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Show Park Record Thursday, July 9, 1 987 Page A 1 3 Aimdl Sod Hit (Be by Tom Clyde Put a sheep in your tank As a child, my impatient father (who started out in life as a sheep rancher, and probably went nuts dealing with them) and I could get through a herd of those blankety-blank blankety-blank sheep pretty fast with me sitting on the hood of the car, screaming and waving. That seemed to get their at-! at-! tention. The better version of that is having somebody get out and walk in front of the car, clapping hands and whooping. That takes a willing passenger, and I noticed over the holiday that most of the people who used that technique were men driving four wheel drive pickups, whose wives or girlfriends would do the walking. Open-toed Open-toed sandals seemed to be the regulation footwear. Nobody ever seemed to say to the little woman, "Here, take the wheel, I'll take a walk through the sheep poop." Sir Walter Raleigh didn't live in sheep country. And speaking of sheep poop, they really do, in astounding astoun-ding quantities. I understand that the highway department depart-ment has a special schedule of maintenance for roads that get a lot of sheep traffic. The average road gets a tar and chips seal coat every five years. Those paved primarily with sheep dung never require re-paving. It sets up like adobe and gets freshened twice a year. It was most unpleasant driving through it, but I guess we can count ourselves lucky here. According to an article arti-cle in the Wall Street Journal, the exhaust fumes from sheep are a major source of air pollution in New Zealand. According to the June 30 article, sheep are great producers of methane gas. The Journal reports "if you could hook up a sheep to the carburator of your car, you could run it several kilometers a day." The article went on to say that the 70 million sheep in New Zealand produce about 2.5 billion gallons of methane gas a week in their little tummies. . All that methane is supposed to be adding to other gasses and thinning the ozone layer. Scientists are concerned con-cerned that we are going to warm the atmosphere, melt the polar ice caps, and all drown as a result of the depletion deple-tion of the ozone. These same scientists are busy gathering gather-ing sheep gas to study it. The ozone problem has many sources, but sheep flatulance is a major contributor. Two and a half billion gallons is a lot of gas. Based on what I used last year from my propane tank, that 2.5 billion gallons of sheep gas would heat all the houses in five western states, with just a week's efforts. If you see me driving around with a couple of sheep in the truck of the car, you'll know why. Well, sitting in the midst of all that gas, I was pretty worried when the sheep herder started to light up a cigarette. I wanted to get through there, and I mean fast. It was then that I perfected the technique for moving through herds of sheep like a grease pig. It's pretty simple. sim-ple. Just lean out the window of the car, and in a firm, quiet voice, say "mint jelly." That seems to put all those little legs of lamb in motion. The rush hour in Woodland is pretty predictable. Instead In-stead of the daily flow of commuter traffic, our rush hours are more seasonal, when the sheep herds start moving from the lambing grounds to the forest grazing permits. I got caught in several sheep jams this week, driving my little Triumph with the top down. From that vantage point, right at the sheep's own level, it was easy to draw some conclusions about sheep. I knew where they were going, in a general way. After all, there is a mountain on one side of the road and a river on the other. That leaves only two real options, and since they were coming from one direction, even the cows in the meadow across the river had figured out that the sheep must have been going the other. It was obvious. ob-vious. The dogs knew where they were going. The horses knew where they were