The Wayne & Garfield County Insider October 9, 2025

Want to See Sandhill Cranes in the Wild?

Attend 2

DWR Events

This Fall

VERNAL - Each fall, bird-watchers travel to western states to see sandhill cranes in the wild, but if you live near a field in the Uintah Basin, you’re no stranger to the loud, rattling call of these large migratory birds. If you have never seen or heard one up close, you will have the opportunity at some upcoming Utah Division of Wildlife Resources viewing events.

Sandhill cranes are unique birds. They perform unique dancing and courtship rituals and then choose the best-performing bird as their mate. The birds typically lay two eggs in the spring, and the parents and juveniles spend the first winter together and then separate the following spring.

Cranes use their extra-long legs as defense mechanisms, often kicking violently when at-

Sandhill Cranes

Cont'd on B4

FISHLAKE N.F. - In the midst of heavy rains on Friday, September 26, 2025, local politicians, federal employees, conservationists, and community members huddled under a

tent in the upper reaches of Pando to celebrate the successful installation of new wildlife fencing. With the recent completion of the fencing project, over 80% of Pando, the world’s larg-

est documented living tree, now lies within protected zones. Lance Oditt, founder and executive director of Friends of Pando, a nonprofit dedicated to the

CITY - The Dixie National ForestCedar City Ranger District will begin vegetation treatments in First Left Hand Canyon south of Parowan along Forest Service Route 30049 locally

The treatments will be completed in cooperation with Iron County, Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the Cedar City Field Office of the Bureau of Land Manage

protection of this unique tree, chose the spot in Upper Pando for the gathering since it was the site of

Pando

Cont'd on B2

Horizons Crisis Center

RICHFIELD - Every October, survivors, advocates, and communities across the country pause to reflect and stand in solidarity during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. First observed as a “Day of Unity” in October 1981, Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) has since become a nationally recognized time to unite advocates and communities everywhere in their efforts to end domestic violence. Of course, for those of us who work to end domestic violence, the mission of awareness doesn’t stop at the end of October.

Founded in 1988, New Horizons Crisis Center has been a cornerstone for survivors across five rural counties. Our mission is to encircle, educate, and empower survivors and their children to understand the cycle of domestic violence and to break it. We offer

Awareness Month Cont'd on B2

artist Howard Hutchison won the People's Choice award at the 2025 Escalante Canyons Art Festival.

ESCALANTE - The 2025 Escalante Canyons Art Festival (ECAF), which took place from September 19 - 28, brought artists, locals, and visitors together once again to cel-

ebrate creativity against the backdrop of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Over ten days, artists painted across the region before gathering at the exhibit tent for judging and awards. Workshops in printmaking, plein air, ab-

Letters to the Editor

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Your thoughts, opinions, and notes to the community are important to us and we welcome your submissions of 500 words or less

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It’s been a somber ten days; many are mourning the loss of conservative activist Charles James Kirk, who was murdered on the campus of Utah Valley University while having an open discussion with students. He was shot in the neck only feet away from his wife (Erika) and two young daughters. Kirk was the founder of Turning Point USA, which openly engaged young Americans on college campuses and has been very effective in promoting conservative ideas on campus.

Charlie represented the very best in civil discourse, open dialogue, and always engaged political opponents with respect, courtesy, and a willingness to listen and understand.

Driven by his deep Chris-

Tribute to Charles J. Kirk

tian faith; he showed love, kindness, and compassion to others, even during times of intense disagreement. He was often berated by angry college students, but he never seemed to lose his cool or engage in the same rabid hatred that was so often extended to him.

Agree or disagree with his beliefs, there is a lot we can learn from Charlie Kirk. The most obvious thing should be that political violence is never justified. He was murdered because someone couldn’t stand that he openly expressed the things he believed. Any celebration of his murder is vile, and any instance of employers firing employees that make celebratory remarks online is very well deserved.

Another take away

from Kirk is how he engaged in civil discourse— the man literally built a multi-million-dollar business on platforming individuals who disagreed with him and having an open, honest discussion. I see no harm in learning to peacefully engage with people who may not share the same values or beliefs. Charlie once stated: “When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence, that’s when civil war happens. Because you start to think the other side is so evil and they lose their humanity.”

So let’s talk and have honest discussions about public policy.

I think we should also tone down the sensationalist rhetoric and be mindful of how we refer to our fellow Americans…blithely

Opinion

throwing around accusations of racism, transphobia, xenophobia, etc or calling people Nazis, fascists, white supremacists, etc does a lot to create a polarized environment that can quickly turn us against each other…so knock it off. Have the intellectual maturity to express policy differences without shamelessly smearing your fellow Americans.

Charlie Kirk will be deeply missed by many. He gave us a shining example of how to engage with others who may disagree with us and not lose sight of our shared humanity. Anyone who thinks that an assassin’s bullet silenced him is sorely mistaken. Rest in Peace, Charlie…we’ll take it from here.

Daniel Lee Gardner

Local Newspapers Keep Communities Strong

U.S. - Strong communities don’t just happen. They rely on connection—residents knowing what’s going on, businesses reaching the customers who keep them open, and citizens having the facts to make good decisions.

Local newspapers provide that connection in ways no other source can.

In today’s fractured media environment, trust is the rarest commodity. Confidence in “the media” is low. Only 18% of Americans say they trust news on social platforms, and fewer than one in four trust cable networks. But nearly twothirds say they trust their local newspaper—more than double the confidence placed in most other outlets.

In an era when anyone can post anything online, that clarity makes newspapers stand apart.

Newspapers provide the facts that keep civic life running: city budgets, school board debates, and local elections that rarely

by Dean Ridings | America’s Newspapers

make national headlines but matter most to daily life. They also highlight the stories that make a community feel connected: high school sports, neighborhood events, new restaurants, and profiles of people who make a difference.

Your local newspapers have evolved to meet readers where they are—on websites, mobile apps, and email newsletters. What hasn’t changed are the standards. Accuracy, ethics, and accountability still guide the work. That combination of modern delivery and traditional integrity is why people continue to turn to their local paper.

The same trust strengthens the local economy. Research shows consumers act on newspaper ads more than on ads delivered by TV, radio, or digital platforms. People see local business advertising as part of the same reliable package as the news. For a small business competing with national chains and online platforms, no other channel

delivers the same impact. When residents trust the paper, they trust the businesses that support it.

The absence of a local paper leaves a mark. Voter turnout declines. Fewer residents attend public meetings. Government oversight weakens and borrowing costs rise. Small businesses lose their most effective way to reach local customers. And without a trusted source tying things together, misinformation and partisan spin spread faster, fueling confusion and division.

The opposite is true when newspapers are strong. Residents are better informed, more engaged, and more connected to each other. Businesses grow because they can reach customers in a trusted environment. Communities share a common set of facts that helps debate happen on the issues—not on whether the information is real.

But this role depends on support. Subscriptions, advertising, and community engagement make it

possible for newspapers to continue earning the trust that communities depend on. A strong local newspaper doesn’t solve every challenge a town faces, but it makes civic life, local culture, and the local economy all work better. Healthy communities are stronger when their local newspaper is strong. Supporting the paper is one of the most direct ways residents and businesses can invest in their own future.

America’s Newspapers is a national trade association representing nearly 1,700 members across the country. Our mission is to educate the public about the value of newspapers, protect the First Amendment, advocate for newspapers’ interests at the federal and state levels, and provide resources to help newspapers grow audience and revenue. We are committed to ensuring that newspapers continue to play a vital role in informing, connecting, and strengthening local communities.

Insider The

News from Wayne County

Elijah Cutler Behunin

by Adus F. Dorsey

WAYNE CO. - To write, think or speak about the history of Wayne County without making mention of Elijah Cutler Behunin should be considered a felony, a "faux pas” offence so socially inept that at the very least one should be sentenced to a minimum of fifteen days of gathering up plastic bags at the Wayne County dump.

When Max Robinson spoke about Elijah Cutler Behunin, it was as if he was referring to some great biblical figure, perhaps in the same realm of importance as Abraham, Moses, or Noah. As was the case, and in Max’s nature, it was not uncommon for him to slowly slip into the character of the person he was lecturing about and in such a manner as to make you feel like you were a wide-eyed eightyear-old, sitting at his knee and hearing the story first hand from the likes of Charles Dickens himself.

Elijah Cutler Behunin was born on 7 November 1847, in Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States. His father, Isaac Behunin, was 44 and his mother, Elmina Polly Tyler, was 36, which was not uncommon in the days when families were larger and parents were often older. It is written that the family crossed the plains when Elijah was only three-years-old, and, as told many times, Elijah recollected that he had a faint memory of crossing the Platte River. The family arrived in Salt Lake City in 1850, a mere three years after Brother Brigham set up from his bed in the back of a wagon and proclaimed, “This is the place.”

In a biography submitted by Marge Becraft, after the Behunin family arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley, they first settled in Provo, Utah, Utah Territory, then eventually made their way to Sanpete County. Of note, Fort Ephraim was first settled by Elijah’s father, Isaac. All alone, they pulled together what they had and constructed a dugout and cupboard for storing things, which left them with a spot about the size of a postage stamp to sleep. In the front of the dugout, they fabricated a shelter with their wagon covers as the roof, and there they lived next to Pine Creek.

