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Show Wednesday, March 12, 2008 A7 Harpers Corner Road opens in mid-April y ' Dinosaur NationalMonument plans to open the Harpers Corner Road and Green River and Split Mountain Campgrounds in mid-April. mid-April. "Easter weekend is early this year," said Superintendent Mary Risser. "Coupled with heavy snowfall that we have received this winter, we do not anticipate having the campgrounds and road open by Easter. Although the crew has begun working on the Harpers Corner Road, they have encountered snow drifts currently as high as 14 feet. In addition, there is still more than a foot of snow in the campgrounds." The Harpers Corner Road is a 32-mile road (one-way) that leads to the heart of Dinosaur National Monument's canyon country. Several overlooks provide sweep-ingvistas sweep-ingvistas of the Green and Yampa river canyons. Two trails along the road lead to the canyon rim, allowing a closer look at the Green River more than 2,000 feet below and into the ragged Split Mountain Gorge. Use caution cau-tion when hiking these trails in the spring. Lingering snow and wet condition may make the trail slippery in places. A guide to the Harpers Corner Scenic Drive is available at visitor centers in Dinosaur, Colo., and Jensen. Vernal Express !)- -4. ' . , . ... v , i .- ... -. ' ''- - - . ' ,,. ,-- : -4 ....... v r- . - ''',' . -S K - Animal shelter sees drop in funding Uintah Animal Shelter special spe-cial services district realized a $50,000 drop in mineral lease funding since the first of the year. Tina Williams announced the loss at the regular meeting oftheboardon Thursday March 6. Other districts have felt the pinch of reduced mineral lease funding as incoming payments have dropped across the board. However, the funding cut will not reduce services noted Tina Williams, district director, as the shelter budgeting was structured to anticipate a potential short fall. In an unrelated matter, sterilization ster-ilization vouchers are available at the shelter at 1387 E. 335 S., Vernal for Uintah County residents Vouchersare available for residents living in Vernal, Naples, Ballard and unincorporated unincor-porated Uintah County areas. Valued at $30 off the regular price of a spay or neuter operation for pets at local veterinary clinics, there is a limit of two vouchers per household. An additional $10 off the price of sterilizations is offered by Dr. Duncan at the Roosevelt Veterinary Clinic. Duncan received re-ceived the $10 vouchers from a Pet Samaritan grant and is extending the offer to Uintah County pet owners for as long as the vouchers last. Finally, shelter manager Sherry Gines reported on the success of an outreach program to provide pet education in the schools. Part of the outreach will include a pet therapy program for at the care center. Gines noted that they already have a therapy dog named Sugar, a dachshund, who is a permanent resident of the shelter. Water outlook shows Basin ahead of average for February Supplies for the 2008 water year are looking up after two solid months of snowfall, according accord-ing to the latest report from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The report issued last week showed statewide snowpack as of March. 1 at 126 percent of average. The Uinta Mountains saw 135 percent of the normal precipitation for February. The Weber, Provo and Uintah Basin snowpacks range between 114 percent to 119 percent. For the Uintah Basin, that's a 5 percent increase over last year. Statewide below 7,500 feet, the report showed snowpackranging from 110 percent to 200 percent of normal. "In many areas, this snow will likely melt off in March and early April giving the potential for above average streamflow in this period," the report stated. Officials warn that the runoff potential, particularly on the Sevier Se-vier and across southwest Utah are already above the normal April 1 values. "Any additional accumulation during March is ice cream to go with cake," the report stated. Several basins, including Utah Lake, Uintah and southeast Utah watersheds need only 10 to 20 percent of normal March accumulation to be on target for April 1. More snow is needed elsewhere else-where in the state, where the need ranges from 40 to 110 percent. While many areas are above average, officials expect warmer