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Show ftMH' I Wedimdaywed. nightN Thursday I Dancers enjoys teaching. See Page B1 Water safety. See Page B8 A7 Partly sunny and pleasant. Partly to mostly cloudy. Partly sunny and nice. Single Copy 50$ Wednesday, July 28, 2004 Vernal, Utah 84078 112th Year No. 31 77 MHffiKUL SUPPORT OUR TROOPS Express online: www.vemal.com Searchers set up staging area along the Green River at Split Mountain campground. Seairclhieirs timd cdirdwiraiiiriig By Steven R. Wallis Express Editor A four-day search of the Green River ended early Friday morning when searchers found the body of a 14-year-old Denver boy. Ignacio Gonzales, 14, was found in the river. The search of the 14-year-old began Tuesday at 6 p.m. when a 911 call notified noti-fied law enforcement officials that the boy was missing from the Split Mountain Campground in Dinosaur National Monument. Witnesses said the boy was with a group walking out on a sandbar in the river when he was last seen. There was immediate response to the scene and searchers began , combing the banks of (he river using boats, aircraft, divers and ground crews. Wednesday there were 37 people involved in the search, 12 from Uintah County Search and Rescue, 8 from Dinosaur National Monument, 10 from the Uintah County Sheriffs Department, one dispatcher and 6 volunteers from the Jensen Fire Department. A helicopter from the State Department of Public Safety was searching the river for much of the day. Officials requested that the Bridge construction reduces traffic to one lane on SR 191 Construction on the new Ashley Creek Bridge located in Vernal approximately one mile North of US-40 on US-191 began on Monday and will continue until late December 2004. During construction the existing two lane roadway will be reduced to one lane only and this single lane will be controlled with a temporary traffic signal light to allow for one-way only travel through the construction area. While traveling through this area please be aware of traffic control devices. It is strongly suggested sug-gested that an alternative route be used to avoid delays in this area. 1 HillL J 1. 11.1 -HI IT J. if ! , release of water from Flaming Gorge Dam be reduced from 800 cfs to 400 cfs to aid the search. The reduction in flows would not take effect at Split Mountain for 41 hours after the cutback. The reduction reduc-tion occurred at Friday morning. "This has been the most satisfying satisfy-ing multi-agency search that I have been involved in," said Sheriff Rick Hawkins, Uintah County Sheriff. "All parties involved showed the type of support, camaraderie cama-raderie and unselfish cooperation that the Uintah Basin is known for in times of crisis." A spokesperson for the family also stated appreciation. "This is a great community. Thank you for all you have done. It is greatly appreciated." The search was successful due to the efforts of many agencies: National Park Service, Dinosaur National Monument rangers, rang-ers, Jensen Fire, Uintah County Search and Rescue, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau, Uintah Basin Consolidated Fire Center, Central Dispatch, U.S. Forest Serivce, BLM, the FAA, volunteers and businesses in the community. Wadsworth Brothers Construction Company would like to apologize for any inconvenience incon-venience this construction may cause. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this project, proj-ect, please contact Tom Reece at (801)509-9301. UDOT encourages motorists to use caution and travel at the posted speed limits while driving through work zones. Schedules are subject to change due to inclement weather, equipment problems or emergency situations. . ,- r - r)v ; . fcvW J,t m Corp. John Laursen, Uintah County Sheriff's Department and Howard Carroll, Search and Rescue, coordinate search efforts. Endangered lynx wanders through county A secretive threatened species roamed through Uintah County this month and is holed up at Heber Mountain near Strawberry Reservoir according to last reports. Biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Utah Division of Wildife Resources are monitoring and tracking two Canada lynx that moved into Utah from Colorado. The lynx are part of an onging lynx reintroduction effort in Colorado. It is common for dispersing lynx to travel long distances. They were released last April at Creede, Colo., northeast north-east of Durango, Colo., and 350 miles southeast of Vernal. One of the lynx came into Utah along the Uinta Mountains. The other lynx was first located north of Price in the Range Creek area. Biologists track the lynx with weekly reports from radio collars which use satellite signals. Last Sunday the lynx that entered the state in southern Utah was located north of Nine Mile Canyon near Anthro Mountain. "We haven't had any sightings of Canada lynx in years," said Walt Donaldson, Utah Division of Wildlife northeastern region manager. man-ager. "They are very secretive and usually inhabit the high elevation V4- " . - voctiiiinn) 77T1 areas. It feeds primarily on small mammals mam-mals and birds. Lynx are currently found in Alaska and Canada, and in the boreal forests of the Northeast, Great Lakes, the Rocky Mountains and the Cascades. The lynx is a medium-sized cat, similar to the bobcat, but appears somewhat larger. It has longer legs and very large well-furred paws, adaptations to the deep winter win-ter snows typical through its range. It also has unique long tufts on the ears and a short black-tipped tail. The Canada lynx was listed as a threatened species in 14 states, including Utah, under the Endangered Species Act in March 2000. This designation means it is illegal to take listed species, which includes hunting, harassing, harming, harm-ing, collecting and capturing. Two other of the lynx released in Colorado, roamed into Wyoming. They had to be recaptured because they entered poor habitat. "Unless these lynx wander into poor habitat, they will likely stay in Utah," Donaldson said. Over 5-6 years Colorado plans on releasing 150 to 180 lynx, which normally roam 240 to 300 miles. This year Colorado released 16 lynx. Last year they released 14 to "I 10 ,,.:.