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Show B7 Wednesday, April 30, 2003 Vernal Express Pointing dog club forms Forest Service employees speak to elementary students about ing care of the earth. Students learn about e plants by doing Thunder rumbles at elementary schools non-nativ- Loren Webb Vernal Express correspondent Its one thing to tell students how salt cedar tamarisk trees negatively impact native plants in the Jones Hole area of Dinosaur National Monument. Its even better if students are provided with a hands-o- n approach to dealing with the problem instead of reading or talking about it, Vernal Junior High Escape Club adviser Louise Murch, said. So, as part of an Earth Day service project, a combined youth work force from Murchs club, from Vernal Girl Scout Troop 651 and from Uintah High School teacher Tom Elders advance placement science class, used pruners and hand saws to eradicate tamarisk trees at the confluence of Ely Creek and Jones Hole Creek on Saturday, By non-nati- high-valu- Students help cut down tamarisks near Ely Creek and Jones Hole Creek. wetland habitat throughout the western United States. Tamarisk trees reduce the amount of insect forage for birds and the trees reduce the number of cavities in native trees for cavity-nestin- g animals like owls, woodpeckers and chickadees. Tamarisk trees can also change the structure of river banks which can be harmful to aquatic insects , Horses allowed in Dinosaur Monument The use of horses in Dinosaur National Monument is allowed, but there are some restriction the public should be aware of before venturing onto the monument. There are no designated or marked horse trails in the monument. Horseback riding is permitted except within the developed areas such as campground, residential area, visitor center, around historic structures, on paved road or on hiking trails. Persons bringing horses into the monument are required to have a current negative Coggins test for their horses. The maximum group size is 10 horses including riding and packhorses. Day use is allowed without the need of a permit. Visitors are reminded not to block roads or other visitor access when parking trailers, and they must clean up the area before departing. Because of weed management concerns, only pelletized feed is allowed for horses on the monument It is recommended that horses be fed processed free for 24 hours prior to entering the park. Horses also need to be brushed off, trailers be swept out and hose down before entering the park. Overnight camping with horses requires a backcountry permit, which may be obtained at either the Quarry Visitor Center or the Center. Visitor Headquarters not is horses with Camping allowed in the Monument's developed campgrounds. To reduce impacts, camps may not be established in any location for more than one night. Camps must be a least a quarter of a mile from roads, overlooks, trails, historic sites and I COPY The mimicking sounds of a thunder storm radiated throughout both Maeser and Davis Elementary Schools as students learned how thunderstorms can affect their lives. The crescendo of sounds of the thunderstorm were created by students intermittently rubbing their hands together, snapping their fingers, clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and slapping their hands on their legs. Thunderstorms being one of natures most spectacular phenomena fascinated the students as they learned their part in the water cycle. Drinking the same water which dinosaurs probably drank was of great interest to the students, learning that one drop of water cycles over and over again. Because of the drought, water was the emphasis at this years Earth Day Celebration. Niccole Mortenson, Terrie Lemon and Hillary Law of the Ashley National Forest-VernDistrict, and Karen Bloom and Deb Norton of the Bureau of Land Management-Verna- l Field Office, were on hand to teach the students through visual aides and activities. Woodsy Owl was on hand to assist the presenters. A Drop in the Bucket was an activity which calculates the percentage of fresh water available for human use. The students learned that even though 71 percent of planet earth is covered with water, only about .003 percent of the al April 26. It feels good to do service projects for the outdoors to make it a lot better for people to enjoy, Vernal Junior High School Escape Club member Matthew Sylvester said. The service project, utilizing 26 students, was under the supervision of National Park Service employees Tamara Naumann and Gary Mott. a Service Park Naumann, botanist, said the goal is to eradicate e all tamarisk trees in the five within area riparian years. Tamarisk trees, originally brought to America from the Mediterranean area and central Asia, can guzzle up to 50 gallons of water a day. Naumann said tamarisk trees are aggressive invaders of riparian and known archaeological sites. Along the inner canyons of the Green and Yampa rivers, camps must