It was while still living at Fort Ephriam in 1855, and at the age of eight years, that young Elijah Cutler was dutifully dipped in the waters of Pine Creek and baptized into the Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Behunins continued to live at Fort Ephraim until 1860 when Elijah turned 13.

In 1865, the wellknown Jake Arapeen and John Lowry Jr. incident in Manti marked the official beginning of open warfare between Native Americans and the settlers. It was the contention of both parties that they had exclusive rights to the land, and after the first altercation, it was apparent that both groups could no longer live together peacefully. Fearing for their safety, the Behunins chose to spend the winter in Manti, and as a result of the hostilities, Elijah enlisted as a soldier in the Black Hawk War under leadership of Major James T.S. Allred.

In 1854, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints established a Native American mission in Santa Clara, two miles northwest of present-day St. George. The church then set up experimental farms in the St. George Valley in 18571858. In October 1861, church leaders called 309 families to convene the Cotton Mission, the Behunins were one of those families.

As fate would have it, twenty-year-old Elijah met and eventually married Tabitha Jane Earl on 22 March 1868, at Rockville, Utah. They were sealed in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, on 11 November 1874.

In the fall of 1882, President Thurber called on Elijah C. Behunin from Sevier County to go down into present day Caineville to open the little valley for more settlers. Once again, on the 7th of November 1882, together with their family and their belongings in a wagon, the Behunins turned their backs to Sevier County and their faces to the sun and made the onehundred-mile trek into unknown territory.

There were no roads from the town of Torrey on down into this desolate valley, so they were compelled to build a road as they traveled. They reached the small valley twelve days later. On Nov. 18th, 1882, having traveled a hundred miles, they cleared a spot of ground and built a little log cabin, that to this very day still stands as a reminder of their pioneer existence.

The following spring, they tilled the soil, planted and raised a crop, and that same year, several families also came to settle there. A town was organized and named Caineville in honor of Utah's representative to Congress, John T. Caine. The Behunins lived there

Bowery Creek: The goal of these treatments is to reduce the risk of high severity wildfire and improve wildlife habitat in First Left Hand Canyon, including within the 5 Mile picnic area. These goals will be accomplished by hand crews and heavy equipment removing conifers in aspen, sagebrush, and riparian vegetation types, as well as thinning the understory of ponderosa pine stands. Nonnative, invasive Russian Olive will also be removed from portions of Bowery Creek. Similar treatments are also planned on neighboring land ownerships along Parowan Creek, in Second Left Hand Canyon, and in Coop Valley.

Bowery Creek Cont'd from A1

ment, and multiple private landowners. Funding is through the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative.

for a few years, and then moved on up the country to a place called Notom. From there, they moved to Emery County, Utah. Much sickness ensued and compelled the Behunins to leave there, so they packed up and moved back to Caineville. But not being satisfied with their home, they bought a place at Fruita, Wayne County, and there they lived for several years, farming and raising fruit. They were quite content and happy raising their family in Fruita, but misfortune overtook them, and their home burned down.

From Fruita, they moved to Fish Creek at the base of Boulder Mountain. There they prospered until life for them became “just too lonely,” so they purchased a home in Torrey, where they were welcomed with open arms and were pillars of the community.

As hard as it might be to imagine, Elijah and Tabitha produced fourteen children. It is also without a doubt that Elijah C. Behunin and Jane Earl built many homes in different parts of southern Utah, five of which were built in Wayne County.

When it came to community service, Elijah Cutler Behunin always chose the short straw. Church leaders could count on the stalwart Elijah to be standing front and center when new locations needed to be explored and settled, and if there wasn’t a road there, he built one and was always on the road with shovels and rope to help others get there.

From 1913 to 1915, Elijah and Tabitha volunteered time at the St. George, Utah, Latter-day Saint Temple.

8 November 1933, Elijah Cutler Behunin died in a car wreck at age 82, along with his son-in-law, Munn Cannon, in Sevier County, Utah. Tabitha Earl Behunin died in 1934 in Torrey, Utah. Both Elijah and Tabitha left a true and lasting legacy of the Utah pioneer spirit.

References: Memories FamilySearch; "Rainbow Views," Anne Snow; National Park Service records; and conversations with Max Robinson, Torrey. In remembrance of Grandma Barbra Pace

The goal of these treatments is to reduce the risk of high severity wildfire and improve wildlife habitat in First Left Hand Canyon, including within the 5 Mile picnic area. These goals will be accomplished by hand crews and heavy equipment removing conifers in aspen, sagebrush, and riparian vegetation types, as well as thinning the understory of ponderosa

pine stands. Nonnative, invasive Russian Olive will also be removed from portions of Bowery Creek. Similar treatments are also planned on neighboring land ownerships along Parowan Creek, in Second Left Hand Canyon, and in Coop Valley.

Travelers in the area should use caution and be aware of crews and heavy equipment working alongside roadways and within the 5 Mile picnic area.

All proposed treatments will reduce fuel loading to help reduce wildfire risk to critical infrastructure along SH143, to Forest and County infra-

structure located in First Left Hand Canyon, and to structures on private land. Removing conifers from aspen, sagebrush and riparian communities should also improve habitat for big game, wild turkeys, and other wildlife.

More than 1,150 acres have been identified for treatment and project implementation will extend throughout the winter into the spring of 2026. More information about the project can be found at https://wri. utah.gov/wri/project/title. html?id=7402.

—Dixie National Forest

Tourism Spending: Visitors to Glen Canyon

National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument enjoy land and water recreation and the scenic, scientific, natural, and cultural resources of Lake Powell, the Colorado River, and surrounding lands. Tourism to these National Park sites supports local businesses, sustains jobs, and provides vital revenue to nearby communities. We are deeply grateful to the communities and businesses that help welcome our visitors and provide services that enhance their experience.

—Jake Ohlson, Park Superintendent Tourism Spending Cont'd from A1

The National Park Service report, "2024 National Park Visitor Spending Effects," finds that visitors spent $29 billion in communities near national parks. This spending provided $18.8 billion in labor income and $56.3 in economic output to the U.S. economy. The lodging sector had the highest direct contributions with $11.1 billion in economic output. Restaurants received the next greatest direct contributions with $5.7 billion in economic output.

“Visitors to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Rainbow Bridge National Monument enjoy land and water recreation and the scenic, scientific, natural, and cultural resources of Lake Powell, the Colorado River, and surrounding lands,” said Jake Ohlson, Park Superintendent. “Tourism to these National Park sites supports local businesses, sustains jobs, and provides vital revenue to nearby communities. We are deeply grateful to the communities and businesses that help welcome our visitors and provide services that enhance their experience.”

An interactive tool is available to explore visitor spending, labor income, and total economic contribution by sector for national, state and local economies. Users can also view year-by-year trend data. The interactive tool and report are available on the NPS website. To learn more about national parks in Arizona and Utah and how the National Park Service works with Arizona and Utah communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps. gov/arizona and www. nps.gov/utah.

—National Park Service

Adus F. Dorsey II

The Behunin Cabin in what is now Capitol Reef National Park.

Wills, Trusts, and More

Writing Your Own Will

A holographic will is a will that is written entirely in your own handwriting. No witnesses are required, and no portion of the will may be typed. If you type some or all of the words, or you incorporate other markings or other documents into the text, you could inadvertently invalidate the will.

The idea behind holographic wills is that since the entire document is in a person's handwriting, there is no need for witnesses to sign it to establish its validity. Holographic wills don't need to be notarized either, but they do need to be signed.

Most lawyers would tell you it's a bad idea to write your own will because you can easily create ambiguities and other defects that can lead to litigation following your death. This is especially true in second marriage situations when one or both spouses have children from prior marriages or relationships.

If you decide to write your own will, you should be sure to say in the introductory sentence that it is your will, and that you are

by Jeffery J. McKenna

revoking all prior wills. If you don't revoke all prior wills, your handwritten will and any other wills that have not been revoked will be looked at together to determine who inherits your estate. As you may expect, problems arise when the various documents conflict.

Be sure to identify each bequest clearly and to give away all of your property. A frequent problem with handwritten wills is that they list some accounts and properties, but then leave out others. Property that you don't mention in your will passes to your heirs as determined by the courts. Your heirs may not be the same persons named in your will, and may not be the ones you would have chosen to receive the assets. Also, going to court and figuring out who your heirs are can be an expensive and time-consuming matter. In addition, courts will require two witnesses who are familiar with your handwriting to testify that the will was, in fact, writ-

ten by you.

It's often the case that handwritten wills don't name a personal representative. Failure to name a personal representative could result in an administration of your estate that is fully court-supervised, expensive, and lengthy.

Another important provision that is often left out of a holographic will is a waiver of bond. When you don't request a waiver, the judge can require that your personal representative post a bond. Sometimes, it's not possible to even get a bond, and if your personal representative can get one, it is generally expensive.

There are a number of other provisions that should be included in wills that the average person would almost certainly leave out of a holographic will.

Handwritten wills are valid if they are properly drafted. However, they are almost always more difficult to probate than typed wills.

Now with Richfield and Panguitch offices to serve clients in and around the surrounding counties.

Jeffery J. McKenna is a local attorney whose practice has been focused on Estate Planning for over 25 years. He is licensed and serves clients in Utah, Arizona and Nevada. He is a shareholder at the law firm of Barney, McKenna and Olmstead.