-- V- 4- i A V IPylbDSc, DocaD omidlysliiry meeH at Eimeirgy Days By Maureen Spencer Express Writer The public is urged to attend next week's Uintah Basin Energy Days to learn the problems facing the petroleum industry and benefits this sector of the economy provides to local, state and national economics. This interactive conference is planned for Wednesday, August 4, and w ill feature a number of prominent promi-nent policymakers and industry leaders. Conference patrons may attend any portion of Wednesday's presentations, presen-tations, which will include a keynote luncheon presentation by Bureau of Land Management Deputy Director for Operations, Francis Cherry. The Independent Petroleum Association of Mountain States (IPAMS), in conjunction with the Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce, is hosting this free Second Annual Uintah Basin Days at the Western Park Convention Center. An impressively increased industry exhibit will be held both Wednesday and Thursday at the Western Park Convention Center. According to Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Richard Harrington, last year's 14 exhibits have mushroomed mush-roomed into nearly 60 exhibits this year. Exhibits will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday. "There will be door prizes with the exhibits and booths for both kids and adults," Harrington reports. Local residents are encouraged to attend the conference. In addition to the slate of industry leaders who will address specific issues, question ques-tion and answer sessions designed Judge approves siesmic exploration Seismic testing on the West Tavaputs Plateau (near Nine Mile Canyon) will continue after a federal fed-eral judge ruled this week that the project would not threaten rock art and other archeological resources in the area. The U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. found that the plaintiffs (the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Canada lynx looks like a bobcat longer legs. augment the state's lynx population. popula-tion. The first releases in Colorado in 2000 did not produce offspring because it was believed there were not enough lynx to reproduce. To remedy the problem, more lynx were authorized to be released. This year there have been several litters of kittens born. Utah presently has no management manage-ment plan for handling a lynx population. popu-lation. Based on known threats to lvnx for all areas of interest in the energy industry are scheduled. Bob Davis, EOG Resources and IPAMS Utah State Vice President and Richard Harrington of the Chamber will welcome guests. Jim Felton, of the Bill Barrett Corporation, will moderate the day's presentations which will begin with the 9 a.m. presentation presenta-tion of Jon Allred, Energy Analyst of the Utah Energy Office and Mike McKee, Uintah County Commissioner. They will discuss the Utah Economic Impact Study. Lavonne Garrison, assistant director of oil and gas for the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, will address funding fund-ing education in Utah. Regulating the industry in Utah will be the focus of John R. Baza, association director of the oil and gas program, Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining. Keynote luncheon speaker will be Francis Cherry, deputy director for operations of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Washington, DC. Following the luncheon presentation pre-sentation Bill Stringer, manager of the Vernal BLM Field Office, will address issues of being involved in the BLM's planning process. Stuart Wright will present an in-depth in-depth look at seismic exploration. Wright is manager of geophysics, Dawson Geophysical. Midstream, supply and demand issues will be the focus of Questar and assorted speakers. Thursday, August 5, will continue con-tinue exhibits and also include a Halliburton burger and dog deck open from 1 1 a.m. to 6 p.m. From 4 to 6 Thursday afternoon, a "Blue Mountain" blue grass concert will entertain in the amphitheater. Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club and the Utah Rock Art Association) did not provide any evidence that would show the project would have significant impact on the environment environ-ment or cultural resources. "Once again, the courts have affirmed that responsible energy development can occur while protecting the environment and See Ruling on A11 c but appears to be bulkier and has and lynx habitat, the US Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the contiguous U.S. lynx does not require listing as endangered because there is no evidence to indicate that the contiguous U.S. lynx population is in danger of extinction throughout a significant portion of its range. Therefore the March 2000 final ruling that listed the lynx as threatened in the contiguous con-tiguous U.S. remains in effect. |