be at of a mile from the least river and camping is not allowed in the river camps. Watering stock should be done from the lower end of the source to the extent possible to reduce contamination. In camp, horses should be allowed to free graze or be hobbled to reduce site impact. If tied, horses are to be highlined, not tied to trees. one-eigh- th tak- and fish. In the main portion of the river, tamarisk trees can also ruin native fish spawning habitat, Naumann said. Invasive as such weeds, bioloare tamarisks, recognized by gists worldwide as the second leading cause of plant and animal species extinction, after habitat destruction. Invasive weeds are becoming a bigger problem globally because human beings are so mobile. They are introducing invasive plants, animals and diseases into habitats where they did not coevolve with native species, Naumann said. At Jones Hole, students and Girl Scouts used pruners and saws to do their part in cutting down and removing tamarisk trees from along river banks. Almost immediately after the trees are cut down, Park Service employees spray a herbicide, mixed with vegetable oil, on the tree stump to create a slow process of tree rotting. The mixture allows Park Service employees to use a minimal amount of herbicide while the vegetable oil sticks to the stump so it wont wash off during a rain storm, Naumann said. In the meantime, they are not producing any new seeds to start new babies, Naumann said, referring to the tamarisk tree stumps. Meanwhile, for students participating in the tamarisk tree eradication project like Vernal Junior High Escape Club member Brent Holmes, its fun. It helps the environment and keeps us out of trouble.. We get exercise, fresh air and we see new things." Some 500 to 1,000 volunteers each year assist with the National Park Services Weed Warrior at Dinosaur National Program, Monument. Private groups regularly assisting with the program include the National Outdoor Leadership School, Colorado Outward Bound School, the Sierra Club and Friends of the Yampa, Naumann said. walcr is dean and fresh. Being water is a limited resource; the presenters encouraged students to protect their water resources. One easy way for the students to protect their water resource is by turning off the water while brushing their teeth. This one effort saves at least two gallons of water each and every time they brush their teeth. The students know that Earth is the planet they live on, and all things come from the earth. They cant just pack up and move to another planet so they need to protect the earths natural resources on which they live. Because all products come from the natural resources of the earth, the children were introduced to various rocks and minerals in their natural form, and were shown various products that are made from each of them. Examples shared with the children included the drilling for oil and gas and the mining of phosphate, asphalt and Gilsonite right here in the Uintah Basin. They became familiar with and easily understood the importance of the products produced and the influence they have y on our lives through their varied uses and the jobs produced in their development. Issues The Conservation Committee of the Vernal Area Chamber of Commerce provided each second grader with an educational activity book titled, EARTH CARE -- Starts With Me. day-to-da- A DoubleDouble trial will be held May 3 and 4 by the Greater Utah Pointing Dog Club, formerly the HSTRA Utah Club. This trial will be held about three miles north of Emery at the Jim Fauver Castle Valley Outdoors Ranch. Trials will begin about 7 a.m. both days. Lunch will be provided for a nominal fee. Entries and fees may be made to Tom Kosmack trial chairman at or at huntall-dayyahoo.co- 9, Those wishing to participate in this trial may contact Kosmack regarding limited motel accommodations and directions for reaching the site. Participants are encouraged to bring others interested in the sport to understand the workings of this newly formed club. Adult soccer registration begins Uintah Recreation 5 on 5 Adult Soccer League registrations are being taken. The league is open to men or women players 16 years and older. Only eight teams can register, so register your team early. Cost is $140 per team or $18 per players if signing up individually. Registrations are due no later than May 21. Players may sign up by team or individually and be placed on a team. Teams can consist of minimum of seven players, maximum of plays. There is an early registralon discount of $10 per player if registered by May 16. Play begins on Tuesday. May 27, and games are every Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. And 7:30 p.m. At the Vernal Soccer Field, behind the USU Extension building. The season will consist of seven games and a post Season tournament. Register at the Uintah Recreation Office, 134 West Main Suite 101, phone 1 1 781-098- 2. 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