temperatures in March to melt some of the snowpacks, result- County; ratifies est&i-n States Primary results ing in a net loss unless snowfall continues. Officials forecast an 8 1 percent likelihood that the state will be on target for its April 1 normal snowpack levels. Soil moisture values in the Uintah Basin are at 34 percent, slightly below the statewide average aver-age of 44 percent. "These values are similar to those of March 1, 2006 and drier than those of last year," the report stated. Storage in 41 of Utah's key irrigation reservoirs is at 58 percent per-cent of capacity, down 13 percent from Feb 1 of last year. Reservoirs statewide declined substantially last year due to a very long, hot and dry summer period. Storage in the Uintah Basin is at 79 percent, down 6 percent from last year. Streamflows are anticipated to range from 89 to 121 percent from April to July. The surface water supply index for the western area of the Basin is 84 percent and for theeastern area it's 67 percent. -"Those figures show above normal conditions across the region. The election results of the Feb 5 Uintah County Western States Primary were ratified at the Monday Mon-day Feb 25 commission meeting. The official results indicate 21 percent of all registered voters cast votes in the first-of-a-kind Western States Primary. In Uintah County Republicans Republi-cans voted primarily for Mitt Romney with 2,787 votes cast. Second, was John McCain who received 246 votes and Mike Huckabee another 103 votes in favor. The remaining candidates on the ballot Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Dun-can Hunter, Ron Paul, and Fred Thompson received less than one percent of the vote each. Democrats in Uintah County voted for Barack Obama, 228 in favor, which represented 53 percent of the party preference. Second was Hillary Clinton with 195 votes cast. Joe Biden, John Edwards, Frank Lynch and Bill Richardson each received less than 1 percent of the remaining votes. mm bFl Express 54 North Vernal Avenue Vernal, Utah - 435-789-351 1 rxjt y, in i r n 'In TRUSTED SECURE RESPECTED !(:. - - "v .,- ... .'J Since 1907. Specialists in Oil and Gas field and Construction Insurance and Risk Management. Proud Representatives of the Travelers Insurance and Bituminous Insurance Companies. (1 Dale Van Pelt 800.838.1983 Cell: 970.640.8727 Moody-Valley Insurance Agency, Inc. 604 25 Road PO Box 1509 Grand Junction, CO 81502-1509 Mountainlancl Supply Company 'ZJJL Jjj$( L otter good on new, currently uninstalled projects only. Free Estimate on your NRCS Conservation Plan or Design plus With every estimate receive free Power Supply System. (Retail Value $84.99- Quantities Limited) Jump-start one-ton trucks, diesel engines and cars. Built- in 3.6 watt spotlight lets you see at night. Rechargeable 24 amp hour sealed lead acid battery. Includes cigarette lighter adapter and charger, easy to read power meter and is extremely portable at 25 pounds. Mountainland Supply Company West Highway 40, Roosevelt 435-725-0019 Brad 1-801-400-1313 Alan 1-801-376-9818 Toll-free 1-800-666-5434 CONSTRUCTION STARTS IN THE STREETS Large water pipes are being installed along 500 North between 500 West and Vernal Avenue that will allow the irrigation water along that street to be piped underground. To complete the project, residents in that area will enjoy curb, gutter and sidewalks. Work will begin in a couple months on a storm water project on 400 North and Vernal Avenue with a facility to be located in that area. Horse trainers needed for Mustang Challenge Twenty-five talented horse trainers are needed for the Wyoming Wyo-ming Mustang Challenge to be held in conjunction conjunc-tion with the WyomingState Fair, August 15-16, in Douglas, Wyo. The Wyoming Mustang Challenge Chal-lenge pairs up 25 qualified horse trainers with wild horses provided by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The trainers train-ers then have 100 days to train the horses before competing for $10,000 in prize money. After the competition, the horses are available for adoption to qualified quali-fied adopters, with a percentage of the adoption fees going to the trainers. During the competition on August 15, the trainers are evaluated evalu-ated on the body condition of their horses, as well as their ability abil-ity to handle the horse-in-hand