If you have questions you would like addressed in these articles, please feel free to contact him at 435 628-1711 or jeff@bmo.law or visit the firm’s website at www.bmolawfirm.com. He would enjoy hearing from you.

country roads

by Lynn Griffin

2 Crows

Two crows were in a field when they noticed a figure that looked like a man in the distance.

"See that over there? What is that," says the first crow. The second crows takes a long look, "That's a scarecrow. Looks authentic, doesn't it."

"How can you tell it's a scarecrow and not a person," replies the first crow.

"Look at it's hand. No cellphone," says the second crow.

First Day of School

Kid going to his first day of school, he looks worried, his dad asks him, "What's wrong?"

Nervous, the kid asks, "How long do I have to go to school for?"

"Until you're 18", says the father.

The kid nods, and thinks about this quietly.

When they get to the front gates of the school, the kid says, "Dad, you will remember to come and get me when I'm 18, won't you?"

New Phone

My daughter want's the new iPhone for her birthday. I told her she will get one as long as she has good grades, does her chores, and follows the house rules. Otherwise she will get a cheaper phone. It's my way or the Huawei.

THEME:

World Series

ACROSS

1. Treble, bass and alto

6. OB-GYN test

9. Hoodlum

13. *In 1921, the World Series was first broadcast on it

14. Tribute poem

15. Cursor mover

16. Same as Amir

17. Neither here ____ there

18. *Any member of the 2002 World Series champs

19. *World Series trophy presenter, Rob ____

21. *2024 World Series winners

23. "___ and the City"

24. German industrial valley

25. Gift topper

28. Kids' building block

30. *Player with most career World Series home runs

35. Good vs ____

37. Ball of yarn

39. Offspring

40. Thespian's part

41. Shasta and Tab, e.g.

43. Singer Tori ____

44. Potato masher alternative

46. Fox coat, e.g.

47. Hokkaido native

48. Put on a pedestal

50. Just manages, with "out"

52. *2005 World Series MVP, Jermaine ____

Time unit

Polar toy-maker

*Team with most World Series wins

*2024 World Series MVP Freddie ____

Met's offering

Legal grp.

Give the slip

Send, as payment

Toothy fish

Directions

A fellow was walking along a country road when he came upon a farmer working in his field. The man called out to the farmer, "How long will it take me to get to the next town?"

The farmer didn't answer. The guy waited a bit and then started walking again. After the man had gone about a hundred yards, the farmer yelled out "About 20 minutes!"

"Thank you. But why didn't you tell me that when I asked you?"

"Didn't know how fast you could walk".

Elaine Coombs Roundy

BOULDER - Our beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, Elaine Coombs Roundy, passed away on September 30th in her home in Boulder, Utah.

Elaine was born on Mar 27, 1931, to Ephraim Hyrum Coombs and Florence Mary Snow Coombs. She was the middle child, #7 of 15 children in her family.

Elaine attended elementary school in Boulder at a one-room schoolhouse through the 7th grade, then her teacher decided that she and her 2 classmates were bright enough to skip the 8th grade. Her mother reluctantly agreed to let her go away to school because there was no high school in Boulder. So, at age 13, she moved to Teasdale, in Wayne County, Utah, to attend Wayne County High School. She lived with her mother’s sister, Anne Snow. Aunt Anne was the Superintendent of the schools in Wayne County. Coming from a big family, living with her single aunt, she often felt lonely.

During the next few years, she lived in different apartments in Bicknell with her sisters, Theresa, Anne, and Karen, to be closer to the school. Because the road over Boulder Mountain wasn’t paved, she couldn’t get home very often during the school year.

After graduating from high school, she moved to Salt Lake City, where she attended LDS Business College and worked at a movie theater as an usherette. She loved seeing all the new movies.

She met Uvon Roundy at a rodeo in Boulder, where she was a Rodeo Queen.

They were married on December 4, 1951, and made their home in Escalante. While there, their first child, Melanie, was born.

They moved to SLC so Uvon could work with his brother-in-law in the carpet business. They lived up on the Avenues. Wendell was born while they lived there.

They bought a new home in Kearns, in a cookie-cutter neighborhood. Twins, Camille and Claudia, and a son, Wesley, were born during those years.

When a job opportunity opened up in Boulder, they decided to move back home. (Actually, Uvon decided to move, and Elaine came kicking and screaming all the way.)

In 1961, they moved into a cinder block home in Lower Boulder, where the winter cold frosted the windows with thick frosty designs and the green summer fields became a playground for their children. Brenda was born while living in this area. Later, her father, Ephraim Coombs, decided to sell them his home, so they bought it and moved uptown. Roberta was born after they moved there.

Elaine spent most of her child-rearing years as a stay-at-home mom, busy with church service, community, and school activities with her children. She sewed her kid’s clothes and doll clothes. She spent summers gardening, canning, and quilting. She grocery shopped once a month in Richfield, traveling 3 to 4 hours each time. She processed milk, made butter, and helped process the pigs and chickens they raised, as well as the game brought home during hunting season.

She enjoyed visits from family and friends, especially family reunions when her siblings with their children came to stay in her home. She enjoyed getting to know her nieces and nephews and maintained a good relationship with many of them throughout the years.

She loved seeing and caring for her grandchildren, she loved visiting with friends and family, and had a ready smile and contagious laugh for all she met.

She held many positions of service and leadership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While in Salt Lake City and Kearns, she served in the YW and as Primary chorister. In Boulder, she was rotated through callings and leadership in the Young Women, Relief Society, and Primary, possibly holding most of the callings in each auxiliary, many times. One of her favorite callings was primary chorister. She accepted callings and worked in the church until her health prohibited her from doing so.

On October 15, 1976, her husband, Uvon Roundy, passed away after a struggle with heart problems, leaving Elaine with 3 teenagers in high school, two daughters in college, a son out working in the world, and a daughter on a mission. Her jobs to support the family consisted of reading meters for Garkane Power, Relief Clerk at the post office, Clerk at Halls Store, and quilting for clients. In the small community of Boulder, she had very few prospects of better work. She also worked odd jobs to keep her kids in the local schools. She worked for the water company as secretary, baked for the cafe and locals, cleaned houses for summer visitors, and worked at the Visitor’s Booth. Her pies were legendary. She retired happily at the age of 80.

Life was not all work. She enjoyed traveling. She traveled to Arizona, seeing the Grand Canyon, to California to visit family and to see Disneyland, and to San Francisco. She traveled to Salt Lake City often for the General Conferences, where she also visited family. She visited Alaska when one of her daughters lived on a remote island and got to witness and help with the home birth of a granddaughter. Later, one of her daughters worked for an airline and took her to see the world on standby tickets. They visited France, the British Isles, Greece, Boston, and Ireland, where she kissed the Blarney stone. Later, she went on an Alaskan cruise with her sister, Sarah May, and her family.

She was born during the great depression, in a cabin with 2 rooms, a loft, and no indoor plumbing. She saw many amazing changes in the world over her life span, many wars, amazing inventions, from crank phones to cell phones and the internet. Her greatgrandchildren can’t even imagine the world she grew up in.

Elaine is survived by her 7 children, Melanie (Shawn) Christensen, Wendell Roundy, Claudia (Scott) Simpson, Camille (Andrew) Anderson, Wesley (Sheri) Roundy, Brenda (the late Jimmy) Woolsey, and Roberta (Randy) Hightower.

Siblings: brother, Vard (Mary Jane) Coombs; sister, Sarah May Hansen Miller; sister-in-law, Carol Coombs; sister-in-law, Dot Coombs.

She has 28 grandchildren and 47 great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Uvon Roundy; parents, Ephraim Hyrum and Florence Mary Coombs; siblings, Clinton (Mary) Coombs; Kay (Meryl) Coombs; Ross Coombs; Eva (Gene) Whitaker; stillborn twin to Sarah May Hansen; Karen (Paul) Kramer; Theresa Coombs; Anne (Karl) Spencer; Larry Coombs; Mary (Richard) Lyman; Anthony Coombs; Alonzo Coombs; her son-in-law Jimmy Woolsey; and grandson, Taylin Seth Anderson.

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 12:00 Noon in the Boulder Ward Chapel located at 180 East 300 North, Boulder, Utah.

Viewing will be from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Interment will be in the Boulder Cemetery, located on Highway 12, north of town.

Funeral Directors are Magleby Mortuary, Richfield, Salina, and Manti.

An online guestbook can be found at www.maglebymortuary.com.

SkyWatcher Leo T

Craters of the Moon, Two Comets, and the Roman Goddess

SPACE - As we dive right out of September and into October, fall is evident with leaves turning yellow, orange and red in the hills, mountains, and canyons. The temperatures are dropping as Earth quenching rain falls at times. The waxing crescent Moon crosses Scorpius on its way to a meeting with Saturn, as the Moon's own sunrise line unveils more and more lunar features for viewing.

October is a good month for watching the Moon, as it shows off the Copernicus crater in Oceanus Procellarum. Visible to the naked eye, it becomes stunning through a telescope with terraced walls, a central peak, and rays extending hundreds of miles. This is one of the best times of the month to see it in detail.

More Moon magic follows with a crater that sticks out with the naked eye. Kepler is a small, but striking, twenty-mile-wide crater, gleaming west of Copernicus in the dark plain of Oceanus Procellarum. Its sharp rim and bright ejecta rays make it visible without magnification.