going. The sheep herders, who appeared to be sound asleep in the saddle, didn't need any more concentration than that. Everybody knew where the sheep were going, except the sheep. The sheep had no clue. They kept trying to turn around and go back, or climb the cliff, or panic at the prospect of falling into the river. They were everywhere but where they were supposed to be. For a few minutes, I was stuck, with a large ewe looking look-ing in the car at me. We were literally at eye level, and one good nip from the dog, and she would have been in the car beside me. For a few minutes I was able to stare into her eyes. No light shone from those eyes. Not even the slightest glimmer of intellect. If breathing were not automatic, she'd be a goner. Every thirty seconds or so, the dog would nip her heels, and she would remember that she was supposed to move along, if she could just remember where. A couple of steps later, confusion would set in, and she would grind to a halt. The ex-asparation ex-asparation on the faces of the dogs was clear, and the herder's only function was to keep the dogs from losing all patience and killing the whole herd out of pure frustration. The average potgut has ten times the brain power of the brightest sheep. There are a lot of techniques for getting through herds of sheep on the road, and since I had to make several trips through the various herds moving through the front yard, I have tried them all. Honking the horn is of no value at all. Sheep are too dumb to know what a mechanical sound is. A horn that emitted the sound of a coyote may help, but a simple car horn is a waste of time. Since I'm usually in the car alone on the way to work, I have to rely on the "Bang on the side of the car and whoop and holler" method. That works reasonably well, but it's better if you are going the opposite direction of the sheep (assuming the dogs have recently reminded them which direction they are supposed to be going). Smmmiut it Summut Tax nTke OK'd for schools Jackson Hole News i. Teton County residents will undergo a two-mill tax increase in-crease to help schools make up for an $800,000 predicted deficit in 1988-89. t The tax hike is expected to raise about $150,000 in each of the two years the school district is allowed to collect. It will set back the average homeowner about $15 per year. , The tax passed by a 2-to-l margin, although citizens promoting it were concerned that low voter turnout would result in the measure's failure. . Before the election, Ken Thomasma, chairman of the Citizen Advisory Committee pushing for the tax said, "Apathy is the thing that will kill us." He and others in the group sent out pamphlets and went door to door to explain the need for the tax, and it apparently worked. "I'm real happy for the kids of Teton County," said Thomasma. "The main thing is that we will keep a promise pro-mise not to drop the ball." When school board officials found they would be short this year (primarily because oil revenues are dropping), they trimmed the budget for the 1987-88 school year of $575,000 by cutting 11 staff positions and funding for science programs. The $150,000 the new tax will raise will help, but only slightly. "Although it's not significant, it will be of help to the schools," said Wyoming Sen. John Turner, v Turner noted the state's schools have relied heavily on revenue raised by federal mineral royalties in the past, and that the sudden downturn in that industry has hurt the state's economy. "The outlook is not bright," he said. "We are not looking look-ing for a quick turnaround in the industry." southeast of Tucson, and Game and Fish Department investigator in-vestigator Dave West said he believes he knows the rancher ran-cher who shot the big cat. But, he noted, the other ranchers ran-chers in the area will not provide any information against the killer because of his reputation for bringing "bad times" to those who cross him. TRAIL 4 Mil COD Good and bad news for the endangered The