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Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Bryce • Tropic • Antimony • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder • Fremont • Loa • Lyman Bicknell • Teasdale • Torrey • Grover • Fruita • Caineville • Hanksville
Helicopters, “Muggers” Capture Pronghorn in Southern Utah
Thursday, December 25, 2014 • Issue # 1078
The Sounds of Christmas
Two days of hard work led to the capture of 236 Wayne County pronghorn for distribution to other parts of Utah
Carolers from “Rough Around the Edges” preparing for “The Sounds of Christmas” program. Left to right: Cody Clark, Janet Adams, James Adams, Linda Ward and Pat Menefee. TORREY - The town of Torrey hosted an inter-faith Christmas program entitled “The Sounds of Christmas” on the evening of December 14. The Sunday night crowd of over 250 enjoyed a choir, instrumental music, a dramatic presentation and the spoken word as performed by members of Baptist, Catholic, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other faiths. Community and church leaders felt that an inter-faith Christmas program would benefit everyone, and it has. Because of the overwhelming success of the evening it is felt this will become an annual event. —Beth Bogedahl Photos courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
On the sage flats on Parker Mountain south of Loa, pronghorn were funneled into a containment area by helicopter and by wildlife managers on foot during a capture and relocation effort on December 16. LOA - As the sun peaked over the mountain tops on Dec. 16, the sound of helicopter blades pounded across the sage flats south of Loa and Bicknell in south-central Utah. The sound of the choppers was a sure sign that biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources were conducting a pronghorn capture in Wayne County. “The Parker Mountain area produces a lot of pronghorn,” said Teresa Griffin, regional wildlife manager for the DWR. “Over the years, we’ve captured thousands of pronghorn here. After capturing them, we moved them to various locations across Utah. We’ve also given some to other states.” Capturing pronghorn requires helicopters and a lot of helping hands. Skillful pilots round the pronghorn up by flying low over the sagebrush, driving the animals toward a large funnel-shaped corral. “Pronghorn can run faster than 60 miles per hour,” Griffin said, “so herding them can be very tricky. These pilots have to be the best in the business just to keep up with them.” After passing the mouth of the trap, the sides of the trap slowly taper to a small gate. When the pronghorn pass the open gate, it closes behind them, enclosing the animals in a curtain-shrouded pen. Once the animals are in the pen, the labor really begins. “Muggers” with heavy clothes, eye protection and gloves move into the pen and tackle the animals to the ground. After subduing the animals, blood samples are taken, and some of the pronghorn are fitted with ear-tags or identification collars. Then, they’re loaded into horse trailers for transport to their new homes. The Dec. 16 – 17 op-
eration netted a total of 236 pronghorn, a small portion of the 2,150 pronghorn estimated on the unit. (The management objective for the unit is 1,500). On the same day the animals were captured, they were released in northeastern Utah, southeastern Utah and the central part of the state. The
pronghorn will bolster herds in those areas that can use a few more animals. More than 150 people assisted in the trapping effort. They included personnel with the DWR, the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Members of sportsman's organizations and many other volunteers also helped.
“We could not have pulled this off without all of the help,” Griffin said. “All those hands are what made the capture operation successful. I am so grateful for all of the people who helped and the love they have for wildlife.” —Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
During the pronghorn relocation effort, dozens of Utah DWR staff, federal land managers and volunteers served as "muggers" who, working in pairs, would capture and quiet an animal for transport. DWR wildlife manager Jim Lamb stressed during instructions to the group that it is "a very fun but also a potentially dangerous" activity. Muggers wore eye protection and were told to "take care of yourself first and also respect the animal." Following capture, pronghorn were loaded onto trailers for relocation to our other parts of the state and were released to their new homes on the same day.
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Proposes Fee Increase PAGE, AZ - Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is proposing an increase to entrance, camping, and boat use fees in accordance with direction from the National Park Service authorizing all park units to conduct stakeholder outreach through civic engagement to gauge support for possible fee changes. Recreation fees were first collected in 1998 and the last increase occurred in 2006. If approved, the changes would begin in May 2015 to align with the new National Park standard entrance-fee schedule. The Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act permits the collection of recreation fees. Under this law 80% of fees collected return to the park to support projects that directly benefit visitors. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument are strong economic engines for the surrounding area. In 2012 visitors spent $190 million in communities near the park returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service. Over the years, costs to maintain infrastructure and facilities that support the visitor experience have increased. The additional revenue from the proposed fee increase would be used to enhance
visitor services, including courtesy docks, boat pumpout facilities, aids to navigation, and lake access. Visitors would also benefit from new hiking trails and rehabilitation of existing hiking trails, campground rehabilitation, new and rehabilitated backcountry campsites, graffiti and trash removal, a new water treatment plant at Lees Ferry, enhanced protection of cultural and natural resources, and additional interpretive media and ranger programs. Additional revenue would also be used to fund very expensive projects that maintain lake access during fluctuating water levels, such as ramp extensions and the Castle Rock cut. The proposed new fee rates listed below would be phased-in annually over three years beginning in May of 2015. This new rate structure would bring Glen Canyon in line with other large park units in the region. The Interagency Senior and Annual Pass prices would remain the same, as would commercial tour fees. Interagency Access and Military Passes remain available at no charge. All motorized vessels would be charged a full fee and discounts for additional Glen Canyon Fees Cont'd on page 2
And the Winner Is.... LOA - On Friday, December 12 the winners were chosen by popular vote in the first Annual Royal's Foodtown Sewing Challenge. Winners are Marsha Chappell, first, with her Christmas Quilt; Sherry Ellett, second, with her Christmas Wallhanging and Kenra Stephenson, third, with a clever Christmas Bag. Congratulations to all. With just a panel of flannel Christmas Print, everyone was challenged to sew something and turn in into the store. There were pajamas, apron, tree skirt, pillows, quilt, wallhangings, purse, sweatshirt and tablerunner. The talent and diversity was well represented with these clever sewing projects. Participants were Holly Peterson, Colene Gardner, Sherry Ellett, Mary Sorenson, Monte Laing, Marsha Chappell, Kenry Stephenson and Karen Ellett. Please pick up your items and gifts at the store this week. —Marsha Chappell
REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
THURS. DEC. 25 - WED. DEC. 31 COLDER and snow possible Christmas day. Partly to mostly cloudy the remainder of the week with highs during the week in the 20s and low 30s, lows dipping into single digits.
Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud. —Maya Angelou
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PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID RICHFIELD, UTAH PERMIT No. 122