Volume XXX Issue VII The Ogden Valley News Page 11 June 15, 2023 As you are out hiking and camping this summer, don’t be surprised if you come across a deer fawn or an elk calf during late May or June. If you do see one, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources requests that you not touch, try to feed, or take the baby animal home—doing so can have fatal consequences for the animal and could result in injury to you. Deer fawns and elk calves are often born in June, which is why you may find one during your outdoor adventures in early summer. If you do happen to see one in the wild, you probably won’t see its mother. Not seeing its mother might lead you to believe that the animal has been abandoned, but that is rarely the case. “Newborn fawns are actually frequently alone and isolated during their first weeks of life—and that’s on purpose,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Big Game Coordinator Dax Mangus said. “The mother knows that leaving the fawn alone is the best way to protect it from predators.” Newborn big game animals fall into two categories: followers and hiders. • Followers include bison calves and bighorn sheep lambs, which follow their mothers shortly after they’re born. • Hiders, such as mule deer fawns and elk calves, do the opposite — they hide, alone, for most of the day for the 昀椀rst two to three weeks of their lives. During the day, a doe deer will reunite with its fawn for a short time, to nurse it and care for it. Then, to draw attention away from where the fawn is hiding, the mother will leave the fawn. The doe will spend the rest of the day feeding and resting. Hiding is the best way for fawns to stay safe right after they are born. Then, after two or three weeks, the fawn grows strong enough to start accompanying its mother. Fawns are born with a creamy brown coat that’s covered with white spots. This camouflaged coat allows the fawn to blend in with its surroundings. Fawns also don’t give off much scent, so it’s difficult for predators to smell them. What to do if you see a deer fawn or an elk calf that appears to be alone: • Don’t approach it. Watch it or take a photo of it from a distance, but don’t go near it. In almost every case, the young animal has not been abandoned by its mother. • Don’t touch it or pet it. Finding and petting newly born animals is a problem because the animal’s survival depends on it being left alone. If you touch it, you may leave your scent on the animal, which could draw predators to it. • Give it plenty of space. Even if you don’t touch the fawn or calf, getting too close can cause it to run away from you, resulting in the animal using energy it needs to survive. • Never attempt to remove a fawn or calf from the wild or take it home. DWR conservation o昀케cers occasionally respond to instances where an individual has taken a baby deer or elk home to “care for it.” However, that often has fatal consequences for the animal and can also create public safety risks as the animal matures. It is illegal to keep wildlife in captivity and can result in a class A misdemeanor. If you believe that a baby animal is injured or sick, report it to the nearest DWR o昀케ce. “Keeping your distance and not touching wildlife are the keys to keeping young animals alive,” Mangus said. “Attempting to take matters into your own hands and trying to ‘help’ wildlife usually does more harm than good. Help wildlife by allowing them to remain wild.” For more tips about how to safely live with wildlife, visit wildawareutah.org/wildlife/mule-deer/. CTC Summer Bonding Calendar This year is moving way too fast! School is out and summer is coming. Summer is a great time for bonding and so we wanted to share some great events that will be a part of our Communities That Care cone. Part of having a great summer involves spending time bonding with your family, which helps prevent underage drinking in your household. Bonding also lays the groundwork to make difficult conversations easier. Establishing trust comes by spending quality time together, making it easier to set and enforce rules later about not using alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. Remember to have fun together and prioritize family bonding this summer. Here is a July calendar that, hopefully, will provide some ideas for bonding each day of the month! July 2023 Sun Mon Tue Wed 2 Make treats and take to a friend 3 Free movie night at North Shore (Shark Tale) 4 North Ogden Cherry Days 5k & Foam Party Cherry Days Luau and Concert 9 Sit on the porch and tell a story 10 BINGO NightOgden Valley Library 11 Special Kids Rodeo 12 Music on the Plaza 13 Food Truck Thursday- N.O. Park 17 18 Have a backyard campout 19 Utah Pioneer Days Rodeo Family Night 20 Food Truck Thursday- N.O. Park 26 Family Fun Night- Ogden Valley Library 27 Food Truck Thursday- N.O. Park 2 3 Food Truck Thursday- N.O. Park 16 Lindquist Pops Concert and Fireworks @ WSU Family hike 23 Make a new dessert 24 Pioneer Day Parade 25 Ogden Raptors Game- 6:30 30 Play a new game 31 Harry Potter’s BirthdayPleasant Valley Library 1 Make popsicles Thu 5 Go fishing 6 Food Truck Thursday- N.O. Park Fri Sat 7 Cherry Days Carnival and N.O. movie in the park (Sing 2) 8 North Ogden Cherry Days Parade & fireworks 14 15 Fort Buenaventura (Free RAMP day) P.V. movie in the park (Lyle, Lyle Crocodile) 21 22 Ogden