Wow, what a sky, and it doesn't stop over in the southern direction. Along with the Moon, Saturn and Neptune pair up with the nearly full moon on Sunday night. Whether you're gazing with binoculars or exploring lunar geology through a telescope, there's plenty to enjoy under this week's skies.

Also flashing through the skies of our solar system in this same area is Comet C/2025 R2 known as the "Swan." The Swan has been

by Leonard Thomas

making an appearance in the southern hemisphere. In mid-September, this comet came closest to the sun, and an outburst brightened the Swan greatly.

Earthlings in the southern hemisphere have been seeing some incredible images, as the comet swings past blue Spica and Mars in the south. We in the northern hemisphere should start to see the comet about forty-five minutes after sunset in the southern skies, riding low on the horizon and travelling through Libra. It appeared close to one of my favorite stars, Zubenelgenubi, on October 1st. To find it, look for Mars and Spica, low in the southern skies. Get out the binoculars, and, as the sky darkens, the comet should eventually pop out.

While the Swan is in our field of vision, it is actually not physically near Mars, but our other favorite comet, Comet 3I/ATLAS, is actually streaking physically toward Mars in the same area of viewing from Earth. ATLAS comes from the center of the galaxy, as its chemical aurora glow changes from red to green.

The European Space Agency is redirecting their Mars Express Orbiter to catch a glimpse of Comet 3I/ATLAS close up.

Also in this same area, we can view Ceres, the largest dwarf planet in the asteroid belt, which can be located two finger widths to the upper right, or celestial west, of the medium-bright star Eta Ceti in Cetus the whale, with far brighter Saturn shining well to the upper right. Ceres will ascend

Ceres

the southeastern sky during evening, and then reach its highest elevation and best observing position when due south around 1 a.m. (local time). So, lets have a comet, planet, moon, and star party.

In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the central deity in Rome's Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter, Proserpina, in what Romans described as "the Greek rites of Ceres." Her seven-day April festival of Cerealia included the popular Ludi Ceriales (Ceres's games). She was also honoured in the May lustratio of the fields at the Ambarvalia festival at harvest time. She is usually depicted as a mature woman.

Checking in on the Aretemis II mission from NASA, engineers continue to work on many aspects as they get ready to attempt the launch next April. The biggest challenge to overcome at this time is the heat shield, which is the lifeline for re-entry.

Stay tuned, and keep looking up, looking around, and getting just a little bit lost in space. Leonard Thomas has a Bachelor of Science degree in Comprehensive Broadcasting and worked as a park ranger as a star guide at Capitol Reef National Park. He is a resident of Torrey, Utah, and is the creator of the podcast SkyWatcher Leo T, which is available to listen to on Spotify.

Art Festival: The 2025 Escalante Canyons Art Festival, which took place from September 19 - 28, brought artists, locals, and visitors together once again to celebrate creativity against the backdrop of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.

Kathryn Chamberlain

Mark Saunto and Vicki Wren hold the painting they purchased from Scott Geary, a New Mexico–based artist and longtime regular at the 2025 Escalante Canyons Art Festival on Saturday, Sept. 27. Art Festival Cont'd from A1

stracts, pastels, and poetry filled the week, alongside roving talks

on native plants, geology, bats, and Escalante’s historic district.

Music curated by Ephraim Schwartz carried across the festival grounds,

while author Zak Podmore drew nearly two hundred people to Escalante High School with his new book Life After Dead Pool Demonstrations, quilt

displays at Escalante's Old Community Center, and wood carvings by featured artists Dwight and Jaleen Vance highlighted the range of work on display.

Dwight and Jaleen Vance, who divide their time between Texas and Escalante, showcase their awardwinning wood carvings at the 2025

this year’s ECAF featured artists.

Community Invited to Cedar City Hospital’s Annual Free Family Health Fair & Flu Shot Clinic

CEDAR CITY - Intermountain Cedar City Hospital will hold its annual Family Health Fair and Flu Clinic on Saturday, October 11, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m, and is inviting the community to attend to enjoy multiple health resources and fun activities.

“This year’s health fair is focused on providing a healthy and fun event for family members of all ages. We have added some interactive events alongside our screening and health booths, that we hope will encourage healthy lifestyles,” said Rachelle Hughes, communications manager for Intermountain Cedar City Hospital. “In addition, we have added a couple of events that are part of Iron County’s America 250 celebration this year and will honor our love of community.”

Dozens of free booths and health education opportunities will line Intermountain Cedar City Hospital’s main entrance concourse.

Booths will include free health screenings, a Flu Shot Clinic with Southwest Utah Public Health Department, a Teddy Bear Clinic for children 12 years and under (an America 250 event), car seat checks by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, and a Liberty Walk on the hospital’s trail (an America 250 event.)

The Southwest Public Health Department will

on October 11

hold the Flu Shot Clinic to administer low or no-cost flu shots.

October is typically when influenza rates start to increase and the new immunizations become readily available, setting the health fair as the perfect time to get immunized for the flu season.

The community can plan ahead and save time by visiting SWUhealth. org/flu for more information on the flu shot and to prefill out consent forms.

This year’s Teddy Bear Clinic is a new addition to the annual health fair and will allow children to bring their own teddy bear, or receive a free teddy bear, that they can bring to the clinic to get medical treatment for their “patient.”

A teddy bear clinic is meant to help children feel more comfortable with medical environments and procedures. Free teddy bears will be available to the first 150 children.

During the liberty walk event, participants are invited to walk the Cedar City Hospital trail and find flag stations where they will receive a sticker or stamp for their passport book, that is picked up inside the health fair. Participants receive walking swag and an entry for an outdoor active lifestyle prize basket. For more information call 435-8685828.

—Intermountain Health

Report: Utah Utilities Slow to Move on Clean Energy Conversion

by Mark Richardson | Utah News Connection

UTAH - Utilities across the West are failing in their commitments to reduce their use of fossil fuels, including those in Utah.

The "Dirty Truth" report from the Sierra Club has graded utilities annually since 2021 on whether they are upholding their pledges to generate cleaner energy. This year, the main utility company serving Utah scored 31 out of 100, a grade of "D," on its progress toward transitioning away from coal and natural gas.

Luis Miranda, "Beyond Coal" campaign organizer for the Utah chapter of the Sierra Club, said it pays to watch what they do and not just what they say.

"Utility companies usually tell us one story but then when they release their plans, they're actually telling a different story," Miranda contended. "A fact that they're actually hiding that they're not as committed to clean energy, they're not as committed to saving their customers money."

Nationally, the Dirty Truth report showed many power companies are abandoning their commitments to move toward renewable energy. Across all 75 U.S.

utilities surveyed, the companies scored an aggregate of just 15 out of 100 points, earning an "F," the lowest score since the first year of the report in 2021.

The report showed Utah's major energy provider, Rocky Mountain Power, was scheduled to retire its coal-powered energy plants by 2035. However, Miranda said when the Environmental Protection Agency backed off of its greenhouse gas regulations, the company canceled its plans.

"They have essentially backtracked on any retirement date for their coal plans," Miranda asserted. "They've made willful decisions to not build any new clean energy in Utah or Wyoming through 2030."

Miranda added the report showed the state's coal plants are making money for a few, while they are giving kids asthma, making the water dirty and unsafe and emptying Utahns' wallets.

"The problem is that those coal power plants are old," Miranda outlined. "They're expensive. It really benefits a few of the rich people that own those coal mines and the utility company itself, but it comes at a cost to the ratepayers."

Kathryn Chamberlain

Escalante Canyons Art Festival (ECAF) on Saturday, Sept. 27. Dwight and Jaleen were

Kathryn Chamberlain

Local quilters and quilt collectors display their work at the 2025 Escalante Canyons Art Festival Quilt Exhibit in Escalante's Old Community Center.

Schools and Sports

Wayne County Celebrates National 4-H Week; This Year's Theme is 'Beyond Ready'

by Nadia Harris | Wayne County 4-H Office

Teens from the Wayne County 4-H Teen Council working on the Inspirational Rock Trail, located at about 125 S. 250 W. in Teasdale. Every year, National 4-H Week is a time to celebrate everything 4-H stands for, and this year’s theme, “Beyond Ready,” is all about how 4-H helps youth grow, learn and lead in a world that’s always changing.

WAYNE CO. - Every year, National 4-H Week is a time to celebrate everything 4-H stands for, and this year’s theme, “Beyond Ready,” is all about how 4-H helps youth grow, learn and lead in a world that’s always changing.

Six million 4-H’ers across the country have learned 4-H is more than a club, it’s a place where young people create a

sense of community and learn by doing. Whether raising animals, giving speeches, exploring AI and STEM, or planning service projects, 4-H helps youth build real-life skills that prepare them for the future. Thanks to 4-H, we know "Beyond Ready" will help our youth take on school, college, career—and life.

During National 4-H Week (Oct. 5-11), we hope our community will cel-

BVHS Athlete of the Week

BRYCE - Taj Morse was nominated by boy’s cross country coach Ty Post as the Bryce Valley High School Athlete of the Week. Taj has been working hard in practice, pushing his teammates to run hard at practice, as well. He has been the teams' number 1 runner and is working his way up in order to become the number 1 runner in the region through working hard at practice and putting in extra running time outside of practice. Taj has been a positive example of hard work and a team player. Keep it up, Taj!