through a series of maneuvers which include picking up the horse's feet, maneuvering it through obstacles and loading it into a trailer. Following the in-hand course, trainers will mount their animals and complete a horse course that will include a series of obstacles,includingthe option of working with cattle, and require the trainer to demonstrate the level of competency the horse has accomplished. Three skilled horsemen will judge the competition. competi-tion. The winning trainer will receive $5,000, second $2,500, third $1,000, fourth $750, and fifth $500. Trainers also receive $500 reimbursement for travel costs and a 20 commission if their horse is adopted for $200 or more. The Mustang Challenge rules and regulations and the trainer application form can be found on the Mustang Heritage Foundation's web site at www. mustangheritagefoundation. orgadoptions.php or by calling (512) 355-3225. The deadline for applications is April 1, 2008. The Mustang Heritage Foundation (MHF),in partnership withBLM, created the Mustang Challenge event to highlight the recognized value of wild horses through a national training competition. The purpose of the Mustang competition series is to showcase the beauty, versatility, and train-ability train-ability of these rugged horses that roam freely on public lands throughout the West, where they are protected by the BLM under Federal law. For additional information on the Mustang Challenge or BLM's wild horses, please contact BLM Wild Horse Specialist Alan Shepherd Shep-herd at 307-775-6097. mm? U W all W Vernal - Executive Home 40 acres, Guest home includedj Private ponds and secluded stream $1,700,000 1 ASPEN BROOK REALTY INC. 1 I I zJ Tridell New Listing -, . , . , - - J4 bedroom home built in 2005 on a 2.04 acre lot. Prices UNDER $200k. : - - 4'"' Vernal - Sunridge LOTS SALE FAILED! Two lots side by side. .64 and .65 acre lots. Vinyl Kyg AshWOlth fencing included. Each priced BELOW 50k. 3 790-2544 Jensen - One acre lot on the Green. $42,500. ....... www.Kyicdaiiwuiui.buiu "Expect the Best 1 340 West Highway 40, Vernal, UT 84078 . Office: (435) 789-7555 Fax: 781-2913 Today's Weather i tfflaaifcHgfliW aif?T4'i'-ff ! ! : 1 n HiMiiwfcaii aiTiif ii iia 1 1 Biiriihrifnir i 1 Thu Frl Sat Sun Mon 313 314 315 316 317 - ' 4630 4124 4227 4025 3822 Considerable cloudl- Rain and snow Mix of sun and Rain and snow Snow showers at ness. Highs In the showers. Highs in clouds. Highs In the showers. Highs In times. Highs in the mid 40s and lows in the low 40s and lows low 40s and lows in the low 40s and lows upper 30s and lows the low 30s. In the mid 20s. the upper 20s. in the mid 20s. in the low 20s. Sunrise Sunset Sunrise Sunset Sunrise Sunset Sunrise Sunset Sunrise Sunset 7:31 AM 7:22 PM 7:29 AM 7:23 PM 7:27 AM 7:24 PM 7:26 AM 7:25 PM 7:24 AM 7:26 PM Utah At A Glance Moon Phases Logan t 4330 Vv? ifP Ogden 4934 Sa!t Lake City "W- p 4936 Provo 4935 o c Cedar City 6131 ) 1 - - . Vernal 1 4630 1 New Mar 7 X First Mar 14 Full Mar 21 Last Mar 29 UV Index Thu 313 Fri 314 Sat 315 Sun 316 Mon 317 Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Th UV Inclnx Is measured on a 0-1 1 numbm scale, with a higher UV Index showing tile ned for giotfr akin protection. pro-tection. O - -fl 1 1 Area Cities ran IT, Bwuvor Blanding Brlgham City Cedar City Delta Elko, NV Evanston, WY Farmington, NM Fillmore Flagstaff, AZ 13. a. 39 33 31 34 P8 23 35 36 28 jU. i.itn pt sunny mixed pt sunny pt sunny mixed sn shower pt sunny pt sunny pt sunny National Cities Ailanla Boston Chicago Dallns Denver ii 4 mul bunny 42 34 pt sunny 49 33 cloudy 75 55 t-storm 50 38 pt sunny J.!HIIU Jet, CO Green River Heber City Kanab Logan Moab Mt. Pleasant Ogden Park City Preston, ID Houston Los Angeles Minml Mlnnenpolis New York b4 3 60 34 42 24 61 34 43 30 59 37 47 30 49 34 40 23 41 28 pt sunny rain mixed rain mixed pt sunny mixed mixed mixed mixed u bl t-sloirn 75 51 pt sunny 78 68 rain 45 25 pt sunny 48 39 pt sunny Pi ice Provo Richfield Roosevelt Salt Lake City Sandy St. George Tooele Vernal Wendover 40 ! 49 35 61 32 43 24, 49 36 49 37 76 47 49 35 46 30 56 36 mixed mixed pt sunny mixed mixed mixed pt sunny mixed cloudy cloudy Phoenix 64 pt sunny San Francisco 61 45 rain Seattle 47 41 rain St. Louis 64 38 rain Washington, DC 63 49 pt sunny O?005 Amnrli -nn Profiln Homntown Contnnl Sirvu: |