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Show Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Bryce • Tropic • Antimony • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder • Duck Creek Wednesday, December 24, 2008 • Issue # 195 Bryce Canyon National Park Offers Special Interpretive Programs During the Holiday Season Superintendent, Eddie Lopez invites you to attend special ranger-led programs this holiday season at Bryce Canyon National Park. Interpretive Park Rangers will offer astronomy presentations, guided snowshoe hikes, and geology talks during Christmas and New Year’s weeks. Programs are free of charge with payment of the park entrance fee, $25 per car, good for 7 days. Astronomy programs will be offered Tuesday, December 23, 2008, and Tuesday, December 30, 2008, at the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center beginning at 7:00 pm. “Dark Ranger” Kevin Poe, will offer his popular “Dark Wars” multimedia presentation. Poe takes us on a tour of the battlefield between artificial light and natural darkness—a struggle where the fate of astronomy, nocturnal animals, and even human health hangs in the balance. The presentation is 60 minutes long and will be followed by stargazing (weather permitting) with professional telescopes operated by Poe’s fellow “Dark Rangers.” weather high: 32 low: 16 thursday high: 24 low: 7 friday high: 25 low: 8 saturday high: 34 low: 12 sunday high: 39 low: 16 monday high: 40 low: 14 tuesday high: 39 low: 17 wednesday Poe says, “Though winter nights can be bitter cold at Bryce, the cold, dry air makes this the very best time of year to see Bryce Canyon’s world class night sky!” This holiday season, the night sky showcases planets Venus and Jupiter, the Great Orion Nebula, Crab Supernova Remnant, and many more astronomers’ favorites. Dress warmly for the outdoor telescope session which lasts until you get cold! Geology Talks are offered daily at 11:30 a.m. Check at the visitor center for location. Snowshoe hikes will be offered at 2:00 p.m. on December 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, and 31, and January 2. Bryce Canyon has a limited number of free snowshoes available for these rangerled snowshoe hikes, or you’re welcome to bring or rent your own snowshoes. Because space is limited, sign-up at the Visitor Center is required for snowshoe hikes. The Bryce Canyon Visitor Center will be closed December 25 and 26, 2008. President Bush has issued an Executive Order declaring Friday, December 26, 2008 a Federal holiday, thereby closing all Federal offices. Other than these two federal holidays, the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center will be open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. throughout the winter. The park never closes. Park roads are plowed and sanded after each snowstorm, but some roads may be temporarily closed during and following winter storms. The staff at Bryce Canyon National Park wishes you a happy and healthy holiday season, and hopes to see you at our interpretive programs! Fishermen will rejoice in changes at Panguitch Lake. By Norman McKee Panguitch Lake has always been one of the great family fisheries in Utah. However, the past couple of years have long-time fishermen discouraged. It all has to do with a non-game fish called the “chub”. The Utah chub is a native minnow of the Sevier River system. It has plagued Panguitch Lake ever since the late 1800’s. One story is that two early Fish & Game Commissioners (Sharp & Walker) could see the native trout being overly exploited by Indians, settlers, and commercial fishermen. So they decided to stock some trout and evidently some chubs were mixed in with the trout and were introduced to the lake. Anyway, the “sharpwalkers” have been a headache ever since. I think the whole story is a bit “fishy”. Having set and pulled my share of gill nets from Panguitch Lake over the years as a wildlife officer, it frustrated me to see the abundance of chubs in the nets compared to the trout numbers. The lake has been chemically treated three times to get rid of the chubs. It is very expensive. The 1973 treatment seemed to have done the job. No chubs for years. I was very disappointed when, after nine years, I pulled the annual gill net and found two chubs. Someone had put them in the lake! Who and why? Was it out of ignorance or intentional. Who knows? Nevertheless, in the 1990 treatment the chemical didn’t mix well in the weedy areas in the fall-time project and a few chubs survived, thus requiring another treatment in the spring of 2006. To prevent future treatments, a variety of cutthroat trout and a hybrid tiger trout were planted that would eat chubs. A slot limit of 15 to 22 inches was applied to all fish, including rainbows. No fish could be kept if within the slot. It was a great plan, except that the majority of the fish caught were rainbows and they are not big chub eaters, and there was no evidence of chubs. However, too many caught and released fish were injured and died. It was a waste and many discouraged fisherman quit fishing the lake. Fishing license sales at the lake went down, and lakeside businesses suffered. Now the really