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Show :Ar;4ic;-u- u if, hH S:7 ;r, 2W :;lT i. ,rn ;, Wednesday, June 5, 1996 Volume 94, No. 23 . 12 - pages Single Copy Price 500 Juab County and Mona agree on Fire Protection agreement By Myrna Trauntvein Times-New- s Correspondent Juab County Commissioners are ready to sign a fire protection agreement between Juab County and Mona. Juab County has, in the past provided fire protection to the area of Mona and outside the corporate limits of the community through an agreement. We have had an agreement with Mona Volunteer Fire Department, said Gordon Young, county commission chair. Mona brought the agreements to the attention of the commission some time ago. Mona City Council members were anxious to have the commission create a special service fire district. Commissioners began working on the district but determined they would need to form new fire agreements with county communities. Ike Lunt, who has been working on the agreement, said it was now ready for signatures. In addition, he will make copies of the agreement for the other volunteer fire fighting groups the county has had agreements with in the past. The fire chief for Nephi said the money we were paying for their help was inadequate, he said. The new agreement calls for the town to render fire protection services through the volunteer fire department, will be in effect for one year, and will be paid for the service. We will pay Mona $1,250 as a standby service fee per year, said Lunt. OWE wants to put Rocky Mountain Goats on Mt. Nebo in the near future By Myrna Trauntvein Times-New- s Correspondent The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources plans to introduce Rocky Mountain Goats to Mount Nebo according to information sent to them by Jordan C. Pederson, regional supervisor. The territory being considered includes portions of both Juab and Utah Counties. Commissioners were to respond only if they had questions or objections. I would have submitted this directly to the Juab County LandownerWildlife Committee, but I did not know who the current chairperson is, said Pederson. I dont see any reason to respond, said Gordon Young, commission chair. The big horn sheep were transplanted to the region approximately 10 years ago and, apparently, did not survive. No recent sightings have been reported, said Young. On Mount Nebo there is only a small chance that any Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep still exist. Slightly more than 40 Bighorns were transplanted to Mount Nebo in 1981 and 1982, said Pederson. Following two years of moderate increase, the population has steadily declined. No Bighorns were seen during 1995. It is doubtful if any remain. The DWR considers this reintroduction effort a failure, primarily due to excessive predation, a very hard winter in 1983-8- 4 and the basic unsuitability of the mountains winter range, said Pederson. Sheep are simply not able to use the extreme terrain that goats routinely occupy, he said. Pederson said the mountainous area, on experience gained elsewhere in the Wasatch Mountains, it could easily support a population density equal to that on Mount Timpanogos. Virtually all of the potential habitat is within a designated wilderness area on National Forest system lands administered by the Unita National Forest. Pederson said the transplant stock will come from Box Elder Peak and Mount Timpanogos. Approximately 15 to 20 goats will be transplanted and will be compromised of 13 males and 23 females at least one year old. Capture effort would primarily concentrate on the large nursery groups of females, kids and young males that frequent the open alpine areas in July and August, said Pederson. The preferred capture method will use a helicopter with a manually fired The method has minimum effect on forest resources and is the least stressful to captured goats. The DWR will attach radio telemetry collars to conduct a research project now in the proposal stage. The total number of goats netted would probably be net-gu- n. n ss Continued on page 2 Rocky Ridge one step closer to becoming township By Times-New- s Myrna lYauntvein Correspondent Residents of Rocky Ridge, located in the extreme north of Juab County near the Utah and Juab County border, are a step closer to becoming a township. The plat map submitted by members of the proposed township has been reviewed and verified by the county recorder, said Gordon Young, Juab County Commission chair. Voter names, submitted on the petition for township status, have been reviewed and verified by the county clerk, he said. Everything seems to be in or- representing the southernmost extension of the Wasatch Mountain, is the only location where the mountain goats are approved for transplant where they do not already exist. The Utah State Wildlife Board approved a statewide management plan for the Rocky Mountain Goats in Feb- der. Now the rest is up to the town, he said. ruary 1996. Mount Nebo is excellent habitat and The issue will be placed on the ballot has high potential for a flourishing pop- in November," said Young. ulation of goats, said Pederson. Based Ray Huffman, representing the citi l as many as 35, he said. At Mount Nebo, there is a corridor where motor vehicles can go and where goats might be successfully released, said Pederson. The area is located at the head of Mona-Pol- e Canyon on the Privateer Mine road. The option could result in goats taking up residence on Bald Mountain or even Diy Mountain. Goats then might easily travel north instead of south as intended. A