OCR Text |
Show CA UT PRESORT -174 16-2-F C 12319? UTAH PRESS ASSOCIATION 307 W 200 S 500S SLC, UT 84101 Check t t T7TZTHn nil Babies' first swim page 14 Marginal well report -...page 7 USU breaks ground page 11 Pumpkin festival- page 13 Deer permit sales stopped .pares 18 Banking changes page 20 Express online: www.vemal.com Single Copy 50 t WEDNESDAY, October 20, 1999 Vernal, Utah 84078 107th Year No. 42 20 Pages ! ' t ' V J- 1 Firirfi dtD?is soft Government agencies are planning plan-ning to release 34 of the most endangered mammals in North America, the black-footed ferret, Thursday in Coyote Basin about 30 miles southeast of Vernal. Release of the ferrets will occur under authority of section 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act that allows species to be introduced as experimental, nonessential populations. popula-tions. Two subsequent releases will occur Oct. 28 and Nov. 1 until about 70 ferrets are released in the area. The release will make Utah 'die fifth state to receive ferrets through the reintroduction effort and the 10(j) rule- "Designation under 10(j) allows the release of ferrets without many of the permanent land use restrictions restric-tions encountered for other listed species," Reed Harris, field supervisor supervi-sor of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Utah Field Office, explained. "Fulfillment of this release is the Public invited to be part of release The release of 34 black-footed ferret will be Thursday afternoon and the public is invited to participate. partici-pate. Persons wishing to witness the , release are urged to meet at Western Park at 2 p.m. when state and federal biologists will hold a press conference. Afterward, they will caravan to the Coyote Basin to watch the release. Depending on the weather, four-wheel-drive vehicles may be necessary. Because of the proposal to place the ferrets in Coyote Basin, the taking tak-ing of prairie dogs was curtailed by the UDWR last Friday. The purpose of the closure is to protect prairie dogs as a food and habitat resource during the first three years of reintroduction rein-troduction of black-footed ferrets into Coyote Basin, northeast of Bonanza. It is also to prevent the accidental shooting of ferrets, which may be more vulnerable during dur-ing initial reintroduction efforts. The closure to prairie dog hunting includes the area west of the Colorado state line, south of Highway 40, north of Bonanza and east of the old Bonanza Highway. GauDdDdlaftes debate mentis of imew IbBood, vaDnae off expeirieimce New ideas verses the desire to complete important projects was the debate between candidates at the Tuesday Vemal Chamber of Commerce Meeting. Candidate Judy Kraft said one of her "new ideas" would be to have benches at the cemetery. "Many 1 gnwpwnw.iimw ""i Ww ... v., I I t I ' 1...H.I 'i ii n . .,.., ,.t D. Roger Hacking Matthew Foley Corroctlon In last week's Vernal Express the incorrect captions under the Vernal City Council candidates Roger Hacking We apologize for this error. a, f- . . -. New county residents will be the Black-footed ferret result of a public effort which developed UDWR's Cooperative Plan for the Reintroduction and Management of the Black-footed ferrets in Coyote Basin," said Walt Donaldson, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) Regional Supervisor. In 1992 the plan was developed by a local steering committee with representatives from Utah and . ... . ' ..." 9 .V , -V'.'; J '' ' 1 - .-A - vV - ' v .-lV . . -I V . 3 ill I I ll j ill Crew from the Uintah County Jail needed. Sheriff's Department provides prisoners to clean roads The Uintah County Sheriffs Department has initiated a program that involves prisoners from the jail in the clean up of roads in the county. The program allows a correction deputy to take several prisoners people go to the cemetery who would like a place to set down," she said. Kraft said she would like to also see more street lights, and law enforcement officers should be allowed to drive their vehicles to public functions w hen off duty. Colorado to place and introduce the ferrets. The committee comprised federal, state and local agencies and with a variety of private interests including oil and gas, agriculture, environmental and sportsmen representatives. repre-sentatives. The plan defined the guidelines for release, including the use of the 10(j) rule for experimental, experimen-tal, nonessential populations and mitigation efforts from impact The Utah Wildlife Board signed the plan in 1997 after public review through UDWR's Regional Advisory councils. coun-cils. The black-footed ferret is a predator preda-tor like the other members of the weasel family. They are 20 to 24 inches long, weigh one to two pounds and are recognized by their black feet and face mask. They are completely dependent on the prairie dog for survival since they not only eat prairie dogs as an almost exclusive exclu-sive food source, but they use their burrows for dens. "The black-footed ferret wasn't targeted and pushed toward extinc !. t ? . t . ' J j . , -. i .jf- - . f , - "if" $ , tv . " . -. , - clean up the road side along 2500 from the Uintah County Jail who have been cleared for work release and have them pick up trash along sides of the road. Two weeks ago a crew of prisoners and a deputy cleaned up 2500 West from about 500 North to Dry Fork. "With the crime rate going up, having officers at public functions could curtail crime," she said. JoAnn Cowan, who has served on the city council for the past 12 years, said she is committed to making the cobble rock park at the center of tow n a success. "Downtown Vemal needs an anchor which will draw people," she said. "I don't want to see the downtown destroyed." Concerning the trees along Main Street, Cowan said that she has received many comments about how they add to the beauty of downtown Vemal, For some businesses, busi-nesses, who cater to out of town clients, the trees could be removed so people can find their business more easily. "This is a case of you're darned if you do and darned if you don't," Cowan said. Candidate Matthew Foley (aid a very important project for Vemal City is the completion of the new sewer treatment facility which will cost upwards of $19 million. "It is being built on a fragile formation