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Show A-14 Three Oakley residents guilty of Yellowstone poaching Wildlife officials say real and prevalent on by Aaron Krenkel OF THE RECORD STAFF Three Oakley residents recently pleaded guilty to poaching poach-ing charges in an extensive case of itlega? elk kills in Yellowstone National Park. l'tah wildlife officials say the fact that the poachers were local is far from surprising, and illegal hunting is a widespread problem on L'tah public lands. Thomas Baker. 30 Ryan Bates. 19 and Jimmy Kirkham. 35. all of Oakley. were arraigned before U.S. magistrate Stephen E. Cole in Mammoth Hot Sprines. Durinc the weekend of June' 22-23. park rangers found the men in possession of 34 pounds of elk antlers. L'pon further investigation, the men were found to have a cache of over 300 pounds for later removal. They were arrested on charges of possessing natural features, which is illegal in national parks. Park officials also found a small, live deer concealed in the men's vehicle, which was released, the court ordered each man to pay $2,000 in restitution and serve three years on probation, proba-tion, during which time thev will not be allowed to enter Yellowstone National Park. Local wildlife officials say the only thing exceptional about the poaching case is that the local men went out of state to poach. Illegal hunting, they say. takes place with alarming frequency on L'tah public lands. Jordan Tederson is the supervisor super-visor for the central region of the L'tah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). He said DWR officials encounter various forms of poaching, including cases, like that involving the Oakley residents, resi-dents, of animals killed for the trophy value of their horns. "We see cases of illegal hunting hunt-ing quite regularly." he said. Tederson explained that poach i nn A Ul ifi :fi iiiil A Leg to Stand On Tour 2000 iAi 13 0" Sale 3 this Saturday- at (please no glass containers, Tickets available at or A A h V v the problem is very local public lands ing does not always take the more blatant form of the recent case in Yellowstone. He said officers often encounter, or collect col-lect reports of animals with their heads missing, but other cases mav involve a deer carcass with one hind shank missing, indicating indicat-ing an animal shot for meat. DWR otticials in the area have also investigated many cases of fisherman catchine We see cases of illegal hunting quite regularly... We take all the physical physi-cal evidence we can take, including bullets and fingerprints. " - Jordan Tederson Dep. of Wildlife Resources upwards of leu fish (well over the limit), out-of season kills on came birds and illegal sport kills of predators, where hunters tree a bear or a cougar in order for a client to make an easy kill. Nonetheless. Tederson said many of the more egregious cases of poaching the DWR has encountered in the area involve the killing ot animals for trophy. Especially in the late fall and earlv winter, he said, when elk and deer are highly visible against snow and they have grown their racks for many months, illegal hunting is a temptation. temp-tation. The depaitment typically faces a number of cases dunne the late fall. For example, he said several ve.Ks ago. DWR officials were involved in an ongoing investigation investiga-tion of poachers who "tied the animals to trees so they couldn't be dragged off by animals." Poachers would later return for the animals' antlers. Poaching . often quite difficult diffi-cult to prosecute. "We take all the physical evidence evi-dence we can take." said Tederson. Wildlife officers typically typi-cally collect bullets and fingerprints finger-prints from items such as beer cans. MiUKiMOTIUE BREATH m, INT BY September 6, 2000 7:00 Veer vallev Resort cameras or video recorders allowed. all Smith's Tix outlets, call 467-TIXX, buy on line at www.smithstix.com. Produced by United Concerts. The Par Ideally, he said, an eyewitness would be available to give description of the guilty party and vehicle. However, he said. DWR investigations often take place over the course of 3-5 years, though luck may often brine a case to a close in a shorter time. Manx cases of poaching ultimately ulti-mately go unsolved. According to the Summit County Attorney's Office, the potential punishments for poaching poach-ing vary greatly, depending on the severity of the offense and the value of the animal killed. The killing of tro phy animals can be prosecuted prose-cuted as a third degree felony - for "wanton destruction of protected wildlife." That offense is punishable punish-able by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. Lesser offenses can ranee from class A misde meanors, with prison sentences sen-tences of up to 1 years and fines of up to $1,000. to lower misdemeanors. misde-meanors. Federal offenses, such as the killing of eagles or. as was the case with the Oakley residents, hunting in a national park, entail an entirely different set of punishments. pun-ishments. The charge of "possessing "pos-sessing natural features." which the three Oakley men face, is one such federal charge for National Park violations. According to the DW R s website, web-site, there are a number of ongoing ongo-ing investigations in the central region alone. The website illustrates the antlers of several bull elk that were illegally killed and states. "Other big bulls, many four-points, four-points, three-points and two-points, two-points, bulls, cow elk. moose and deer were illecallv killed in 1WS." Anyone with information about a case of poachine should contact the DW R at 1-800-662-3337 or Dave Hintze at the central cen-tral region's office at 801-489-56S. The DWR encourages witnesses wit-nesses of a poaching incident to collect all possible information, including names. physical description, vehicle descriptions and license plate numbers. s FSIE NUMBERS .HO REEL HOTS TO BRANCHES BUDAPEST m m ii IE BREATH p.m. 3 inch lawn