Idaho Mountain Express reports black-footed ferrets fer-rets have been bred in captivity and a jaguar sighted in Arizona has been shot. Both are endangered species there are only 18 remaining re-maining ferrets in the U.S., and the jaguar is a remnant of a population which once existed in the mountains of southern Arizona. The 18 mature ferrets were captured after the last wild colony was devastated by a distemper outbreak in 1985. It was the first attempt at captive breeding of the animals. Nine of the 11 females in the group bred this spring, and seven of those appear to be pregnant. One female has already given birth to six young, but wildlife officials of-ficials are unsure if she will care for them because she is only one year old. f The Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Laramie, where the ferrets are in captivity, says it wants to bring the population up to 200 breeding adults before it begins re-introducing the animals to the wild in 1991 if all goes well. ; The jaguar Was sited in the Chiricahua Mountains Moose to expand A transplanted herd of moose in Colorado's North Park appears to be both thriving and a good neighbor. In fact, the Colorado Wildlife Commission has decided to allow the herd to increase from 100 to 300 animals. The Division of Wildlife first transplanted moose into the state in 1978, and the population immediately thrived. thriv-ed. Since then, more animals have been brought in from Wyoming and Utah, and now a limited hunting season is allowed. The moose is the largest member of the deer family, and scientists think it has never naturally occurred in Colorado. Bob Hernbrode, a big game specialist for the division, said the reaction from North Park residents was critical in determining whether or not to allow the herd to expand. ex-pand. And, although he said they were "hesitant at first," now reports they are "enthusiastic about having a new big game species" in the area. The herd will be allowed to increase to 300 by 1995. Donations to wildlife rising The Division of Wildlife reports donations to Colorado's Col-orado's non-game wildlife program have increase for the first time since 1981 this year. Estimates are that the state will rake in about $28,000 more than last year, or about $400,000. But, the increase is not as beneficial to wildlife as it looks actually it will all go to cover the $55,000 in additional costs generated by a Denver public relations firm hired by the division to increase contributions. Division spokesman Todd Malmsbury said the reason the donations had dropped off in recent years, after a healthy start in the first few early years, was because the state's economy was sluggish. The donations are made by way of residents checking off a box which distributes some part of their state tax return to support the non-game wildlife program, and Malmsbury noted "fewer people are getting tax refunds." "You look at the economy and it used to be real good," said Malmsbury. "But it's not real good any more." Donations to the program, the first of its kind in the nation, na-tion, peaked in 1981 at $740,000. But donations dropped each year after that, and reached a low last year of $372,000, forcing layoffs of 10 out of the progrr m's 14 employees. The division hired the firm of William Kostka to help boost donations by increasing awareness of the non-game non-game programs. A HW4L $59,900 PARK WEST 1 9 Park West Resort 2 bdrm plus loft, 2 ba., freestanding townhouse offers privacy of a home. Ann Brighton 649-8550 n hi sfi" $45,000 HISTORIC DISTRICT 20S Park Ave. Miners boarding house, sun, rehab, or new bldg. Bill Ligety 649-8550 $53,000 OLO TOWN 131 Daly Ave. Quaint Old Town historic cottage, new wiring & plumbing. Cyndi Sharp $98,500 SILVER SUMMIT 5646 Yorktown Lane 4 bdrm, 3 ba, many upgrades, Ig. deck. Craig Masters 649-8550 $105,000 SILVER SUMMIT 780 E. Richmond Immaculate, 3 bdrm, 3 ba, Im rm opens to deck. Bill Ligety 649-8550 $119,500 PARK MEADOWS 1923 Evening Star 3 bdrm, 