release in late summer or early fall allows newly transplanted animals to become habituated to new habitat well before the onset of winter. period, goats During the spring-fal- l can be expected to utilize virtually all of the alpine habitat on Mount Nebo proper, Pederson said. There are numerous areas of ledge and cliff habitat in the six large basins that face east and west on the highest part of the mountain. There are numerous ledges and cliff habitat in the area. The nearby open zens of the proposed township, was on hand. The petition seems to be fine, said David Leavitt, county attorney. However, there is one area of concern. He said the town had listed Rocky Ridge as the name of the proposed township as a city name. Rocky Ridge will not be a city," said Leavitt. It will be a township. Huffman said members of the community understood. Only those from the proposed township area will have the right to vote on the issue in November. A special ballot will need to be prepared for those voters from the area, said Young. The ballot can be handed to those voters from the area when they go to the poles in Mona during the The agreement means that the town fire department will be in readiness and equipped to answer all structure fire calls for residents inside Mona and in the county when called on. When called out, the fire department will answer with a fire truck and equipment. The county will pay $50 per hour for structure trucks and $25 per hour each for brush trucks and tankers. The fee for each call will be paid in addition to the standby service fee. We will pay them from the time the trucks leave the fire station until they return, said Lunt. The community will assume responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of such equipment. However, all accidents or breakage happening to machinery, equipment or tucks wifi be paid in full by the county if the damage occurs while the equipment is being used to fight a fire the county has called the community volunteer fire fighters out on. The agreement does not cover areas within the limits of other cities or towns in the county. A report of each fire will be reported to the county fire marshal before December 15 of each year before any payments are made on any fire. The town will also assist the county fire marshal on any wildland fire when help is requested at the same rate of pay. We agreed to assist the town in the acquisition of fire equipment for fire protection, through the county fire marshal, said Lunt. Commission considers tax options to pay for weed eradication raised, but something needed to be done about the weed problem which was deCorrespondent stroying the range land and the farm A state-wid- e sales tax could be em- land, he said. For example, he said, in 1956 there for to weed eradication on ployed pay less than 10 acres of knapweed and were properties in counties. now were thousands of acres inthere Bill White, who lives in Utah County volved. but owns land in Juab County, said he All of the money used ends up being thinks such a tax is needed. He told tax payers money, one way or the othJuab County commissioners he would said Joseph Bernini, county comer, an like their support in seeking such answer to the weed problem in the state. missioner. In Juab County, the federal The state can raise money for the government owns most of the land. Nevertheless, said Bernini, the counOlympics, he said. In fact, in his opinty weed eradication program was effeion, such spending was a waste. When the Olympics are a thing of the ctive. The county road sides were past, weed eradication will still be im- sprayed and farmers could pick up weed to portant. The state spends dollars to spray use on properties in the spring. We have an eradication program, he save dimes, he said. said. If some money were to be spent on Bob Garrett, Juab County Weed Congetting rid of the terrible weeds in the trol Superintendent, said he thought state, it would be a greater return. If the commissioners in Juab County all we some money is not spent soon, land. That should be complimented. This commiswill have left is is all our children and grandchildren sion has been good to put in a lot of money to control weeds. The state and will have left, said White. federal government have been coopeWhite top and knapweed were great with us to get rid of noxious problems in this part of the state, said rating weeds. White. There was white top located near Funds were allocated last year to beMona, for example. If a little sales tax an eradication program for eliminatstate-widgin then the money were raised knapweed, he said. It is an ing monThe could be spent in each county. control measure with more money accordeach could be spent by county ey to come. to be fair would which to formula a ing I still think a tax would be the best the individual counties. Not all people pay property tax, he way to raise the money to get rid of the said. All people buy something and pay weeds," said White. Weed fighting programs are hard to some sales tax. Even the cost charged by the Bureau get sympathy for, but we appreciate of Land Management and the U.S. For- your support, said Garrett. White said he had contacted members est Service for grazing fees could be of the Utah Washington delegation and We White. said $1.10 raised, pay per month per cow in Tintic, said White. his representatives in the state legislaThe fee should be $4 per cow per ture. 1 have told them all what I think, he said. month." Everyone complained when fees were By Myrna Trauntvein Times-New- s weed-cover- ed e, on-goi- |