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Willard- Willard Bay State Park hosts Fantasy at the Bay, a drive-through holiday light display November 24 through December 31.
Display hours are 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. nightly and admission is $7 per vehicle. Utah State Parks Annual Passes are not valid during light display hours.
The Cottonwood Campground is filled with animation, lighted trees, roadway lights and displays. Visitors may drive through the display or ride on a horse-drawn hay wagon at no additional cost. A concession service offers cocoa, hamburgers, chili, scones, s'mores and other items around a large campfire. To reach Willard Bay State Park, take Exit 357off I-15.
For more information, please call Fantasy at the Bay at (435) 734-9294 or (435) 237-9506 or Willard Bay State Park at (435) 734-9494.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Youth Snowmobile Educatioin Course now Online
Salt Lake City– The Utah State Parks Know Before You Go! youth snowmobile education course is now available online at http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/.
Utah law requires youth eight to 16 to complete the Utah State Parks Know Before You Go! Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Education Course before operating a machine on public lands, roads or trails. It is illegal for
any child under age eight to operate an OHV on public land.
The online course covers riding basics, safety, winter survival and Utah laws. Upon successful completion of the course, students print a temporary certificate valid for 60 days and later receive a permanent certificate by mail. Cost for the class is $30
Students are encouraged to study all materials prior to taking the test. Students who do not pass the course must pay a second registration fee and retake the test. “Safety is our number one concern. We want to reduce the number of accidents by educating youth to operate snowmobiles safely and emphasize the importance of wearing safety equipment, and following laws and rules,” stated OHV Education Coordinator Ann Evans. “Online courses provide easier access to education courses and allow students to learn at their own pace.”
Summer OHV and personal watercraft (PWC) education courses are also available online at http://www.stateparks.utah.gov/ .
For more information, visit stateparks.utah.gov or call (800) OHV-RIDE.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Big changes await hunters that apply for a Turkey Hunting Permit
Thanksgiving isn’t the only reason wild turkey hunters in Utah will be thinking about turkey over the next few weeks. The chance to apply for a permit to hunt turkeys next spring starts Dec. 10.
And some big changes await Utah’s turkey hunters in 2010—two new hunts have been added.
Limited-entry hunt
The first hunt—the limited-entry hunt—runs April 10 - 29. This is the hunt you can apply for starting Dec. 10.
There will be a big difference in the limited-entry hunt this spring—it will be held on a regional basis instead of on smaller, specific areas. The following number of permits will be available:
Region------------Number of permits
Northern--------- 400
Central -----------500
Northeastern----- 250
Southeastern -----250
Southern--------- 1,100
“This first hunt should be less crowded than the hunt in May because only 2,500 permits will be offered for it,” says Dave Olsen, upland game coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. “There’s another difference, too—if you draw a permit for the April hunt, you won’t be limited to hunting one specific area like you have been in the past. Instead, you can hunt an entire region.”
Applications for the limited-entry hunt must be received at http://www.wildlife.utah.gov/ no later than 11 p.m. on Dec. 28.
Two new hunts
If you don’t draw a limited-entry permit, don’t pack you gun away—you can still hunt turkeys this spring. Two new statewide hunts—a youth hunt and a general hunt—will be held.
And don’t worry about losing your wild turkey bonus points, either. If you buy a permit for the youth hunt or the general hunt, you’ll still be able to keep all of your bonus points!
Hunters who buy a general season statewide permit and are 15 years of age and younger can participate in the first of the two statewide hunts—the youth hunt—which runs April 30 – May 2.
The number of permits available for the youth hunt are unlimited in number. And young hunters can obtain the permits over the counter. Youth hunters can hunt anywhere in Utah that’s open to turkey hunting.
Youngsters who buy a permit for the youth hunt can also use the permit to hunt during Utah’s final hunt—the general statewide hunt.
The general statewide turkey hunt runs May 3 – 31. An unlimited number of permits will be available for the hunt.
Permits over-the-counter
Permits for the youth hunt and the general hunt will be available at www.wildlife.utah.gov and from DWR offices and hunting and fishing license agents across Utah starting Feb. 16.