good news! Comments were made at the October public meeting regarding the 2009 fishing regulations. My suggestion was to take rainbows off the slot restriction. Many others feel the same way, including Tom Hatch, a member of the state Wildlife Board. The subsequent Board decision was to allow fishermen to keep a full limit of rainbow trout in 2009. The slot restriction would only apply to the cutthroats and tigers. Panguitch Lake fishermen must learn to distinguish a rainbow from a cutthroat and tiger trout if this allowance is to stand. It’s a great move, but the fisherman must make it work. State fish biologists have done a great job to again make Panguitch Lake a premier fishery. Let’s keep it that way. Panguitch Lake is vital to the economy of Garfield County and important to Southern Utah. Celebrate! New Year’s Eve Party Triple C Arena Theme: “The Fifties” Wednesday, December 31, 2008 8:00 p.m. - 12:00 Midnight $5.00 per person or $25.00 for immediate family Food: Fried Chicken, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, French fries, Root Beer Floats, Pie Entertainment: “Chuck” Professional Las Vegas Impersonator! Also Volleyball, Bingo, Money Pit, and Dancing Happy New Year! PANGUITCH MIDDLE SCHOOL “A” STUDENT LEARNS GOOD GRADES PAY OFF....LITERALLY Getting good marks in school means money in the bank for Panguitch Middle School student Dalan Bennett. He won the Panguitch-area drawing for a $100 scholarship savings account from Zions Bank’s Pays for A’s program. Bennett received the surprise news about the scholarship in a school assembly from Zions Bank’s Panguitch branch manager Scott Campbell on Dec. 10. Open to all Utah and Idaho students ages 13 through 18, Zions Pays for A’s offers cash incentives for good grades. Teen students simply take their most recent term-end report cards from the current academic year into any Zions Bank location. They’ll receive $1 per “A” deposited into their Teengreen savings accounts, or .50 cents per “A” if they opt for cash. For each “A” on their report cards, students receive automatic entries into one of 182 drawings for scholarship money worth up to $1,000. Earlier this year, Bennett brought his report card with at least one “A” grade into Zions Bank’s Panguitch office. His name was selected randomly in a drawing among entrants from that branch. Students have until Jan. 23, 2009, to submit their most recent term report cards for the winter scholarship savings account drawing. Students need not be customers of Zions to participate. More information and full contest details are available online at www.zionsbank.com/pays4as. “We at Zions Bank are thrilled to offer cash rewards to teens with ‘As.’ It’s a great way for us to recognize students like Dalan who excel in their studies,” said Campbell. “As a community bank, Zions is proud to partner with teachers and parents in supporting teens who do their very best in school.” PLEASE! BE SAFE, BE RESPONSIBLE The holiday season can be a dangerous time of the year due to an increase of impaired driving. According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, last year there were 51 alcohol related fatalities within the State. The Utah Safety Council is joining with National, State and local highway safety officials to remind everyone who will be celebrating during the Holidays that drunk driving takes lives. The following are some easy steps that any driver or passenger can follow. Enjoy a safe and festive holiday without jeopardizing your life and the lives of others: ● If you know someone who is about to drive while impaired, take their keys and help them make other arrangements to get to where they are going safely. ● Plan a safe way home before the festivities begin. ● Before drinking, designate a sober driver and give that person your keys. ● If you’re impaired, use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, or use public transportation so you are sure to get home safely. ● If you see a drunk driver on the road, don’t hesitate to contact local law enforcement. Saving lives on our roads is a top priority and it takes everyone’s help. Make smart decisions and plan ahead to better assure a safe way home. For more information, contact the Utah Safety Council at www.utahsafetycouncil.org or call us at (801) 478-7878 ext. 303 or (800) 933-5943 ext. 303. Hitch your wagon to a star. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson THE GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER is owned and operated by Snapshot Multimedia and is distributed weekly to all of Garfield County. Its purpose is to inform residents about local issues and events. Articles submitted from independent writers are not necessarily the opinion of Snapshot Multimedia. We sincerely hope you enjoy the paper and encourage input on ideas and/or suggestions for the paper. Thank you for your support. Phone: 435-676-2621 Fax 435-836-2700 PO BOX 472, ~ Loa, Utah 84747 snapshot@scinternet.net ALL content for THE GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER must be submitted on FRIDAY before 5:00 pm to be included in the following Thursday edition of the paper. BOXHOLDER PRE-SORT STANDARD PAID LOA, UTAH PERMIT No. 5 |