Bryce Valley High School

Baseball:

ebrate with us. From “Go Green” Monday to “4-H For Good” Thursday, 4-H youth, volunteers and educators all over the country will be sharing their stories, giving back and showing what it means to be part of this amazing organization. Thank you to our 4-H leader(s) and volunteers for always encouraging our youth and believing in what they can do. 4-H has helped many build their future and find where they belong, and we hope more people will support opportunities like this, so even more youth can be part of an organization that truly makes a difference.

This year in Wayne County, we hope to expand shooting sports, as well as continue our many clubs, such as the horse, sewing and livestock programs. We are excited for everything our Wayne County 4-H Teen Council has planned and for all they will achieve. We welcome our community to go play frisbee golf at our course at the Teasdale Park or to help us grow our Inspirational Rock Trail, located at about 125 S. 250 W. in Teasdale. If you have any questions, or want to sign up as a volunteer to help our programs grow, please contact our office at 435-836-1312.

BVHS Student of the Week

BRYCE - Alex Hard-

ing was nominated by Fred Beesley as the Bryce Valley High School Student of the Week. Alex is a careful thinker. She has great scientific reasoning and observa-

FAFSA Applications, Including First-Come, First-Served Aid, Goes Live

by Alixel Cabrera | Utah News Dispatch

UTAH - Applications for federal student aid opened on Wednesday, October 1, a key date for families with their sights on a college education for kids graduating high school. However, if last year’s statistics repeat themselves this new cycle, it is likely that few Utahns are aware of that date.

With 38.25% of Utah 12th graders filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form—widely known as FAFSA—the state had the second-lowest completion rate in the country, according to survey data from the National FAFSA Tracker.

“Filing early matters,” according to a news release from student loan lender Sallie Mae. That’s because some aid is first come, first served.

New data from the same survey shows that only 21% of families in the country know about the Oct. 1 applications start date, which could come at a cost since aid packages can include competitive grants, scholarships, work-study programs, federal loans, and state or school funding to pay for tuition, housing, meals, books, or other expenses.

According to the sur-

vey, during the 2024-2025 academic year, undergraduate students nationwide spent an average of $30,837 on higher education, a 9% increase from last year, when they reported spending $28,409 on average.

The typical family covered about 38% of those expenses with parents’ incomes and savings. But, 27% of college funding came from scholarships and grants, 11% from parent borrowing, and 12% from student borrowing.

According to the study, “40% of undergraduate families did not use scholarships in (academic year) 2024–25. Among them, a striking 70% did not even apply. The leading reasons families didn’t pursue scholarships include lack of awareness (34%) and a belief that the student won’t win (28%).”

The new FAFSA is easier to complete, the release says, but still 58% of families have reported needing help with it. Resources about the process are available online on the Utah System of Higher Education website.

This article was originally published on utahnewsdispatch.com on September 30, 2025.

Is Financial Planning the Right Career Path for You?

U.S. - Interested in launching a financial planning career but not sure if it’s right for you? With its many different career tracks and specialties, financial planning suits a range of personalities, goals and skill sets. Contrary to popular belief, financial planning involves much more than crunching numbers.

CFP Board breaks down some common paths you can take in the financial planning profession:

Advisory/Wealth Management: Working directly with clients to guide them through the creation and management of a financial plan is the most well-known function of financial planners. Many large firms start new employees in support positions to help them gain a broad understanding of the client service process. However, opportunities exist—such as at virtual advice centers—to assume a wealth management role more quickly.

tion skills—sharing great thoughts on assignments and in-class discussions. Alex is also a kind and friendly student—helpful to her peers and a quiet leader. We are proud of you, Alex!

Panguitch High School

Football: 10/10: Against Water Canyon 10/17: Against Altamont Volleyball: 10/11: Against Delta 10/16: Against Parowan

Operations: Those who work in operations support financial planners by handling advisor and client files, generating reports, scheduling meetings and troubleshooting processes. This is a common entry point at many firms; however, some firms view this as a separate career track with its own growth potential.

Business Development: Some firms offer business development as a special-

ized career path for experienced advisors with a significant client base and a strong reputation for competency and ethics. This role is ideal for outgoing people, as client outreach and retention require strong marketing and networking skills.

Technical Support: Technical support specialists use advanced tools to process complex information and navigate decisions. Responsibilities might include data gathering, modeling, case design and financial plan development, making this a good path if you love data and analytics. Your ideal path will depend on many factors, including firm size, compensation structure, culture, pro bono opportunities and how well the role aligns with your long-term goals. Regardless of the path you choose, having the right credentials is critical. Earning CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification demonstrates that you’ve met rigorous training and experience requirements. For a leg up in the job market, download CFP Board’s “Guide to Careers in Financial Planning” at cfp.net.

Financial planning is not a one-size-fits-all profession. Understanding its many facets can help you find the path that suits your talents and interests.

—StatePoint Media

Wayne High School

Volleyball: 10/9: Against Whitehorse 10/11: Against Escalante 10/14: Against Gunnison Valley 10/15: Against Green River Football: 10/12: Against Whitehorse

by Fred Beesley

Courtesy Rowdy Miller

Alex Harding was nominated by Fred Beesley as the Bryce Valley High School Student of the Week.

by Coach Ty Post

Courtesy Rowdy Miller

Taj Morse was nominated by boy’s cross country coach Ty Post as the Bryce Valley High School Athlete of the Week.

Courtesy Nadia Harris

Pando: In the midst of heavy rains on Friday, September 26, 2025, local politicians, federal employees, conservationists, and community members huddled under a tent in the upper reaches of Pando to celebrate the successful installation of new wildlife fencing. With the recent completion of the fencing project, over 80% of Pando, the world’s largest documented living tree, now lies within protected zones.

Friends of Pando staff and board members, and multiple generations of Pando preservationists commemorate the completion of the new Pando Protec-

of wildlife

the “Aspen Regeneration Project,” the first project undertaken by Fishlake National Forest in the late 1980s to promote regener-

ation of the tree. “The event represents the best of what we can do when everybody in the community gets together,” said Oditt. Pando is an aspen clone that spans over 106 acres and consists of more

than 40,000 trees, all interconnected by the same root system. Biologists have been warning for years that the tree is in decline, and heavy browsing by herbivores is often to blame.

Recent deer-tagging

protective care while also making Utah Highway 25 safer for motor vehicle traffic, recreationists, and grazers.” Although the original requested amount was not awarded, the Pando Project was allocated a one-time $250,000 from the state’s General Fund. Since Pando is bisected by SR-25 and the original proposal had a cattle guard construction component which would cut into the roadway, Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) was tasked with the project. “We don't typically get to do this sort of project, so it was a unique and fun experience for us to spend time up in the Fishlake National Forest,” said Devin Squire, project manager at UDOT.

having new growth. The new Pando protection strategy not only focuses on fencing out wildlife access but may also include future efforts to restore and foster Pando’s growth, including removing invasive ground cover, creating ground disturbances to oxygenate the roots, removing dead and diseased trees, and potentially prescribed burns, which would open up areas for sunlight. These efforts are designed to stimulate Pando’s natural regeneration and strengthen its resilience against disease and environmental stressors.

studies by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources examined travel and migration patterns, demonstrating that a large herd of deer passed right through the heart of Pando. Deer would hunker down in Pando for much of the year, raising their young and eating many new aspen shoots.

“[Pando is] a particularly cozy place to live,” explains Vance Mumford, wildlife biologist at the Utah Department of Natural Resources. “There’s easy access to water, fewer predators because of the proximity to people, and a little less hunting here, so there were a lot of deer in the general area.” When Friends of Pando was founded in 2019, fifty-three acres of Pando were already surrounded by protective wildlife fencing. Working with local ranchers, state officials, and federal land managers, Friends of Pando advocated for expanded protections.

In January 2024, Utah State Representative Carl R. Albrecht requested $486,300 from the Utah Legislature for the installation of cattle guards and protective fencing systems, which would “bring seventy-six acres of the botanical wonder into permanent

Planners dropped the cattle guard after cost estimates ran too high. Taylor Made Fencing out of Washington, Utah, was awarded the contract for the project, and construction crews began work on the Lower Pando South Region in July, enclosing fifteen acres and connecting previously fragmented sections of the tree. In August, crews tackled the Upper Pando Hill and Cabins region—long identified as a major “deer and elk highway.”

Using funding allocated for the Pando Protection Project, temporary fences are also being set outside the main wildlife controls.

These "quick fences" can protect up to an additional two acres and shelter new growth until trees reach a height of ten to twelve feet. These temporary enclosures will only be set up for a period of three to five years in areas identified as

Local ranchers, who have long been part of the landscape around Fish Lake, stressed that while the fencing does mean giving up some grazing land for the ten days a year that their cattle pass through Pando on their way to winter grazing grounds, they see themselves as partners in protecting the land. “We’ve got to take care of it [the range] or we won’t have anywhere to go next year. We're environmentalists too, but in a different way,” said Darren Nelson, fourth generation rancher and the president of 7 Mile Grazers Association. With the new fencing forming two major wildlife management bulwarks, deer and elk will be guided around 80 percent of Pando’s landmass which local land managers hope will help restore the health of existing trees and generate new growth, while still keeping space for ranching and wildlife to coexist.