Even though three hunts will be held, you can obtain only one permit. You must hunt during the hunt you obtain a permit for.
Also, if you buy a general permit, you won’t lose any wild turkey bonus points that you’ve earned.
2010 Turkey Guidebook
More information about Utah’s 2010 turkey hunting season is available in the 2010 Utah Turkey Guidebook. The guidebook is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks and from DWR offices and hunting and fishing license agents across Utah.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Nevada sends Bighorn Sheep to Utah
Kanab -- Twenty bighorn sheep from Nevada have a new home in Utah.
Earlier this month, biologists with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) released 20 desert bighorn sheep into the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah.
The sheep were captured by Nevada Department of Wildlife biologists near Lake Mead in southern Nevada.
“We released a total of 19 ewes and one young ram into the desert near Croton and Little Valley on the Kaparowitz sheep unit,” says Teresa Bonzo, regional wildlife manager for the UDWR. “Several of the ewes are pregnant. Releasing these sheep will really bolster the population in this area over the next few years.”
Bonzo says the Kaparowitz bighorn sheep herd is doing well. The sheep that were added to the herd will help it do even better. “This transplant will ensure genetic stability in the herd,” she says. “And we’ve also brought more sheep into an area that can handle more animals.”
Capture
The sheep were captured in Nevada using nets fired from a helicopter. After the sheep became entangled in the nets, wildlife capture specialists placed the animals in slings and then transported them by helicopter to a staging area. After being gently lowered to the ground, biologists quickly checked the sheep for injuries and disease. Then the animals were loaded into horse trailers for their trip to Utah.
Once they arrived at the release site, UDWR biologists opened the doors to the trailer. The sheep leaped from the trailer and ran into the hills.
Bonzo says all of the sheep made the trip without injury, and they’re doing well in their new home.
Working together
Nevada and Utah have a long history of cooperating on various wildlife projects. Last year, several pronghorn were captured in Utah and sent to Nevada.
The Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the Nevada Department of Wildlife, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep and the UDWR worked together to make the recent Utah sheep transplant happen.
DWR recommends limiting the number of Dogs for Bear Hunts
Division of Wildlife Resources biologists want to limit the number of people who pursue bears on the Book Cliffs, San Juan and LaSal units in summer 2010. All three units are in eastern Utah.
The biologists also want to limit the number of dogs that can be used to hunt or pursue bears on any unit in Utah.
Those changes—and more bear hunting permits in Utah—are among changes the DWR is recommending for Utah’s 2010 black bear pursuit and hunting seasons.
Learn more, share your ideas
You can review all of the DWR’s bear hunting and pursuit proposals at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings . Once you’ve read the proposals, you can share your thoughts and ideas one of two ways:
RAC meetings
Five Regional Advisory Council meetings will be held across Utah. Citizens representing the RACs will take the input received at the meetings to the Utah Wildlife Board. Board members will use the input to help them set rules for Utah’s 2010 bear hunt and pursuit seasons. They’ll set those rules at their Jan. 7 meeting in Salt Lake City.
You can participate and provide your input at any of the following meetings:
Southern Region
Dec. 8
7 p.m.
Cross Hollows Intermediate School
2215 W. Royal Hunte Dr.
Cedar City
Southeastern Region
Dec. 9
6:30 p.m.
John Wesley Powell Museum
1765 E. Main St.
Green River
Northeastern Region
Dec. 10
6:30 p.m.
Uintah Interagency Fire Center
355 N. Vernal Ave.
Vernal
Central Region
Dec. 15
6:30 p.m.
Central Region Conference Center
1115 N. Main St.
Springville
Northern Region
Dec. 16
6 p.m.
Brigham City Community Center
24 N. 300 W.
Brigham City
You can also provide your comments to your RAC via e-mail. E-mail addresses for your RAC members are available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/public_meetings .
The group each RAC member represents (sportsman, non-consumptive, etc.) is listed under each person’s e-mail address. You should direct your e-mail to the people on the RAC who represent your interest.
Pursuit and hunting changes
The Book Cliffs, San Juan and LaSal units are among the most popular places in Utah to pursue bears with trained hounds. Unfortunately, that popularity has caused some problems.
