Bighorn Sheep Viewing set for Dec. 3 and 4

Photo by Brent Stettler, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Green River -- Early December is the perfect time to see Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.

The animals wrap up their breeding season in December. It’s the time of year when rams charge into each other, slamming their horns together in a spectacular head-butting ritual that‘s designed to attract the attention of the ladies (female sheep called ewes).

“It’s fun and exciting to watch the way the rams act this time of the year,” says Brent Stettler, regional conservation outreach manager for the Division of Wildlife Resources.

That’s why Stettler and other DWR staff have chosen Dec. 3 and 4 as the dates for this year’s Bighorn Sheep Watch.

The watch will be held in and near the towns of Price and Green River this year.

The event is free. Stettler encourages everyone to attend.


What to bring
When you come to the event, bring a pair of binoculars or a spotting scope along with snacks, drinks and a camera.

DWR biologists will watch the sheep before the event. They’ll guide you to places where they’ve found bighorns recently.

If you don’t have your own binoculars or a spotting scope, no problem—the biologists have extra spotting scopes and binoculars you can use.


Dec. 3 – learn about the sheep
The watch begins on Friday evening, Dec. 3, at the Price Fairgrounds Events Center in Price.

To reach the fairgrounds, exit U.S. Highway 6 at Exit 240 (the West Price exit). After exiting the freeway, turn right at the stop light at the bottom of the off-ramp. Then travel west, following the signs to the fairgrounds.

At 7 p.m., Justin Shannon, regional wildlife manager for the DWR, will give a presentation about bighorn sheep and their life history. Shannon did his graduate thesis on this very topic.

Shannon will also have bighorn sheep skulls and horns you can see and handle, and he’ll be available to answer your questions.

Dec. 4 – see the sheep!
The fun really gets rolling on the morning of Dec. 4.

At 8 a.m., those attending the event will meet with DWR biologists at the John Wesley Powell Museum in Green River. The museum is at 1765 E. Main St.

After meeting at the museum, the group will travel north up the Green River corridor in search of bighorn sheep. The road the group will travel changes from asphalt to gravel and then to packed dirt, but passenger cars can move along it just fine.

The field trip will probably end by noon or by early afternoon, but you can leave the field trip at any time.

Because bighorn sheep are wild and unpredictable, Stettler can’t guarantee that you’ll see sheep at close range, or even at all. “Even if we don’t see sheep,” Stettler says, "the beauty of the Green River should make the trip an event worth attending.”

For more information, contact Stettler at (435) 613-3707 or brentstettler@utah.gov .

BLM Holiday Tree Cutting Permits Available

Price Field Office
PRICE, Utah — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - Price Field Office will begin selling Christmas tree cutting permits starting on November 22, and continuing through December 23, 2010. The pinion pine and juniper tree tags are $10 each this year with one permit allowed per household. An individual may purchase up to three tags, but must provide the name and address of each person for which the tags are being purchased. It would be appreciated if the correct amount of money was provided at the time of purchase.

Maps of the tree cutting areas are provided with each tree tag along with the personal-use tree policy and conservation code. The map is part of the actual tree cutting permit. Trees may be cut only in designated areas.

Tree tags are available in Price at:
BLM Price Field Office
125 South 600 West
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

While creating holiday memories while searching for the perfect family holiday tree, be sure to be safe, please stay on established roads, protect wildlife, leave gates closed, respect fences and other property, and carry out litter. Be prepared for winter weather conditions!

For additional information on tree cutting on BLM managed lands, visit the website at http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/price.html  or call the BLM Office at (435) 636-3600.


Vernal Field Office
Vernal, Utah — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - Vernal Field Office will begin selling Christmas tree cutting permits starting on November 18. The pinion pine and juniper tree tags are $10 each this year with one permit allowed per household. An individual may purchase up to five tags, but must provide the name and address of each person for which the tags are being purchased.

Maps of the tree cutting areas are provided with each tree tag along with the personal-use tree policy, conservation code, and recycling information. The map is part of the actual tree cutting permit. Trees may be cut only in designated areas.

Tree tags are available in Vernal at:
BLM Vernal Field Office - 170 S 500 E - 7:45 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (thru December 23)
Davis Jubilee - 575 West Main (thru December 20)

Tree tags are available in Roosevelt at:
Davis Jubilee - 750 E 200 N (thru December 20)
Stewart’s Marketplace - 245 W Hwy 40 (thru December 20)

Recycling a holiday tree is easy!
1. When it is time to take down the holiday tree, remove all non-organic tree accessories that could contaminate the recycling process. These include the tree stand, lights, tinsel and ornaments. Unfortunately, flocked trees cannot be recycled.

2. Place the tree in a sheet or old blanket and take it to 100 West 100 North, Vernal, Utah, between December 26 and January 11, 2010. Trees in plastic tree bags cannot be recycled.

While creating holiday memories while searching for the perfect family holiday tree, be sure to be safe, please stay on established roads, protect wildlife, leave gates closed, respect fences and other property, and carry out litter. Be prepared for winter weather conditions!

For additional information on tree cutting on BLM managed lands, visit the website at http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/vernal.html  or call the BLM Office at (435) 781-4400.


Salt Lake Field Office
Sale date: November 26 at 8:00 a.m.
Cost: $10 each with a limit of 2 per household
Type: Juniper
Where: Tooele County near Vernon
Address: 2370 South 2300 West, Salt Lake City. For more information, please contact the office at (801) 977-4300

There are also 50 permits available for Pinyon Pine in the Raft River wood gathering area only. This area is in Box Elder County near the Utah/Idaho/Nevada border. This area is approximately 3 hours from Salt Lake.