Awareness Month: First observed as a “Day of Unity” in October 1981, Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) has since become a nationally recognized time to unite advocates and communities everywhere in their efforts to end domestic violence.

Awareness Month Cont'd from A1

many different types of services, including 24/7 emergency safe shelter, a Transitional Housing program, utility and rental assistance for victims, support groups, assistance with forms, case management, parenting classes, children’s services, connection to additional resources, a 24/7 crisis hotline, and much more. Our services are always 100% free and confidential. Throughout the month of October, New Horizons creates many opportunities for our communities to get involved. We invite you to attend our awareness event on Saturday, October 18, at the Nielson Family Park

in Richfield, where we will be hosting a pickleball tournament and a day of face painting, vendors, food trucks, activities, and fall fun for the whole family. This event begins at 8 a.m. and lasts until dusk.

You can also visit your local Ace Hardware where you will have the option of rounding up your purchase to support survivors; 100% of your roundup donation will be given to our organization (at participating Ace locations only). You may notice ribbons lining local streets in bright purple—the color representative of domestic violence awareness. We encourage our community to discuss the meaning of these ribbons with friends,

neighbors, and to even have age-appropriate conversations with their children about the prevalent issue of domestic violence. Prevention begins with education and recognition, and it is through this avenue that we can all play our part to build safer, healthier communities for everyone.

New Horizons Crisis Center serves survivors in Sevier, Sanpete, Millard, Piute, and Wayne counties. For questions about our services, groups, prevention programs, volunteering, or making donations, please contact us at (435) 896-9294. If you would like to speak to an advocate, please call our 24/7 hotline at 1-800-343-6302.

Amiee Maxwell

Amiee Maxwell

State officials, Federal land managers, local ranchers,

tion Project on September 26.

A U.S. Forest Service notice on a new stretch

fencing alerting the public to the purpose of the new protective fencing surrounding the Pando Tree.

Pando

Cont'd from A1

Amiee Maxwell

Volunteers from Snow College, Southern Utah University, and across the state install a section of quick fencing which will protect a section of new Pando shoots until they reach a desired height.

Scientists Say Climate Change Affects Utah, U.S. Snowpack

UTAH - Blue veins of ice streaked the snow this January in Salt Lake City, Utah. Snow hydrologist McKenzie Skiles eyed the veins, worried. The blue ice formed where water had flowed, then refrozen. “That’s concerning,” Skiles says, “because it tells us snow is undergoing midwinter melt.” She pulled out a thermometer and found the snow near its melting point of 32 degrees Fahrenheit. In Salt Lake, snow shouldn’t melt in January. It typically piles through early April, the historical peak snowpack for cold, high western mountains. Melting snow starts dripping by midmonth, feeding creeks all summer. But the temperature swings of climate change have arrived in Utah and other snowy places. Long warm stretches now punctuate winter. During a weeklong February heatwave, Salt Lake hit a record 65 degrees Fahrenheit—20 degrees above the winter average. “You can’t help but think, ‘Is this every future winter?’” Skiles says from her office at The University of Utah. “Is it just going to keep getting worse?’

Studies from her lab and others find that less snow is falling on mountains worldwide, and there’s more rain in the forecast. Satellites looking down on the Himalayas have recorded thirteen fewer snowy days per year there since 2002. And climate models of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains predict that, at 3 degrees warming, more than half the range’s precipitation will fall as rain, not snow. That would be disastrous for the Golden State, where snowmelt from the Sierras is a third of the water supply. California simply doesn’t have the infrastructure to capture all that water from rain.

More rain will also change flood risks, increasing the danger on high mountains where midwinter melt is rare, but perhaps decreasing it at lower elevations, where less snow falling early in the season will mean less melt during winter rains. Overall, less snow compromises drinking and agricultural water storage in the West. States have already started to consider adaptations such as building new reservoirs, restoring floodplains, and expanding snow monitoring. How to adapt to less snow and less consistency, Skiles says, is “the million-dollar question.”

Flakes Falling For decades, the primary means of tracking mountain snow has been a series of meteorological stations poking up from clearings, each station outfitted with wind, temperature, precipitation, and snow depth sensors. All the stations have a 6- to 8-foot outdoor pillow filled with fluid that measures the weight of the snow that falls on it. Called the SNOTEL network (short for “snow telemetry”), the stations, numbering over 900, are scattered across the West. Stations collect daily temperature, precipitation, snow depth, and weight data. Hydrologists use these data to estimate how much water the snowpack stores across the network

by Amy McDermott | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | Utah News Connection

every year. Statistical models then translate those measurements into streamflow forecasts. SNOTEL primarily exists to forecast water supplies based on snowpack. But several decades ago, station data began to hint at a rainier future, a conclusion that newer studies support and refine.

One of the first big papers was published in 2003, when climate scientist Philip Mote asked if historical and SNOTEL data revealed climate impacts of changing temperature on snowpack. As far back as the 1910s, he explains, researchers would trek into the mountains in snowshoes, and later on snowmobiles, to stick a pipe into the snow and then weigh that pipe to estimate how much water the snowpack held. This went on until around the 1990s, when SNOTEL sites were installed. “In 2003, I was looking at those measurements and wondering, ‘does temperature have any influence on snowpack?’”

Mote says. “And to my surprise, it has profound influence.”

At the time, other studies using aerial surveys, satellite imagery, and historical measurements made by hand had suggested declines in the snowcovered area of the northern hemisphere since the 1960s. And, sure enough, when Mote compared temperature and precipitation measurements from SNOTEL stations and manual, historical data in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Montana between 1950 and 2000, he found declines in snow cover at most sites.

The most dramatic losses hit coastal regions, such as the Cascade Mountains in Washington. Stations at mid-elevations there had lost more than 40% of their snow cover since 1950. Temperatures hadn’t risen enough to impact snow at high elevations in 2003. But at midelevations, where it might snow on a cold day and rain on a hot one, warming sites showed an uptick in rain and a decline in snow over the fifty years.

“I was astonished how strong the signal of a warming climate was showing up,” Mote says from Oregon State University in Corvallis. He repeated the study in 2018 with fifteen more years of data. By then, snowpack had declined in 90% of the long-term records since 1950, including those from SNOTEL sites.

Simulating Snow Today’s climate model studies echo those early warnings of a rainier tomorrow. Dozens of models now estimate climate trends by representing physical processes in the atmosphere, on land, and in the ocean. These models are governed by equations representing fluid flow, conservation of mass, momentum and energy, and other processes.

While models don’t agree on every detail of snowpack projections, there are some broad areas of consensus, according to a 2021 review of more than 300 studies. Most predicted that coastal mountain ranges will lose water trapped by snow more quickly than interior mountain ranges, with expected snow cover losses of 20% by 2030 and up to 40% by 2070. Inland ranges, such as the Great

Basin and Upper Colorado River, could eventually expect the same degree of snow loss, the review found, but fifteen to twenty years later.

Models suggest that water stored by western snowpack could decline by about 25% by 2050. And low-to-no-snow years— which the authors defined as 30% or less of the historical peak water storage—could become the norm within two generations if emissions continue unchecked.

“It’s trying to understand, ‘how much time do we have?’” says hydrologist and civil engineer Laurie Huning, who coauthored the review from California State University, Long Beach. In the West, she says, “a low-to-nosnow future may become more persistent in thirtyfive to sixty years.”

Drilling Down

By refining climate and earth system models, researchers are starting to hone estimates of just how rainy it may get. On average, models see the world as a series of 110-square-kilometer grid cells, explains climate scientist Elizabeth Burakowski, at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. But that resolution might not suffice to understand what’s happening on a mountain range. Peaks and valleys blur together, so the mountain becomes one smooth, brown, fuzzy surface.

Over the last several years, Burakowski has helped test a “variable resolution community earth system model,” or VR-CESM, with higher resolution from 14-squarekilometer grid cells. Now, researchers can discern, say, a jagged hillside where the same storm might dust steep upper slopes with snow but lash slightly lower meadows with rain. Last year, she partnered with Areidy Beltran-Peña, an earth system scientist and postdoc at Stanford University in California, to use the VR-CESM to simulate future snowpack and rain in California’s Sierra Nevada region. Beltran-Peña recalls reading an April 1776 diary entry in which Spanish missionary Pedro Font first labeled California’s iconic mountain range on a map in his notebook. He dubbed the snowcapped peaks the Sierra Nevada, or “snowy mountain range.”

If Font saw those same mountains fifty years from now, Beltran-Peña wondered, would he call them the Sierra Lluviosa (“rainy range”) instead?

He might. The study, presented at the American Geophysical Union meeting last December, fed the model a high-emissions scenario for the years 2015 to 2100 and predicted snowpack for the Sierras under 1.5 degrees, 2 degrees, and 3 degrees of warming. In a 3-degree warming scenario, the model suggests that more than half of the Sierra’s precipitation could fall as rain. “The Sierra Nevada hydroclimate is shifting,” Beltran-Peña says. It’s moving “from a snowdominated to rain-dominated system.”

