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Show HUGE SNOWFALL RECORDED IN ZION NAT. PARK ZION NATIONAL PARK, December De-cember 2 4 A total snowfall to date at Cedar Breaks of twenty-iseven twenty-iseven inches, containing four and one-half inches of water, is recorded by Donald J. Jolley, Chief Ranger of Zion and Bryce National Parks, who just returned re-turned from a skii patrol across the mountain accompanied by park naturalist Presnall and assistant as-sistant naturalist Keller. Chief Ranger Jolley 'further states that the snow is well packed and crusted at the higher elevations and that at no point was the ground frozen beneath the snow, which would indicate that when the snow pack melts in th.e spring, it will soak into the ground and not run off" too fast. Measurements made by the party at Duck Creek ranger station sta-tion showed very nearly the same depth of snow as at Cedar Breaks, but the water content was one inch less, Duck Creek measurements being twenty-six inches of snow containing three and one-half inches of water. The skii patrol just completed by the National Park Service is the first of a series of patrols which will be made each month during the winter for the purpose pur-pose of measuring snowfall in cooperation with the State of Utah and also to make a biological biologi-cal reconnaissance of Cedar Breaks National Monument. So far as known, this is the first regularly organized skii patrol across the mountain between Highways S9 and 91. Jolley reported skiing conditions condi-tions good for this time of year, and said no difficulty was experienced ex-perienced in making the fifty-two mile trip between Long Valley Junction and Cedar City. |