Richfield Field Office
Sale date: Currently on sale
Cost: $10 each with a limit of 1 per household
Type: Pinyon/Juniper
Where: Various areas across the Field Office
Address: 150 East 900 North, Richfield, Monday through Friday, 7:45-4:30. For more information, contact the Richfield office at (435) 896-1500.


Moab Field Office
Sale date: Currently on sale
Cost: $5 each with a limit of 10 per family
Type: Pinyon/Juniper
Where: Various areas across the Field Office in Grand and San Juan counties
Address: 82 East Dogwood, Moab. For maps and locations for tree cutting, contact the Moab office at (435) 259-2100, Monday through Friday, 7:45 – 4:30.


Monticello Field Office
Sale date: Currently on sale
Cost: $10 each with a limit of 5 per household
Type: Pinyon/Juniper
Where: Various areas across the Field Office
Address: 435 North Main, Monticello. For more information, contact the Monticello office at (435) 587-1500, 7:45 – 4:30 Monday through Friday.

Volunteers Help Wetlands Preserve Preserve bounce back

Moab -- On Oct. 24, a bunch of volunteers assembled behind the Archway Inn in Moab. The team was armed with shovels, water buckets and a lot of determination.

Their mission? Plant more than 2,000 native plants at the Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve, which was ravaged by fire last fall.

The team focused its efforts on the north side of the preserve.

A successful day
The group’s determination and hard work paid off. Workers, both young and old, successfully planted 2,022 native plants. The plants included trees, shrubs and grasses.

The shovel brigade included a bunch of students from Kelly Wilson’s science class from Grand County Middle School. The students were especially helpful. The work party also included residents of Moab, personnel from The Nature Conservancy and the Division of Wildlife Resources, and people from towns as far away as Park City and Grand Junction.

Another planting project is scheduled for this Saturday, Nov. 7. This project will focus on the south side of the preserve. The Nature Conservancy hopes to attract scout groups, church groups and environmentally-minded people who care about the preserve and want to help rehabilitate it.

If you’d like to help, meet at the TNC parking lot on Kane Creek Boulevard in Moab at 9 a.m.

Fire
On Oct. 21 and 22, 2008, a fire charred more than 400 acres at the Matheson Wetlands Preserve. In addition to destroying vegetation, the fire destroyed trail systems, boardwalks and the preserve’s wildlife-viewing blind.

Formerly known as the Moab Sloughs, the preserve was established in 1990. It encompasses more than 895 acres. This unique system represents the largest intact wetlands on the Colorado River in Utah. The preserve is home to more than 200 species of birds, amphibians and mammals.

For more information, contact Linda Whitham with The Nature Conservancy at (435) 259-4629 or lwhitham@tnc.org   .

Guinness World Record Attempt at Moab’s Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival This Saturday

--Moab, UT~ The two time pumpkin chuckin’ world record holders--the ‘Big 10 Inch’ air cannon team-- have traveled across the country from the Delaware River Valley to attempt to break the Guinness World Record at the Youth Garden Project’s Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival this Saturday October 31st in Moab, Utah at the Old Airport Runway, just south of town.

Ralph Eschborn II, spokesperson for the ‘Big 10 Inch’ team is confident that with favorable weather his team has an excellent chance of grabbing the Guinness Record in Moab on Halloween.  They’ve achieved their previous farthest distance of 4,211 feet twice, in 2005 and 2007, both times at sea level.  The Guinness World Record currently stands only slightly farther,  at 4,491 feet.

“We looked at Moab in part for the elevation, because we think we can shoot farther in the thinner air, and Moab’s event is a perfect tune up for us since it is just a week before the World Championships in Delaware,” said Eschborn.  “Being the first to pass 5000 feet is the second big milestone to shoot for, along with being the first to chuck a mile,” he added.

But Eschborn and the ‘Big 10 Inch’ crew chose Moab not just for the elevation, but also out of appreciation for the Youth Garden Project of Moab, the nonprofit group sponsoring the event.

“Our team was excited by the community service aspect of the Youth Garden Project, and wanted to support their organization, and they’ve been great to work with,” Eschborn said.

The addition of this Guinness World Record bid tops off an already packed program, full of creativity and hometown splendor.  Fashioned in the spirit of an old time fair, the event features pumpkin pie eating and seed spitting contests, costumed Wiener dog races, a straw-bale maze for kids and other games and activities for children.

In medieval times, catapults and trebuchets launched projectiles into enemy territory. With the advent of gunpowder, they were quickly cast aside in favor of more powerful artillery, but the allure of flinging objects through the air never faded.  The lost art of making inanimate objects soar will be rediscovered this fall as the Youth Garden Project presents the fourth annual Moab Pumpkin Chuckin’ Festival.

This fall harvest festival includes contests for people of all ages, live music and entertainment, vendor booths, and a wide range of characters roaming the festival grounds. The festival’s main event, the Pumpkin Chuckin’ Contest, is open to anyone craving a challenging experience that requires creativity, ingenuity, and a love of launching stuff. Entrants compete in one of four divisions: catapults, trebuchets, air cannons, and sling shots with a special youth category in each division.

No knowledge of physics or math is required to watch the launching competition or to enjoy live bluegrass music by Cosy Sheridan and T.R. Ritchie in the morning and the Metamoocil Mountain Boys in the afternoon.  A variety of talented local and regional artists will have their work available for sale.

The event brings together community organizations, local farmers, artisans, and musicians with members of the community to celebrate the harvest – and is a perfect way to enjoy the crisp Utah fall weather amidst the towering LaSal Mountains and red rock mesas. Proceeds from the event support the Youth Garden Project, a non-profit in Moab that grows food, kids and community.