Across the world in high mountain Asia, the vast Himalayan Arc faces similar woes. That range is a “bellwether for what’s going on with snow across the rest of the world,” Skiles says, because the Himalayas receive the most

snow worldwide outside the poles. In a 2021 study, she used NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra satellite records to track how snowpack had changed in the Himalayas between 2002 and 2017, when data were available. The MODIS satellite images every point on Earth every one to two days, “and that’s the temporal scale we need to monitor snow cover,” Skiles says, because it can change so quickly. “Broadly, we found snow cover was in decline everywhere,” she says, but it was most pronounced at midelevations between 4,000 and 5,000 meters, where snowpack is normally the deepest. On average, these elevations experienced up to thirteen fewer days with any snow since 2002. The study didn’t look at changes in rainfall, but “broadly, we found snow cover was in decline,” Skiles says, and “most pronounced in elevation bands where snow cover is most likely to be present, and most needed to sustain glaciers.”

Water, Water Everywhere

Losing all that snow means losing water storage. Across the West, up to 80% of states’ water comes from melting snow. In spring and early summer, the meltwater slowly soaks into the soil or flows overland until it meets a stream. The icy melt trickles downhill, eventually splashing into lakes or artificial reservoirs that store most of the West’s water. “Pick any water supply reservoir in California, and they all have this issue,” says hydrologist Dennis Lettenmaier, who retired from the University of California, Los Angeles this summer. Western states count on snowmelt to refill their reservoirs every spring.

“We’re not set up to manage that water if it’s instantaneously moveable [as rain] rather than locked up as snow for months,” says Benjamin Hatchett, an earth system scientist at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. The crux of the problem is that reservoirs are drawn down in spring and summer to meet demand, when snowmelt helps by topping them up. But with climate change, heavier rains will fall in winter when some reservoirs are already full, risking flooding.

Mote coauthored a 2021 study predicting that less snow and more rain will raise flooding risks along the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia River in the second half of this century. The East Coast is poised for flooding, too, says ecosystem ecologist Alexandra Contosta at the University of New Hampshire. That’s especially the case when rain falls on snowy hillsides. The combination can melt the snow and unleash a wall of water. In December 2023, rain fell on deep snow across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, causing catastrophic flooding.

In the aftermath, Burakowski and other researchers advocated for expanding SNOTEL to the East Coast. In 2023, New Hampshire legislators introduced a bill that would give jurisdiction to expand SNOTEL eastward. The bill was reintroduced in March 2025, and the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced it in July,

including $2 million toward a feasibility study.

Not everywhere is poised for more snow-related flooding, Lettenmaier notes. In coastal places, a warmer and rainier future may ironically mean less flood risk from melting snow. Why? Because the snowline will shift to higher elevations, meaning there’s less snow falling early in winter, and therefore less snowpack to melt and unleash flooding when rain does fall. “It’s kind of the flip side of the coin,” Lettenmaier says, compared to increasing flood risks at other elevations. If more water is falling as rain, there could still be flood risk, he cautions, “but it’s not from melting snow.” The factors that cause flooding are changing from place to place.

Mopping it Up

As for adaptation, building more reservoirs is one option, Hatchett says. It will cost billions, but California is already forging ahead with the Sites Reservoir, proposed to break ground in 2026, north of Sacramento. The reservoir is intended to catch and store overflow from the Sacramento River during winter storms. “The tradeoff is we’ve dammed an ecosystem to create the reservoir,” Hatchett says. The water it captures won’t follow its natural course to the San Francisco Bay. Downstream, that may have ecological consequences since flows of fresh water maintain the salt balance in the bay’s estuary. Another idea is to restore floodplains, where overflow from nearby creeks historically soaked through porous soils into groundwater. Restoration can entail everything from removing concrete paving so water can soak in, to reestablishing native wetland plants, to undoing the channelization and incision of a river or stream and reestablishing the natural floodplains along its banks.

But that’s not without its challenges. Some soils let water soak in slowly, some not at all. That sounds OK unless your farm is right there. “Who is willing to risk flooding their orchard,” Hatchett asks, if it might be underwater for days, weeks, or even months?

One flood control option might actually be draining reservoirs in some cases—into a man-made lake, another downstream reservoir, or ultimately out to sea—right before a forecasted storm, so that excess water has somewhere to go, Mote says. But there would be political challenges, he notes. If you don’t drain the reservoir enough, you still

get flooding, and the project has failed. If you drain it too much, you have less water saved for summer. A flood would be much worse than draining too much water, Mote adds, but reservoirs don’t have the ability to respond to ten-day rain forecasts in real time yet.

California’s government is already trying to plan for a rainier, less snowy future. “Are we thinking about it? Unequivocally, yes,” says Michael Anderson, California’s State Climatologist. The Department of Water Resources and other state agencies are working on several reports, he says, to quantify the water supply and project how it may change. California will use those reports to inform how it allocates water and offsets expected losses. “It’s figuring out how to navigate each year…and being able to deal with the water that does show up,” Anderson says. “As the storms we get become rainier, how do you try and make use of the water?”

In far northern California, places like the Yuba watershed and Lake Mendocino are already draining reservoirs in anticipation of storms, “to make space for the storm to come in,” without causing flooding, Anderson says. California is also trying groundwater recharge, where excess water is diverted into basins; it then soaks into the ground, refilling underground aquifers. In 2023, the state recharged 4.1 million acre-feet, or about the storage capacity of Shasta Lake. California is “looking at opportunities to augment storage around the state,” Anderson adds. “The high-level view is we’re taking it seriously.”

As water storage becomes more fraught, municipalities will need to track every drop in hopes of maximizing efficiency. And researchers will need more monitoring of snow, rain, wind, temperature, and other relevant variables. SNOTEL offers good coverage in some areas, especially at higher elevations, Hatchett says, but does have blind spots. Meteorological and satellite data, paired with high-resolution modeling, can help fill in the blanks. Hatchett is already combining SNOTEL with these other data in snowpack forecasting models. He hopes to predict what “a heat wave will do to our snowpack next week,” as well as “what this watershed will look like in fifty years.”

Sandhill Cranes: Sandhill cranes flock to the Uintah Basin during migration and are very easy to spot in the fields here, and they have already started to arrive. They have a crimson crown and gray body, and at about four feet tall, they’re one of the largest migratory birds in the world. They also have loud voices that can be heard up to 2.5 miles away.

—Tonya Kieffer-Selby, DWR Northeastern Region Outreach Manager

Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Attendees of the 2024 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) sandhill

viewing event in Vernal. You can see these unique birds again this year—and learn more about them—on Saturday, Oct. 11, as the DWR and its local partners host two free sandhill crane viewing events.

fields near the Green River in Jensen.

tacked and threatened by predators. During the winter months, the cranes flock to fields, pastures, grasslands and wetlands before returning to roost along riverbanks and shallow lakes at night.

“Sandhill cranes flock to the Uintah Basin during migration and are very easy to spot in the fields here, and they have already started to arrive,” DWR Northeastern Region Outreach Manager Tonya Kieffer-Selby said. “They have a crimson crown and gray body, and at about four feet tall, they’re one of the largest migratory birds in the world. They also have loud voices that can be heard up to 2.5 miles away.”

You can see these unique birds—and learn more about them—on Saturday, Oct. 11 as the DWR and its local partners host two free sandhill crane viewing events. Participants will need to drive themselves to the viewing areas during the two different auto tours.

Binoculars and spotting scopes will be available for people to use, but you should bring your own equipment if you have it.

The first auto tour runs from 7-9 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11. Participants will meet at the Jensen Nature Park at 8775 E. 6000 South in Jensen and will then drive to

The second viewing event takes place from 5-7 p.m. on the same day. The auto tour will meet at the commuter parking lot at the intersection of Highway 40 and state Route 88 (the turnoff to the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge) located between Vernal and Roosevelt. The tour will then head to the cranes’ roosting grounds at Pelican Lake and the Ouray National Wildlife Refuge.

“In addition to driving your own vehicle, be sure to bring layers of clothes appropriate for the weather, as well as drinks, water and snacks,” Kieffer-Selby said. “Also, if you want to get good, high-quality photos, bring a telephoto lens for your camera.”

Sandhill cranes are opportunistic eaters, grazing on plants, grains, insects, snakes and mice. For farmers, this can be frustrating, as the cranes can damage crops by digging up tubers and agricultural seeds.

“Changes in weather patterns may mean a significant increase in the number of birds that become permanent residents of the area, especially in the winter months,” Kieffer-Selby said. “This, of course, is excellent for bird-watchers, but it can prove to be troublesome for local farmers.”

The crop damage the cranes cause is one of the main reasons the DWR

has been working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Pacific Flyway Council to offer more crane-hunting permits in the area.

“Besides viewing cranes, we hope the event will help teach the public about the importance of wildlife management and conservation,” KiefferSelby said.

While the viewing event is free, participants are asked to register for it in advance on Eventbrite. For more information about the event, contact the DWR Vernal office at 435-781-9453.

—Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Legal Notices

NOTICE TO WATER USERS

The applications below were filed with the Division of Water Rights in Wayne County. These are informal proceedings per Rule 655-6-2. Protests concerning an application must be legibly written or typed, contain the name and mailing address of the protesting party, STATE THE APPLICATION NUMBER PROTESTED, CITE REASONS FOR THE PROTEST, and REQUEST A HEARING, if desired. Also, A $15 FEE MUST BE INCLUDED FOR EACH APPLICATION PROTESTED. Protests must be filed with the Division of Water Rights on or before Nov. 5, 2025 either electronically using the Division`s on-line Protest of Application form, by hand delivery to a Division office, or by mail at PO Box 146300, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6300. Please visit waterrights.utah.gov or call (801)538-7240 for additional information.