“This past summer, we received more than 150 complaints from campers, hikers and others who were recreating in the area,” says Justin Dolling, game mammals coordinator for the DWR.
“Some of the houndsmen were using as many as 20 hounds to pursue a single bear,” Dolling says. “When hounds get on a bear’s track, they bark a lot, and they’re extremely noisy. The noise and the commotion the hounds and the houndsmen were causing bothered some of the people who were camping and hiking in the area.”
To quiet things down, DWR biologists are recommending two changes:
- Limit the number of permits offered to pursue bears on the Book Cliffs, San Juan and LaSal units in the summer. The DWR is recommending that the following number of pursuit permits be available for the summer pursuit season:
Unit Resident Nonresident
Book Cliffs 25----------3
San Juan 30----------3
LaSal 20------------2
- Limit the number of hounds houndsmen can use to pursue or hunt bears on any of the state’s bear units. Biologists are recommending that houndsmen not be allowed to use more than eight hounds to pursue a single bear.
More hunting permits
Biologists are also recommending that the number of hunting permits be increased for next year’s black bear hunts.
In 2009, a total of 319 permits were available. The DWR is recommending a total of 368 permits for 2010.
Based on an average success rate of just over 40 percent, the extra 49 permits should result in hunters taking about 21 additional bears in 2010.
In 2009, hunters took 147 bears in Utah.
For more information about the meetings, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR’s Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
DWR starts Utah’s third confirmed Otter Population near Provo River
On Nov. 25, biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources released a northern river otter into the Provo River between Jordanelle and Deer Creek reservoirs. (This stretch of the river is commonly referred to as the “middle Provo.”)
The otter, a young adult female, is the first of as many as 10 to 15 otters the DWR hopes to place into the middle Provo River in the next few months. The otter released on Nov. 25 was trapped by DWR biologists on the Green River in northeastern Utah.
Three-year study
Releasing river otters into the middle Provo will provide Utah with another river otter population. It will also provide biologists with valuable information about the habits of river otters in the state.
“Releasing this otter marks the beginning of a three-year study to learn more about otters in Utah,” says Justin Dolling, game mammals coordinator for the DWR.
The day before the otter was released, a veterinarian at Brigham Young University placed a small transmitter in the otter’s abdomen, just under its skin. The transmitter will allow Casey Day to track the otter. Day is a graduate student at BYU.
Transmitters will also be placed in other otters that are released into the river.
“The types of food otters eat, the distances they travel and how successful they are at reproducing are among the things Day will learn,” Dolling says. “The information we gain from his study will guide us in other river otter reintroductions we do in the future.”
UWIN provides funding
Utah Wildlife in Need (UWIN)—a new charitable foundation in Utah—is providing all of the funding for the project.
So far, the foundation has raised $66,000 for the project. That’s half of what’s needed to see the project through to the end.
“If you want to help otters in Utah, this project gives you the perfect chance,” says Bob Hasenyager, UWIN director. “The ALSAM Foundation has provided $66,000 to get the otter project up and going. Now we need other folks to step up and provide the funding needed to see the project through to the end.”
You can learn more about UWIN—and make a donation to the otter project—at http://www.uwin.org/.
Otters and trout
DWR biologists have heard from anglers who are concerned about the effect river otters will have on trout in the middle Provo River.
“Crayfish [also called crawdads] are an otter’s favorite food,” Dolling says. “But if they can’t find crayfish, they’ll turn to other sources, including frogs and fish. An adult otter eats about two to three pounds of food per day.”
Dolling says the middle Provo River has plenty of crayfish. But if the otters have any difficulty finding crayfish in the river, there are plenty of fish to eat. “Otters usually target slower-moving fish, such as sculpin, whitefish, carp and suckers,” he says. “Most of the fish they eat are between five and seven inches long.”
Dolling says the river otters will also eat trout. And that may not be a bad thing.
“This stretch of the river has an abundant trout population that’s dominated by brown trout,” says Roger Wilson, sport fish coordinator for the DWR. “Because there are so many fish in the river, the fish are having to compete with each other for food and space. The competition they’re having is reducing their growth rate and affecting their overall condition.