2 ba, view of 5th fairway of golf course. Craig Masters 649-8550 $119,900 OLD TOWN 124 Norfolk 3000 sq. ft., historic area, plus garage, bank repo. Maire Rosol 649-8550 $149,000 JEREMY RANCH 8835 Silver Spur Sauna, hot tub. 4 bdrm, Palmer golf course. Cyndi Sharp 649-8550 $235,000 HOLIDAY RANCH 2000 Lucky John Dr. Custom 3 bdrm, 3 ba, fplcs, barn, solar, 1 ac. Jonny Totten 649-8550 $255,000 SILVER SPRINGS 1422 Willow Lane Over 5000 sq. ft., 5 bdrm, pool. Cyndi Sharp 649-8550 $299,000 SOLAMERE 2905 Telemark Unique 3 bdrm, great value for Deer Valley. Leslie Grace 649-8550 $795,000 SNYDERVILLE 568 W. 5200 N. Treasure Mt. finest. 5700 sq ft, 5 ac, 6 bdrm, pool, barn. Leslie Grace 649-8550 $89,000 PARK MEADOWS Unit 3 Racquet Club 2 bdrm plus loft, 2.5 ba, prime area, views, owner motivated, make offer. Craig Masters 649-8550 $89,900 SNYDERVILLE 561 7 Kingsford Price reduced! 4 bdrm, vaulted ceilings, landscaped, fenced, good family area. Leslie Grace 649-8550 .i - 1 A I 1 . ' I $189,900 PINEBROOK 2888 Stagecoach Log home, rock fplc, 4 bdrm, 2.5 ba, sauna, landscaped, views of Uintas. Don Griffin 649-8550 $27,900 PROSPECTOR 925 Prospector Hotel, kitchenette, lowest priced unit in town. Cyndi Sharp 649-8550 $33,500 PARK WEST 1 7D2 Park West New paint, spa, clean, loft bdrm, tennis. Cyndi Sharp 649-8550 $39,900 PC RESORT Unit 6 Homestake 2 bdrm, 1 ba, good cond. wood stove, bank repo. Maire Rosol 649-8550 $39,900 PC RESORT Unit 366 Claimiumper 1 bdrm, 1 ba. many upgrades, looks new. Randy Spagnoletti 649-8550 $59,000 PROSPECTOR H-3 Fireside 2 bdrm, 2 ba, fplc. many upgrades, laundry hook-up. Don Griffin 649-8550 $68,500 PARK WEST L-7 Red Pine Chalet 2 bdrm. plus loft. 2 ba, furnished, views. Jonny Totten 649-8550 $69,900 PARK MEADOWS 2 Windrift Pool, tennis, 2 bdrm, tub for soaking. Cyndi Sharp 649-8550 $83,000 PARK MEADOWS Unit 1 35 Racquet Club On golf course, new paint & carpet. Cyndi Sharp 649-8550 $89,000 , PC RESORT " '. -. J T-94.f ayOefjrrr1Wfm-)hiS toft neartm . golf course. Cyndi Sharp 649-8550 $89,500 SILVER SPRINGS Unit 12 Quail Meadows 2 bdrm plus loft, 2.5 ba, views. Craig Masters 649-8550 $128,000 PC RESORT 212 Shadow Ridge 2 bdrm, furnished, fplc, near lifts. Brighton Rosol 649-8550 $179,000 OLD TOWN Unit 2 Motherlode 3 bdrm, 4 ba, luxurious, across from town lift. Bob Richer 649-8550 i iii G : D $279,000 SILVER SPRINGS 5103 Silver Springs On sailing lake, great views, immaculate, for discriminating buyers. Cyndi Sharp 649-8550 -.v. $320,000 RIDGEVIEW 3000 Crestline Dr. 3 bdrm, 4 ba, furnished, great views, hot tub, sauna, wine cellar, exercise rm. Maire Rosol 649-8550 $15,000 PARK RIDGE Lot 23 .5 acre zoned for horses, views, all improvements. Chris Eberlein 649-8550 $22,000 JEREMY RANCH Lot 41 Golf course on Saddleback Rd., great buyl Linda McReynolds 649-8550 $23,500 DEER VALLEY 500 Deer Valley Dr. Dup!ex tot. easy access, good views. Bill Ligety 649-8550 $25,000--up MC CLOUD CREEK Prime bid. lots, views of ski resorts, best priced locations. Craig Masters 649-8550 $27,500 HIGHLAND ESTATES Lot 272 3.34 acre, great views, possible owner financing. Vivian Cropper 649-8550 $42,800 OUT OF TOWN Lot 48 42.80 acres in Brown s Canyon. Tevy Smith 649-8550 $44,000 RIDGEVIEW Lot 59 Reasonable price in prestigious area. Georgia Shane 649-8550 $44,900 OLD TOWN 200 block Woodside Ave. Duplex lot 50X75. Excellent! Craig Masters 649-8550 $47,500 DEER VALLEY Lot 88 Solamere Bank foreclosure, financing available. Martha Brown 649-8550 $48,500 SUMMIT PARK Lot 38M 1 5 acres in trees, Matterhorn Cir . seller terms. Linda McReynolds 649-8550 $50,000 PC RESORT 1373 Park Ave Ideal for bed & breakfast, condos, apts. Bill Ligety 649-8550 $59,900 OLD RANCH ROAD Fenced & drained, horse property, views, terms possible. Bill Ligety 649-8550 $275,000 DEER VALLEY . Lot 7 American Flag Best view lot in American Flag. Dianne Holt 649-8550 649-8550 GUMP&AYERS R A l ESTATE INC Park Meadows Plaza 1500 Kearns Blvd. Park City, Utah 84060 and 1030 Park Avenue |