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Show rl A- J1 A 5 i I s t J u UNTER EDU Course has been By Taylor S. Fielding Signpost asst. production mgr. The Utah Hunter Education Program had its beginnings in 1957. At that time hunter education nationally had no form and was looking for leadership. The Utah Department of Fish and Game with the energy and enthusiasm of such people as Lee Kay and Lee Robertson took a leadership role. These two men developed the program that served as the template upon which other states have built their own programs, according to Lynn Chamberlain, Regional Information Manager with the Division of Wildli fe Resou rces (DWR). "Everyone born after 1965 is required to take the hunter education course," Don Paul, a wildlife biologist with DWR, said. Some states and national parks are requiring hunter education regardless of age, Paul said. "It's good for people to take the course even if they are older." The minimum course is 12 hours of classroom time, and stu Late spring doesn't elminate dangers of By Taylor S. Fielding Signpost asst. production mgr. State Forester Art DuFault is concerned with both the good news and the bad news regarding Utah's potential hazard for summer wildfires. According to DuFault, "the good news is that Utah's late spring and record rainfall have shortened the fire season." "The bad news," DuFault said, "is that despite above average precipitation, much of Utah's vegetation has not yet recovered from the previous eight years of drought." As the hot summer weather continues, trees, grasses and other fuel sources will continue to dry out and could result in a serious fuel-loading situation. In anticipation of the current fire season, personnel from the Division of State Lands and Forestry have completed several ad- Local Fishing Report provided by Division of Wildlife Causey Tributaries are closed. Fishing is fair for rainbows and kokanee using salmon eggs and Power Bait. East Canyon Reservoir Fishing success is good for trolling or shore anglers. Bait and Power Bait are working well. Trolling with pop gear and night crawlers. Echo Reservoir Reservoir is full. Fishing is improving.Farmington Pond Pond has been stocked. Kaysville Pond Fishing success is fair on south pond. Largemouth bass and bluegill use worms and bass plugs. Heavy weed growth may hamper fishing. Park in designated areas andcarry out your trash. CAT ON: teaching safety and dents must then pass two exams: one written and one firearms, Paul said. The course is usually taught in multiple days, but that is left up to the individual instructors, he said. "The program is required by the state and administered by DWR, but is taught by volunteers," Paul said. In order to become an instructor, candidates must be18-years-old, and must have successfully completed the hunter education and hunter education instructor certification programs, Paul said. The program was voluntary from its initiation in 1957 until 1961, when the course became required before someone could purchase a big game or small game permit, he said. When the program was started, it was simply a gun-safety course using materials obtained from the National Rifle Association, Paul said. It became known as the Utah Hunter Safety Program, but the name was changed to Utah Hunter Education Program in order to broaden the scope of the curriculum and include topics that Everything is really keyed on the weather. -Ken Dixon, Weber Fire District Battalion Chief vanced training sessions designed to hone their skills in fire management activities. The Flame-n-Gos, a squad of inmate firefighters coordinated through the division, recently attended a week of valuable training which included basic fire behavior, use of water and hand tools, risk management, and safety-oriented strategies for fire containment. Despite personnel reductions in federal agencies, such as the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management which serve as co-operators in state firefighting efforts, DuFault noted that such reductions will pose little threat to good hunting practices for 38 years wouldn't be covered in a general gun-safety course. Today, the curriculum covers all aspects of wildlife recreation, wildlife management, law enforcement, game identification, firearms and ammunition, outdoor survival, and first aid are all covered in detail, but perhaps the most powerful message of the hunter education program is gun safety. The first year hunter education was taught in 1957, there were 126 hunting-related accidents resulting in 22 fatalities in the state of Utah. Ten years later, 134,000 students had been through the course. In 1967, the number of accidents had been reduced to 20 with only six fatalities, Chamberlain said. Statistics show that310,000stu-dents had been taught the essentials of wildlife recreationby 1977. The number of accidents dropped to 11 with four fatalities. Seven years later, over 400,000 students had been taught. That year, there were only nine hunting-related accidents, and for the first time, no fatalities in the sport of hunting, which is participated by over