“Letting otters take some fish could actually improve fishing in the river,” Wilson says. “If otters take some fish, the fish that remain should grow to a larger size.”
Walt Donaldson, Aquatic Section chief for the DWR, says the middle Provo River is a blue ribbon fishery that’s known to anglers across the country. “We reintroduced otters into the Green River in 1989, and they’ve haven’t caused the fish in the river any problems,” he says. “After otters are placed in the Provo River, we’ll keep monitoring the fish population in the river. If we find the otters are causing the fish problems, we can take management actions to make sure fishing in the river doesn’t suffer.”
Those actions include stocking trout in the river and capturing and removing some of the otters.
Not only should the otters not cause problems for fish in the river, they might also add to the enjoyment anglers find while fishing.
“Many anglers who fish the Green River have enjoyed seeing the otters,” Donaldson says. “They say it’s a treat to watch a family of otters play while they’re fishing.”
Otter history
River otters were never abundant in Utah. But they were found in various parts of the state. Some of the biggest populations were in northern Utah.
River otters were doing fine until Utah was settled. Then over trapping started to take a toll. In 1899, the Utah Legislature closed the state to otter trapping.
Otters faced another challenge, though: the degradation of vegetation along steam banks, and agricultural and urban encroachment. Each of these factors affected water levels and water quality in the state. And that, in turn, that affected the otters’ food supply.
As their habitat and food supply declined, the number of otters declined too.
Bringing otters back
Management practices during the 1900s improved conditions along some of the state’s steam banks. That, in turn, improved water quality. By the 1980s, it was time to increase the number of river otters in Utah.
The DWR started expanding river otter populations in 1989 when biologists released nine otters from Nevada and Alaska into the Green River in northeastern Utah.
The DWR followed the 1989 release with several more otters releases in the area.
In 2005, Utah’s river otter population expanded more when three otters trapped by the DWR in ortheastern Utah were released into the Escalante River in southwestern Utah.
That release was also followed by several other releases in the river.
Learn more
More information about river otters and their future in Utah is available in the state’s River Otter Management Plan. The free plan is available at www.wildlife.utah.gov/pdf/otter_plan.pdf
Friday, November 13, 2009
Cougar Hunting Season starts Nov. 18
Photo by Lynn Chamberlain
Permits to hunt on harvest-objective units are now available.
Another cougar hunting season starts in Utah on Nov. 18. And even if you didn't obtain a limited-entry permit for the hunt, you can still participate.
Permits are now available to hunt on cougar harvest-objective units. Utah's cougar hunt starts Nov. 18.
What's a harvest-objective unit?
Judi Tutorow, wildlife licensing coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says there are three major differences between harvest-objective units and traditional limited-entry units.
"There is no limit on the number of permits we can sell for a harvest-objective unit. And you can buy harvest-objective permits on the Internet or over-the-counter," Tutorow says.
"The hunt on a harvest-objective unit can close before the season ends, however, if hunters take the number of cougars biologists want taken," she says. "For example, let's say the harvest objective on a unit is 10 cougars. The hunt on that unit will close when 10 cougars are taken, even if the date when the season is supposed to end hasn't arrived yet."
The chance a unit might close early shouldn't be a big challenge for you, though. Harvest-objective hunting is allowed on 38 units in Utah. If the unit you want to hunt closes, you can still hunt on any harvest-objective unit that's still open to hunting.
Reminders
Utah's 2009–2010 cougar harvest-objective season begins Nov. 18, 2009 on some units and March 6, 2010 on others. "The dates for each unit are available on pages 24, 25 and 26 of the 2009–2010 Utah Cougar Guidebook," Tutorow says.
The guidebook is available at wildlife.utah.gov/guidebooks. You can also get a copy at hunting and fishing license agent locations and DWR offices statewide.
Tutorow reminds you that you may not buy a harvest-objective permit if you've already obtained a limited-entry cougar permit for the 2009–2010 season.
Before each hunting trip, you must call 1-888-668-LION (5466), or visit the DWR's Web site, to verify that the unit you'd like to hunt the next day is still open to hunting. The phone line and the Web site are updated by noon with information for the following day.
For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.
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