Farmers Market 28 29 BSA Ropes Challenge Course (Free RAMP day) N.O. movie in the park (Bad Guys) P.V. movie in the park (Adams Family 2) 4 Harrisville movie in the park (Lightyear) 5 Treehouse Museum (Free RAMP day) Air Quality – May 2023 By Richard Menzies and Ken Beck Since our last report, April was pretty uneventful as favorable spring breezes kept air quality in good range; however, there was one interesting event in week 3 of May. A weather circulation pattern brought smoke from the fires up in Canada down to Utah for several days, causing an equal deterioration in air quality ratings from Logan down to Salt Lake City. The smoke map gleaned from airnow.gov for 19 May shows the weather pattern pushing the smoke from Canada all the way down to the Idaho and into Northern Utah areas. As always if you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us at menziesrg1@ gmail.com or nekkceb.durfee@gmail.com. 40 pm2.5_atm Baby Animal Season Is Here: Don’t Touch or Take Home Baby Deer or Elk Found In The Wild Quality Rating 30 Good Moderate UHSG City 20 logan ogdn ovfloor slc 10 0 May 01 May 08 May 15 May 22 May 29 20 Years Ago: Wolf Creek Hosts Discovery Day On Friday, May 23, 2003, Wolf Creek Resort hosted Wolf Creek Discovery Day to showcase the new improvements to the golf course, clubhouse, and recreation center. Over 200 kids and their families joined in the fun at the Wolf Creek Recreation Center, which recently underwent a significant facelift. To celebrate the improvements, Wolf Creek and Worldmark Club at Wolf Creek offered free food and drinks, and three very popular inflatable games—The Party Shack, Bungee Run, and Obstacle Course—were busy all day. Musician Robin Arnold serenaded guests with tunes from the Old West, while a clown entertained kids with balloon animals and face painting. According to Steve Roberts, Managing Partner at Wolf Creek “Improvements include a complete redesign of the interior of the recreation center, which now includes a separate lounge area with television, a video game room, and kids’ playroom. The check-in desk was renovated, and now boasts a computer check-in system to manage the flow of members and guests. State-of-the-art cardiovascular equipment has also been installed in the fitness center, including top quality weight machines, Stairmasters, treadmills, and a recumbent bicycle. The outdoor pool, which is one of the Valley’s most popular attractions, was significantly upgraded. A new heating system maintains consistent temperatures, and the pool interior has been re-plastered and re-tiled. New tile was also added to the kiddie pool and hot tub. According to Roberts, “It was a significant investment, and both our new and returning members are really excited.” Recreation Center Memberships are available to Valley families, couples, and residents on both a seasonal and annual basis. Once again, Wolf Creek’s Recreation Center will offer its popular swim and tennis programs this summer. Kathy Allen will offer three sessions of swimming lessons, which are divided based on skill level. The sessions run June 16 – 20, July 14 – 25, and August 4 – 14. Fees range from $28 to $36 per session, with discounts for Wolf Creek Recreation Center members. Tennis enthusiasts of all ages can benefit from tips from instructors Melodie Hansen and Mary Beth Ward. They are offering three sessions of youth group lessons, June 23 – July 11, July 21 – August 1, and August 11 – 22. Adults can arrange for private and semi-private lessons during evening hours. Up the road, the golf course offered “Buck a Hole” golfing, free driving range instruction, and “Tips from the Pros.” Guests got a chance to check out the new Paradise Deli, which replaces the old Snack Bar and showcases the work of several notable local craftspeople. According to Jeromy Williams, Development Manager for Wolf Creek, who oversaw the transformation of the snack bar into the new Paradise Deli, “We hired the most talented local craftspeople we could find to finish out the Deli. Former Ogden Valley residents Carrie and Keith Neeld did their magic with faux painting, including painting the entire concrete floor to look like native stones. Blake Powell Masonry crafted the fireplace and the incredible new waterfall that greets guests at the Deli entrance. Golf Course Superintendent Rob Thomas noted, “In addition to our new practice tee, we are in the process of changing out all of our directional signage with large native stones that are hand etched. We hired local craftsman Marty Porter of Porter Stone in Eden to both select the massive variegated, stones from the quarry and do the carving.” The first of what will be many stone markers has been installed just north of the Practice Range, which welcomes golfers to the course on their way to the first tee. Wolf Creek Golf Resort is the proud sponsor of Channel 4’s annual “Beat The Pro” fundraiser for Muscular Dystrophy, with the final tournament being held at Wolf Creek on August 15. Wolf Creek’s staff will be featured on two segments of the popular “Good Things Utah” morning show later this summer. For additional information at Wolf Creek Resort, please contact: Center & Pool Memberships: Ashley Merriam, 745-3737 ext. 114 Golf Information: Wolf Creek Resort Pro Shop, 745-3737 Swimming Lessons: Kathy Allen, 745- 2709 Tennis Lessons: Melodie Hansen, 745-3545