OCR Text |
Show 12B Emery County Progress, Castle Dale, Utah - Tuesday, May 4, 1 999 areas to preserve wildlife habitat DWR working in many Open space issues are found throughout Utah and the country. Piece by piece, areas that once supported agriculture and wildlife are being developed. Utah is in a balancing act between growth and protecting areas that are important to the traditional values and quality of life Utahns enjoy. This conflict is sure to follow Utah into the next millennium, and there are no clear answers as many areas that once supported large numbers of wildlife are now subdivided and developed. The Division of Wildlife Resources, which has stewardship over the states wildlife, is working in many areas to help assure that habitat for Utahs wildlife is preserved as growth continues. The Division is concerned with open space that provides habitat for wildlife, and allows people an opportunity to interact with wildlife, said Rory Reynolds, habitat manager for the Divisions Northern Region. ' In northern Utah the Division is primarily involved with protecting wetlands, ri- parian and foothill bench areas, Reynolds said. These areas are being consumed by urban growth and sprawl, ' Reynolds said. Included in northern Utah are wetland areas along the east shore of the Great Salt Lake that provide habitat for a number of bird species, he said. Wetlands and riparian areas are among the most diverse and important ecosystems in the world. We are working with other state and federal agencies to see that construction in these areas will have minimum impacts on the ecosystem, Reynolds said. One of the more visual areas of urban sprawl and loss of open space is along the Wasatch Fronts foothills and benches. Populations of deer and elk that spend their time high on public land in the summer are forced to these benches dur- - ing the winter months, and are being restricted to smaller winter ranges due to habitat fragmentation brought about by urban sprawl. Not only can the higher concentration of animals lead to starvation, but it may destroy the vegetation in these areas for a number of years. Benches and foothills are not only important for big game species, but for a number of small mammal and bird species, too. If we allow growth to continue the way it has in the past, we will lose these areas and the wildlife they support, Reynolds said. We will not be able to get them back. The Division is developing land use plans to help, he said. Were looking at key wildlife areas and mapping them with GIS systems, Reynolds said. This will allow us to work with city and county planners to assess areas of high concern. These areas provide a lot of values, on top of wildlife, he added. preserve some of this land for wildlife. We are working closely with these landowners to not only benefit wildlife, but also the. landowner, tion open space is privately mount The majority of lower eleva- owned and many farmers and ranchers are selling their land to developers. The Division is working with landowners to try and Reynolds said. Utahs hunters and anglers have been supporting the Divisions habitat projects when they purchase the required $6 Wildlife Habitat Authorization each year. This fund has generated about $2 million annually. The Divisions Northern Region used about $100,000 last year for conservation easements with private These easements are valued at more than $1 milland-owner- s. lion, Reynolds said. Conservation easements, provide a win, win for land-owne- rs and the public, he added. Projects like these de- protect open space from velopment and allow people an opportunity to interact with wildlife. The public needs to get inhas volved with this issue. to be done at the local level, Reynolds said. It is of para- 'It importance that people pull together. Talk to your local elected officials and let them know that open space is important to you, Reynolds said. Canyon View Jr. High STUDENTS OF THE WEEK Sarah Gardner ninth Sarah Gardner is in the grade. She is the daughter of Sherrie Okeriund and Don Gardner. She has three sisters. She is a fun girl to be around. Her favonte activities include softball, riding her horse, Bud, and rollerblading. She also likes to dance. Sarah wants to work with children when she is out of school. She is looking forward to going to high school next year. Jonathan Jonathan V' I C Relax at the end of your day Sofa & Loveseat bH9sl? tmana jmana. dwazza . Over the Range Radarange Microwave Dishwasher Grange a ninth grade student at Canyon View Jr. High. He is the son of Dell and Berneta Grange of Cleveland. He plays football and placed second in the region on his wrestling team. He also plays Cornet. He enjoys four wheeling, camping, playing his play station and teasing anyone he can! His family is very proud of him, he is loved very much. He is currently serving as Teacher Quorum President in Cleveland 1st Ward. His goals are to obtain hisTagle Award; serve an h school. LDS Mission, and attend a C 4 D. D. Grange is MVHZ40 Trade-Tec- SofSound I' I 4 Wash Cycles ; I ; I Whimpey Wesley is son of Dean & 2Wash Levels 1 the Wes Nancy Whimpey and Susan Jones. He loves football & basketball and wrestling. He likes to build things and really loves his motorcycle. He cant wait to get his drivers license Heated Dry i $24995 Dinettes Wide selection of styles. Over 30 sets to choose from MasterCleanTM Plus Wash System 100 Filtered Water 6 0 Gallon Usage Hard Food Dispenser Amana Styling Adjustable Rinse Aid Dispenser Largest Inte- Towerless" Lower Rack rior Height 12 Place Setting 900 Watts 3G0 12.5 Inch Turntable CFM Auto Detrost Minute Pad Scrolling 7 - Digit Display 24 Hour ClockTimer charC0al F,llar Con,ro1 Se,uP 1 3 Cubic Foot FfPP Starting at $22995 ur Beautiful COUfltBrSpBCC! Curios The Ultimate in Comfort Sectionals Sponsored TELEPHONE May Is... May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, Use your head. Wear a helmet. May 2 - 8 is Arson Awareness Week. May 9 is Mothers Day, remember to tell mom how much you appreciate her. May 31 is Memorial Day, remember to think about your loved ones. May is also Safe Boating Month. Wearing a life jacket is the single most important thing you can do to survive a boating accident. Be sure to choose a life jacket appropriate for the size and weight of the wearer Inspect all life jackets carefully every time you go boating to ensure they still float and fit the intended user properly. Replace any life jackets that have faulty buckles or zippers.' Remember dont drink and drive, it is illegal even in a boat. Starting at $i 7995 Wall to Wall Selection of Curios UNDETECTABLE HEARING AID... Something so tiny, but so audible! Boxspring Dont be fooled by "Free" heanng tests We charge for hearing testing and supply most maior brands of heanng aids at wholesale, including 'digital'. All testing is done by clinical audiologists You will save hundreds of dollars and Mattress Major Brand In the ear SALE Major Brand I $420 1 9995 $32995 s26995 Always Free Delivery and Old Mattress Removal HIDDEN EAR Price Senior Citizen Center 30 E. 200 S. Friday, May 14 1999 10 am to noon Grab the EmQry County Progress m&mmANCES ' Sunda every Tuesday for the latest action in Emery County Sports. N JJ |