chairs only) 1-800-888-TIXX EHtSI ji i r -j Record Volunteers Continued from A-13 campsite sprawl and vegetation damage. Crews and rangers also build bridges and "corduroy bridges." the low-lying matrices of logs that rangers put in lakeside areas and swamps to prevent major wetland ft damage (not to mention Staying on trails these days is muddy boots). . . , i various volunteer more important than it used to oe rdepopS because there's way more users than areas and in doing tnere were jn fne past. " ofher types of maintenance. mainte-nance. . Barb Walker Walker said the hot economy has reduced Kamas Ranger District the number of summer mhhhmmbhmhh volunteers from past years. However, she added that the Kamas Ranger District has seen a rise in the number of people peo-ple and groups wanting to help out "a day or two each week." or even just help out one or two days in the summer. Volunteerism remains a major force in maintaining 1'inta trails, and the Kamas Ranger District would like to see even more people involved in caring for the upkeep of the natural beauty they enjoy. Already this summer, several groups have lent a hand on Provo River re-vegetation proj- Rescuing good wood for local use Continued from A-13 good condition and someone else can use it. Riepen said that, although not everyone in the community is aware of the resource the Good Wood program provides, many have caught on. She said people have come to the center for a number of reasons, "for an addition addi-tion or an improvement or whatever what-ever you want to do to your house." The Good Wood materials range in price between free and some minimal amount. However. Riepen said the prices visitors to the center pay are a pittance compared to what they would pay to buy uie hardware new. In addition to construction goods. Riepen said there has Fire restrictions remain in effect! on public lands throughout the state. When planning an outing, please check with local supervisors for details of the area's fire policy. Ji Southwestern Restaurant Summer Locals Special Three Course Meal for $25.00 Escape to the old Southwest in Chimayo's magical ambience. Feast on dishes created with a blend of French and Southwestern culinary techniques. Enjoy this unique style of cooking that is truly something different than you have ever experienced. Offer good thru Aug 10, 2000 j$8 Main Street Ch tatiiatj (JirvttyA Jufay at 5:30ftm i Call Coble FOR BASIC KOFISSIONAl INSTALLATION and crews labor for trails ects. planting willows and building build-ing meanders with boulders in the damaged riverbed. The riverbed w as washed out in 1986 when the Trial Lake dam broke. Walker said one four-man group, part of the Dedicated Hunters organization, planted 1.200 willows in one day. Later this summer, two horse-riding horse-riding groups will team up with rangers for a major lumber transport project. The Rocky Mountain Mule Association and Back Country Horsemen will aid in tiansporting lumber into the backcountry for the construction con-struction of corduroy bridges. The Kamas Ranger District welcomes volunteers for a number num-ber of upcoming projects. Fence repairs, trail and lake clean-ups and even an interpretive art mural in the Kamas Ranger District Office all need volun been high demand and luckily a correspondingly high supply -for moving goods. The entire loft of the center's storage area is full of boxes, including mirror boxes and wardrobe boxes. The center also has a burgeoning supply of styrofoam peanuts and packing materials for the boxes. Boxes typically cost between $1 and $7. less than they do at moving companies. com-panies. According to Riepen. "The Good Wood project is expanding." expand-ing." Recycle L'tah has continued contin-ued its efforts to let contractors and subcontractors know about the recycling alternative to throwing away excess lumber and hardware. Lately. Riepen has brought her message to the Park City Homebuilders Association. However. Riepen still bemoans the state of wood waste 435-649-6222 for reservations. Rotes Are On The Rise Again... DISH rJETWOnit! r 3 DISH 500 SATILLm TV SYSTXi iMIIMIMWni MHMHtllHUUtWMMt Saturday, July 15, 2000 teers. In addition. Walker said Boy Scouts often choose to work in the Uintas for service and Eagle Scout projects. She said the Kamas Ranger District would like to involve other parties, such as business and school groups, in helping to preserve the beauty of the Uintas. As for individual trail users. Walker said the No. 1 thing they can do to help is to stay on the trails. "Staying on trails these days is more important than it used to be," said Walker, "because there's way more users tnan there were in the past." When hikers, horse riders, and. in the national forest, bikers bik-ers and all-terrain vehicles, cut off established trails or cut switchbacks, the results can be disastrous. Walker explained. "When you get multiple trails it detracts from the view and it does create some serious problems prob-lems with watershed." The Kamas Ranger District office has maps of and books about the L'intas. For more information, or to inquire about volunteer opportunities, oppor-tunities, call the office at 435-783-4338. throughout Summit County. She said the S270 per dumpster that contractors pay for transportation transporta-tion and landfill fees at the Wanship and Henefer dumping sites is "easy and cheap." "Dumping in Summit County is entirely too easy." she said. Anyone wanting to drop off material or to see what's available avail-able may stop by whenever the center is open, on weekdays, or call the office if they cant make it during operating hours. "I'll make arrangements." said Riepen. who will come in to Recycle L'tah at odd hours to facilitate drop-offs. Recvcle L'tah is located at 1951 Woodbine Way (behind Anderson Lumber). For more information, call the center at 649-9698. PCSatNet 647-3029 ICTftOtfc www.uconcerts.com concert hotline: 536-1234 -.,v,m.mm--.w!-'wvmm,mTKwmaa mwvn Wl Hitter tmr B tm mMK |