge concerning the mineral deposits of the Mount Wheeler region, particularly concerning the ore zones and reserves of the Mount Wheeler mine. To rectify this unjust attitude and opinion the services of Ford, Bacon & Davis were solicited to prepare an unbiased feasibility study of the Mount Wheeler mine. After 42 months in preparation, this study is now complete and herewith submitted for the committee's perusal.1 In brief, the 72-page report is an indepth study which thoroughly analyzes the potential for development of the Mount Wheeler mine. The development philosophy adopted in the report is based on a two-phased approach to full capacity of the mine in concentrated facilities of 150,000 tons per year and concludes the Mount Wheeler project to be a world-class deposit of beryllium, tungsten, tin, and fluoride with ultimately recoverable silver, lead, and zinc ores containing more than $3 billion worth of these minerals. In addition, based on a proven geologic model and projected only to 640 acres the total tonnage potential could exceed 20 million 1 Report retained in subcommittee files. tons of mineable ore. It further states the project payback period to be 21⁄2 years, and during the lifetime of only 10 years the project will generate over $91 million of after-tax profit. Total revenues from concentrates is over $185 million. Total capital required for a 200-ton-a-day mine concentrator complex is some $11 million. Expansion to 500 tons per day requires an additional $4 million. The mine will create 92 permanent jobs in the first phase, and 171 in the second phase, and will produce millions of dollars of revenue for the local community and the government. The above statements pertain only to the holdings of Mount Wheeler Mines, Inc. It does not qualify the potential of the known similar but little developed adjoining properties of Chris Jensen, George Swallow, Reed Robison, and the better explored deposits of the Washington Minerals. The latter holdings are described by the Ponderosa Beryllium Report by Lawrence E. Smith, consulting geologist, who directed geologic mapping, geochemical sampling, and subsequent drilling and trenching during the early to mid-seventies. Copies of this report are presented in behalf of Washington Minerals.2 During the past several years, Dr. Martin together with two graduate students for the Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, have been conducting a study of the Mount Wheeler mines areas. Senator HECHT. Excuse me. You will have to summarize. Your time is up. Mr. BURANEK. And even less recognized, beryllium, tungsten, tin deposits. I have a letter here for testimony which will be included. In summation, do you think it wise to completely destroy or impede the ultimate development of a badly needed major resource area to the creation of a National Park when multiple use advantages are now in harmonious existence under the able jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service? Thank you. [The prepared statement of Mr. Buranek follows:] 2 Report retained in subcommittee files. |