for-mation of shell, which needs eight feet of additional excavation," Foley said. "I visit the site twice a feDr.TTIhniQirsdla tion on purpose," said Ron Stewart, UDWR. "It was the loss of grassland grass-land habitat, attempts to eradicate prairie dogs and diseases that nearly caused these secretive, nocturnal mammals to go extinct Prairie dogs, considered pests in many areas, were poisoned on most of their range during the early and mid-1900s. Most of their historic habitats: the prairie grasslands of the great plains and the small grassy areas in the desert shrub communities communi-ties of Utah, Wyoming, Arizona and east in to Texas have been converted con-verted into cities, farms and ranches. ranch-es. "Researchers estimate only 1 of the prairie grasslands remain undisturbed undis-turbed from human activities." Stewart said. The goal of the national recovery program is to establish at least 120 separate, self-sustaining colonies and have 1,500 black-footed ferrets living in the wild on their historic ranges. Currently, breeding facilities: facili-ties: including six zoos and the Irish West. Crews will be available as As part of the program. Sheriff Rick Hawkins is seeking input from the community about any roads that may need cleaning. Call 789-2511 to make recommendations. recom-mendations. week to make sure the inspector is representing the owners." Candidate Cal Dee Reynolds, said he would just like an opportunity opportu-nity to serve. "I don't want to remove anyone from office, I would just like a turn at public office," Reynolds said that now that he is retired, he has time to serve as a councilman. AH the candidates said they were concerned about a proposal to build a railroad in Uintah County. "If it brings economic development 1 would favor a short line," said Kraft Foley said he would rather spend the money on development of the city and county's property purchased pur-chased near the USU F-xtenskm Campus in Vernal. "I think we have to make a proposal to them for a facility w hich could include a library, science center, or athletic complex," Foley said. "We cannot wait for them to make a proposal."' Reynolds said the people who would benefit from a railroad in the area should be the ones to pay for it. "Taxes should not be used to fund a railroad. Canyon breeding and preconditioning precondition-ing facility in Colorado; breed, raise and train over 300 ferret kits a year. Most of these kits are made available avail-able to be released into the w ild. Coyote Basin will be the sixth reintroduction site. Wyoming, Montana (two sites). South Dakota and Arizona are already in the process of reestablishing colonies of black-footed ferrets in their historic ranges. "October 21 is considered to be the optimum date for release of most of the ferrets scheduled to come to Utah." said Laura Romin. FWS biologist for the Utah Field Office. "Based on prior release efforts, we believe it is important to their survival to release ferrets at or just before 140 days of age. An older ferrets will disperse more quickly, which exposes it to a higher high-er level of predation." The release will occur on BLM land. "The BLM is completing a land County proclaims cleanup days Uintah County commissioners will throw open the gates to the Uintah County Landfill and allow people to deposit garden and yard waste at no charce on Nov. 6 and 13. During these tw o days the landfill will be open from 8 a m. to 1 p.m. The rest of the day w ill be used to cover the extra garbage that is expected on the tw o free half days. "Some people arc still trying to Western Park chairman clears air In commission meeting Tuesday, Western Park Chairman Jerry Pope said that his board has not been inactive and they were concerned that they were not advised of the changes in the bylaws before they were approved. "We are not inactive, you won't find a more devoted board." Pope told commissioners. Two weeks ago County Commissioner approved a resolution resolu-tion that would expand the interest of the members of the five member board w hich manages Western Park under the direction of the county commission. V- ' :X v i i' A vr ' -.,,,-. . v I 1 Drive-by Shootings Nurses at Ashley Valley Medical Center, Tarni Watlis and Julie Merkley, and others administered 250 flu shots in a couple of hours Thursday In what was promoted as a drive-by shooting. The event was so popular that even though a sign was put hi the parking lot that there was not more vaccine, people kept coming. use amendment for Coyote Basin which would provide protective measures for the ferrets at the release site." said Dave Howell, BLM Vernal field manager. "These measures, in accordance with UDWR's cooperative introduction plan, are considered important to allow establishment of a ferret population pop-ulation at Coyote Basin and ensure the long-term success of this effort" The release will be Thursday afternoon. Persons wishing to witness wit-ness the release are urged to meet at Western Park at 2 p.m. When state and federal biologists will hold a press conference. Afterward, they will caravan to the Coyote Basin to w atch the release. Depending on the weather, four-wheel-drive vehicles may be necessary. For more information contact the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Vemal Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, or the Salt Lake City office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. mix a refrigerator or something with the yard waste." said Commissioner Herb Snyder. These people w ill be turned aw ay or w ill be charged the full amount for dumping at the landfill. The reason for the two cleanup days is to give people more of a chance to use the free day to clean up their yards and gardens, said Commissioner Sny der. During that meeting it was mentioned men-tioned that the changes w ere made that other areas of interests could be actively pursued. Pope said the past two meetings of the board were canceled because of a fire downtown and because members w ere unable to attend, but this didn't mean the board w as not active in their responsibilities. The county has not dismissed any of the hoard members, but because of a potential loss in the funding for Western Park they have been adv ised to made the changes in the bv law s. v04 I ft sis |