California Condor Eben McMillan 28 April 1964 It was overcast when we arose at sunrise and a brisk, and cool west wind was blowing. I packed up and drove down Bitterwater Valley at 8:00 A.M. Cattle in small numbers still remain on the stark grassless plain. They still looked strong and healthy even though no forage was in evidence. This is when overgrazed lands are damaged the most. It seems that cattle numbers, regardless of how many, do little damage to soil when it is covered with bare vegetation, but when it is [illegible] and coverless, then even a few cattle, or sheep, on a large area can do untold damage. The disturbance of the soil with each hoofstep sets up a cumulative situation that tends to generate its own problems from there on until rain, or moisture of some sort, stabilizes this area again, and in aggravated instances sometimes moisture does not stop the blowing of the land. The soil east of Blackwells corner is already, even before summer, blowing. If more rain fails to come to germinate the Russian Thistle, this area could become a chronic dust bowl. Ten miles east of Famosa I talked with the Red Headed shepherd who has been camped in this area since January. He told me that several sheep of his flock have died lately but that he has only seen Buzzards and Ravens feeding on them. This shepherd is Spanish, not Basque, and does not speak the Basque language. His name is Fulgencio Beaumont. I photographed this man with kod. II on Roll 3. He has been in America two and one-half years. He claims not to have saved any money. The range he is pasturing is badly overgrazed. It being low enough in the foothills that the rains did not come here in sufficient quantity to make a good season.