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Show SCENE The Park Record. Editor: Scott Iwasaki arts@parkrecord.com 435.649.9014 ex.113 SINGER DOESN’T MISS A BEAT IN HIS CAREER, C-2 www.parkrecord.com OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORTS SCREENINGS, C-4 C-1 WED/THURS/FRI, FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 2, 2018 Sage grouse ecology isn’t just for the birds FIRST TRACKS AT PARK CITY MOUNTAIN Friends of Ski Mountain Mining History and Park City Mountain will present First Tracks, an event which will be held on Thursday, March 1, that will include skiing, breakfast at Mid-Mountain Lodge, formerly known as the Silver King Boarding House, and guest speakers. For information about First Tracks or to donate and to register for the event, visit http://parkcityhistory.org/ donate-friends-ski-mountain-mining-history. RED WHITE AND SNOW The National Ability’s annual Red, White and Snow fundraiser will be held from Thursday to Saturday, March 1-3, in various venues in Park City. To register for any of the events, visit www.redwhiteandsnow.org. FULL MOON SNOWSHOE HIKE Friends of the Farm and White Pine Touring will present a full moon snowshoe hike event that will start at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, at McPolin Farm, 3000 S.R. 224. The evening will start with a chili dinner and dancing to live music by Lash LaRue. Tickets for $30 are available for purchase at the PC MARC’s front desk. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone by calling 435-6155401. Tickets are also available online at http://bit.ly/2GC9dbJ. For information, email minda.stockdale@ parkcity.org. AVALANCHE DOG MEET AND GREET The public can meet the Park City Mountain Avalanche Rescue Dogs at 4:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday at Canyons Ski Beach. The event is free and open to the public. For information, visit www.parkcitymountain.com. PARK CITY FILM SERIES BOOKS 2 FILMS: ‘WHALE RIDER’ SCREENING The Park City Film Series will present a free screening of Niki Caro’s “Whale Rider,” rated PG-13, on Saturday, March 2, at the Park City Library’s Jim Santy Auditorium, 1255 Park Ave. The film, based on the novel of the same name by Witi Ihimaera, is about a Maori girl named Pai who fights to challenge tradition and fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. For information, visit www.parkcityfilmseries.com. Presentation will address Utah’s place in the national frame SCOTT IWASAKI The Park Record Although studies by various wildlife organizations have reported the greater sage grouse population has been in decline for the past 50 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service concluded in 2015 that the birds were warranted for protection under the U.S. Federal Endangered Species Act. Allison Jones, the executive director for the Utah Wild Project, a nonprofit that provides science-based strategies for wildlife and land conservation in Utah, said regardless of the finding, the species was precluded from the list because the service placed priority on other endangered species. “The decision came after the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management decided to join forces in 2010 to amend all of the nation’s landuse plans, which included sage grouse habitat,” Jones said. “They gave land management agencies five years to show them that they could manage and protect the sage grouse species habitats. And the species wasn’t listed on the ESL, because of these changes.” Jones, along with Dr. Terry Messmer, a Utah State University professor of wildlife conflict management, will speak about sage grouse ecology and conservation at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, at the Swaner EcoCenter, 1258 Center Drive at Kimball Junction. Registration is $10 per person and $5 PHOTOS BY TODD BLACK Above: A male greater sage grouse displays as he vies for the attention of a flock of females during a mating ritual. Below: A female greater sage grouse sports a high-frequency radio transmitter around her neck. The transmitter allows researchers to follow her habitat patterns. for Swaner EcoCenter members. Pizza and light refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. The presentation will start at 7 p.m. Jones will speak about how Utah fits in with national trends while Messmer will speak specifically about what’s happening in the state. “Utah is a small player in terms of the range-wide sage grouse situation,” Jones explained. “We don’t have as much sage brush habitat as Wyoming, Southern Idaho and Nevada. So we’re anywhere between three to five percent of the total population.” Sage grouse population is at a crossroads nationwide, she said. “This is because the land-use plan amendments are in trouble, because the Trump Administration is looking to chuck those out the window,” Jones said. “It has made it very clear that fossil-fuel development is going to be prioritized more than before, and that’s all you need to know that the birds in those areas where there are rich in fossil fuel are in danger.” The Utah populations are also threatened by a combination of different situations that are found state to state, Jones said. Please see Sage grouse, C-3 |