a quarter of a mil 99 initial fire suppression capabilities.DuFault said, "personnel limitations are more likely to curb the ability of federal agencies in assisting with large state fires that escape initial attack efforts." Increased interagency cooperation will be vital to effective handling of the season's anticipated needs. According to DuFault, "a fire prevented saves Utah's valuable natural resources, preserves private and public lands, and reduces state fire suppression costs. But more importantly, it saves lives." The delayed season has meant the Weber Fire District has seen little in the way of fires so far this Locomotive Springs Slow fishing, try Power Bait and salmon eggs. Lost Creek Reservoir Boat ramps are open and fishing is good. Anglers have been using green Power Bait and worms. Ogden River River is high. Fishing is fair to good. Recently stocked. Pineview Reservoir Fishing is slow for crappie in shallows and will continue to pick up as water warms. Suspend a jig about 4-6 feet below a bobber. Tipping the jig with a wax worm or adding a scent like smelly jelly may help. Boats can be launched at both ramps. Tiger muskie lion sportsmen and women, Chamberlain said. There are several upcoming class sessions of the Utah Hunter Education Program. The classes consist of five days of class work plus an examination day at the end of that period, Paul said. The cost for the classes is $4 a person. Participants will also need to have access to a .22-caliber rifle and fifty rounds of ammunition, he said. Students should not bring the rifle to class with them, but will be told when to bring it by their instructor. Paul said the classes are from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and are taught in the hunter education classroom (the prefab concrete building south of the DWR main offices at 515 East 5300 South, entry is through a door on the south side). The dates for the classes are: Monday, July 24 through Friday July 28, with exams on Saturday, July 29. July 31 through Aug. 4, exams on Aug. 5. Aug. 15 through Aug. 18, exams on Aug. 19. a fire season year, said Battalion Chief Ken Dixon. Including a pretty quiet Fourth of July weekend. Dixon said there is a resource pool in Weber County made up of on-call volunteers from all of the fire departments vvithin the county. Any department with need for extra man power can draw from the pool. "Everything is really keyed on the weather," Dixon said. "The fire danger is high, but not critical in the interface areas (where urban and wildland areas meet and fade into one another)." The long, wet and cool spring has meant there is a lot of grass and it is taller than usual. This large amount of growth during the spring dies and dries out during the summer, creating a large amount of "flash fuel." There is the potential for fires through late fall due to the weather, Dixon said, but the Weber Fire District is "cautiously optimistic." fishing picking up. Twenty-first Street Pond Fair to good rainbows using salmon eggs and green Power Bait. Weber River Water is running very fast and can be quite turbid and high at this time of year. Fishing success is picking up. Bait is working fortrout. Water semi-clear between Coalville and Hennefer. Willard Bay Walleye fishing from dike has slowed down, and trolling with worm harness or rapalas has slowed down. Slow for crappie. Catching some catfish from dike using 6 feet of line below a bobber wi th night crawlers. Lightning: nature's own electric chair By Taylor S. Fielding Signpost asst. production mgr. Lightning strikes American soil-about 90 million times each year, and it is the number one killer among natural phenomenon in the state of Utah. Ninety-three people were killed by lightning last year in the United States, Paul Seager, Marketing Coordinator with the Utah Safety Council, said. Most of the deaths occured in open areas where the victim was the tallest object. The Utah Safety Council offers these precautions to take before and during a lightning storm: Keep a "weather eye" on the sky. Be prepared to take cover if a warning or watch is announced. If you can hear thunder, take cover; you're close enough to be struck by lightning. If inside a building or metal enclosed vehicle, remain inside. Never stand underneath a tree or other tall objects, they act as lightning rods. For extra safety, don't take a bath or shower. Lightning can travel through water lines. If caught in a storm, find a low spot away from trees, fences and poles. In the woods stay by the shorter trees. If you feel your skin tingle or your hair stand up, crouch low and putyourhands on your knees. Do not lie on the ground or touch it with your hands. Also, get rid of metal objects like golf clubs, metal tennis rackets, fishing poles, orbicycles. Likewise, motorcycles, farm equipment and other metal equipment attract lightning, as does metal fencing. Seager said unplugging and avoiding use of electrical appliances is to prevent accidental deaths and to prevent damage to the motors and other electrical components of appliances, which would be caused by a lightning strike. Resources |