KANE COUNTY CHANGE APPLICATION(S)

61-3582 (a53658): Family Trust of The George R. Aiken Jr. and Donna M. Aiken Revocable Trust propose(s) using 0.5 ac-ft. from groundwater (1/2 mile N of Long Valley Jct) for DOMESTIC; IRRIGATION; STOCKWATERING.

Teresa Wilhelmsen, P.E.

State Engineer

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on OCTOBER 9 & 16, 2025 LAND FOR SALE AT AUCTION

UTAH TRUST LANDS ADMINISTRATION

Utah Trust Lands Administration is planning to sell a one-acre lot within the historic Widtsoe townsites, in Garfield County. The auction will be held online November 13-18, 2025. The property has potential for recreational and/or residential use. Water rights are available to be purchased. The minimum starting bid will be $20,000. Financing is available. Please call (801) 538-5163 with any questions or visit trustlands.utah. gov. (C-27308)

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on OCTOBER 9, 16 & 23,2025

PLANNING COMMISSION VACANCY

LOA TOWN

Loa Town Planning Commission is looking to fill one vacancy. If you are interested in joining this great group of people and serving your community, please contact Michelle Brian at 435-836-2160 for more information. You must be a customer on the Loa culinary water system in order to apply for this position.

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on SEPTEMBER 4, 11, 18 & 25 and OCTOBER 2 & 9, 2025

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING - GENERAL PLAN

BICKNELL TOWN PLANNING COMMISSION

Bicknell Town Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to allow comments regarding the 2025 updated goals for the Town's General Plan. The hearing will be held before the regularly scheduled planning commission meeting on October 21, 2025, at 6:45 p.m. at the Bicknell Town Hall, 64 West 100 North Bicknell, UT 84715.

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on OCTOBER 9 & 16, 2025

Sandhill Cranes Cont'd from A1

crane

Legal Notices

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE CENTRAL UTAH HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The Central Utah Health Department will hold a public hearing to discuss the 2026

Fee Schedule

Date: Thursday, October 16, 2025

Time: 6:00 PM

Location: Central Utah Health Department Office at 70 Westview Drive, Richfield

The public is invited to attend and provide input. Copies of the proposed budgets and fee schedule are available for review at the Health Department office during regular business hours.

For more information, call 435-896-5451.

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on OCTOBER 9 & 16, 2025

NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGE WAYNE COUNTY

Please take notice that the Wayne County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing to consider the following:

PROPOSED CHANGE: AMEND EXISTING 6 RV SITE PARK & CONDI-

TIONAL USE PERMIT

INTENDED USE: ADD 2 ADD’L RV SITES TO AN EXISTING 6 RV SITE

PARK and amend existing CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT

CHANGE REQUESTED BY: ADAM WHITE/ A & B INVESTMENTS

A PUBLIC HEARING WILL BE HELD DURING THE PLANNING & ZONING

MEETING ON: October 22, 2025 @ 7:00 PM AT THE WAYNE COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Located at: 2050 E SR 24 Caineville, UT 84775

LEGAL DES: 9.63 acres located in the SW1/4NE1/4 Sec 30 T28S R9E

Parcel 01-0081-0555/ O-550-1A

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on OCTOBER 9 & 16, 2025

Utah Connection Support GroupOnline For people with mental health conditions Mon, Wed, Fri 7:00 - 8:30 pm | Wed 12:30 - 2:00 pm Sat 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

For loved ones of people with mental health conditions Mon, Tues, Thurs 7:00 - 8:30 pm Register at namiut.org

C lassified a ds

We are looking for friendly, hardworking professionals who enjoy the hospitality industry and interaction with guests.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE: Front Desk Agents

Laundry Services

Housekeepers Maintenance Bellmen

Positions to start April 1st through October 31st

At Capitol Reef Resort we promote from within. Please stop by in person to complete an application. We are located at 2600 E SR 24, Torrey, UT 84775 435-425-3761

Position Announcements

POSITIONS AVAILABLE: Garfield County School District is hiring for the following positions. For the application process and description of each, please see the district website www.garfk12.org

• Registered Behavior Technician at Bryce Valley High School

• Assistant Debate Coach at Bryce Valley High School

• Esports Coach at Bryce Valley High School

• Substitute/Activity Bus Drivers

Substitutes for Teachers, Custodians, and Food Service Workers

SALARY: Please see 2025-2026 Garfield County School Districts Classified, District Office, and Certified Salary Schedules on the district website.

QUALIFICATIONS: Applicants must be fingerprinted and satisfactorily pass an employment background check.

Garfield County School District is an equal opportunity employer. Garfield County School District reserves the right to accept or reject any or all applications.

MEETINGS

TROPIC AA MEETING Wednesday at 6 PM. Tropic Heritage Center. All meetings are closed discussion.

Escalante AA Meeting Tues. & Fri. at 6pm Call 435-676-3653

The only requirement is the desire to stop drinking.

ISO

We Buy 8,000 Cars a Week. Sell your old, busted or junk car with no hoops, haggles or headaches. Sell your car to Peddle. Easy three step process. Instant offer. Free pickup. Fast payment. Call 1-855-542-0335

Want to Buy

$$ Paying top Dollar $$ for sports card collections & Pokemon.

Premium paid for Vintage. Please leave a detailed message and phone number. Call Corey 541-838-0364.

Answers for this week

SERVICES When in Need, There are Resources in Wayne & Garfield Cos.

For Victims of Domestic Violence, Rape, and Sexual Assault

Canyon Creek Services Emergency Safehouse 435-865-7443 Mobile Team 435-233-5732

New Horizons Crisis Center

145 East 100 North, Richfield Office Hours

8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Shelter is open 24 hrs, 7 days a week Phone Number 435-896-9294

Counseling Services

Central Utah Counseling Richfield Office

255 S Main Street, Richfield Office Hours 435-896-8236

24 Hour Emergency Service 877-469-2822

Southwest Behavioral Health Center

601 E Center Street, Panguitch 435-676-8176

24 Hour Emergency Service 800-574-6763

Wayne Community Health Center

128 South 300 West Bicknell, 84715 435-425-3744

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988

Wayne Community Health Center

Part-Time Dental Assistant at Escalante Dental

Join our team as a motivated Dental Assistant.

Are you a dedicated and enthusiastic individual seeking a rewarding career in the dental Field?

• Escalante Dental is currently seeking a Part-Time Dental Assistant to join our dynamic team. Why choose Escalante Dental

• Competitive benefits package tailored to your working hours

• An inclusive and supportive work environment

• Opportunity for professional growth and development

Position Overview:

As a Dental Assistant at Escalante Dental, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the smooth and efficient operation of our dental practice.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Interacting with patients in a friendly and compassionate manner

• Proficiently taking X-rays and supporting chair-side procedures

• Managing scheduling, charting, and documenting dental visits using computer systems

• Ensuring thorough sterilization of dental instruments

• Setting up and maintaining a clean and organized operatory and office space

Preferred Qualifications (not required):

We value experience, but are also excited to provide training to individuals new to the field. If you have any of the following qualifications, it’s a plus:

• Dental assisting experience

• Exposure to Pediatric, Endodontic, Oral Surgery, and General Dentistry

• Familiarity with computer charting and Digital X-rays

• X-ray Certification

• CPR Certification

How to Apply:

We encourage all interested candidates to apply, regardless of your level of experience. If you’re passionate about dental health and eager to contribute to a supportive team, we want to hear from you! Please email your resume to aellett@waynechc.org and take the first step toward an exciting career with Escalante Dental.

Join us in making a difference in the lives of our patients. Apply today!

The Wayne Community Health Centers are committed to providing high quality health services to our communities’ residents and visitors. Its purpose is to provide quality health services to all people including those facing financial, geographic and/or cultural barriers to healthcare.

Wayne Community Health Center

Patient Relations - PRN - Bicknell, Utah

Job Title: Patient Relations - PRN

Location: Wayne Community Health Center - Bicknell, Utah

Position Type: PRN

About Us Wayne Community Health Center is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We are looking for a reliable and friendly Patient Relations team member to support our front office operations on a PRN (as needed) basis.

Position Summary

The Patient Relations Front Desk (PRN) is the first point of contact for patients and visitors. This role is responsible for greeting patients, scheduling appointments, handling phone calls, and providing excellent customer service to ensure a positive patient experience.

Responsibilities

• Greet patients and visitors in a professional and welcoming manner

• Answer and direct incoming phone calls

• Schedule, confirm, and update patient appointments

• Verify and update patient information and insurance details

• Collect co-pays and balances as needed

• Provide accurate information and assist patients with questions or concerns

• Maintain confidentiality of patient information in accordance with HIPAA Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills

• Ability to multitask and work in a fast-paced environment

• Basic computer skills

• Flexible availability to cover shifts as needed Interested candidates may apply by submitting a resume to aellett@ waynechc.org.

The Wayne Community Health Centers are committed to providing high quality health services to our communities’ residents and visitors. Its purpose is to provide quality health services to all people including those facing financial, geographic and/or cultural barriers to healthcare.