| Show X W9 U 'jj' ¥ Say whoa to word Outdoors Fitness & Fun Standard-Examin- er Thursday May 27 1 Get out there and get rid weed before it takes over the entire state 6D Television of this noxious Comics 999 Features Editor: 625-427- 0 Whirling INTERESTING DIGS: “The Nest" a design that includes some landscaping won the award for most imaginative and a $50 prize for builder Arfyn Eggen of West Point A FeatIherecI Below Linda Babcock of the Ogden Nature Center holds a contest entry bEd KORTDUCE Standard- txammer disease no disaster - so far Conditions of fisheries a key to trout's survival By JIM WRIGHT Stdixldid txdminuf statt W hn ling disease has been a thorn in the side ot I'lah fisheries managets tor years but its presence hasn't proved to be the eatasirophe biologists originally expected "We’re finding out as we go along that whirling disease isn’t necessarily going to be a disaster” said Ron Goede supervisor ot the Utah Division of W lldlite Resources I isheries Experiment Station m Logan Since the disease was first discovered in Wayne County in 1992 it has spread to numerous streams in Utah including the Weber Blacksmith 1 ork South 1 ork of the Ogden and the L ast 1 ork of the L ittle Bear It’s also found in Causey Porcupine and Hyrum reservoirs among others (ioede said the disease has changed the DW R’s management of fisheries mostly because hutcheiy-produee- d rainbow trout arc no longer stocked m infected streams at least m their fingerhng stages Whirling disease is a parasitic infection of trout and salmon caused by d microscopic amoeba that produces a spore The parasite may not directly kill trout but fish heavily infested can become deformed or exhibit the erratic behavior from which the disease gets its name T he disease tends to make infected fish susceptible to other diseases or env ironmental problems such as low oxy gen levels said Chris llson a DW R researcher dt the fisheries experiment station The whirling disease parasite hte cycle that has a two-hoinvolves trout and an alternate host a common bottom-dwellin- g tubifex worm When an infected trout dies large numbers ol spores are released and then eaten by the tubifex T he spores incubate vviihin the worm’s gut Other fish can be infected when they eat the worms or when the waterborne spores are released from the worm and attach to the fish Although the disease can drastically reduce trout populations over time as happened on stretches of Montana’s tamed Madison River its greatest eflects are on streams with populations of wild rainbow or cutthroat trout Kokanee salmon stocked in a number of Utah lakes are also highly susceptible Although streams that have large natural populations of cutthroat trout are susceptible to the disease the eflects may not be as dramatic as originally thought provided the stream is in good condition said W ilson Researchers have assumed that the overall condition ol a particular stream has a lot to do with the health of its trout population It the stream is in good condition providing adequate lood shelter and oxygen the fish have a much better chance of surv iv ing a whirling disease outbreak st By AMY PRAY Watch those dimensions Standard Examiner staff Contest veterans have some helpful hints for people interested in building their own backyard birdhouses Jan Retalhck counts at least a dozen birdhouses scattered through her back yard m Liberty They’re on poles hanging from trees resting "here and there" and beckoning grosbeak wren and chickadee families back year alter year She recommends researching w hich ty pcs of birds you want to attract and making sure the birdhouse hole is the correct size A hole that is too big may allow sparrows or starlings to disturb a smaller bird’s nest It it’s really big Retalhck has even seen a few birdhouses taken over by squirrels lhe nature center has information available on recommended dimensions for birdhouses Retalhck notes that some birds won’t nest it the box itself is too big And be sure bouses are eleanahle she warned by making a removable roof or movable door Buds sometimes won’t use the house again it an old filthy nest is still there Die first house Retalhck made 12 years ago still house in Rochester stands outside her NY and is a luvoriie nesting spot each year tor a pair ol house wrens A real estate agent lor humans Retalhck said she gets the "greatest sense ot satislaetion” finding homes for leathered ercaluies finch been called avian condos a nest with a view for the birds an article in its March 1999 issue Sunset magazine declared birdhouses “home tweet They’ve home" At their most basic they’re boxes with holes But there’s nothing simplistic about the birdhouses entered m the annual birdhouse contest and exhibit at the Ogden Nature Center Designers went all out Among the entries were a walls an miniature cottage with intricate log cabin and an adobe hut named "Nesta Siesta ’’ Some weren’t "cheep" adorned w uh window frames painstakingly created beak-size- d mailboxes signposts and moving parts Others got oil for a song using combinations of recycled materials like old barn wood twigs bark pine cones antique license plates horseshoes and glass insulators The judges - two Weber Slate University art professors and the president ol the Utah Audubon Society - critiqued creativity and artistic merit They also looked at function Would a bird actually build a nest in a replica of the Ogden I gyptian Center (a previous year’s aw ard-- inner)’ "W e wanted to give local artists and artisans a chance to create at the same time showing people how they can be environmentally correct and give ideas for what they can provide in their own back yard” said I inda Babcock the contest's coordinator "We’re showing people how to create neat backyard habitats and attract the birds to them" Babcock said she’s always amazed at the diversity of entries m the contest which is in its sixth year This year judges chose from 48 entries - the largest number ever In many cases she said they proved that stone-and-mort- ar Keep it natural KOHT DUCE SundaiUExdminaf The “Rustic Birdhouse" made from cedar redwood was created by Orpha and recycled Martinez of Ogden AVIAN "People can be wild and wiggy and still have something useful in the end " Jack Rensel nature tenter board member and local hirding expert offers some other tips for building The best material for birdhouses he said is raw wood from trees or abandoned woodpecker holes birds might typically choose that cavity-nestin- g The biggest problem with plasties or other bird-friendl- y See HOMES3D RECREATION A Strawberry disaster W hat this means is that there are places in Utah where whirling disease remains a major threat but others are less heavily threatened Goede said "It it ever gets into Strawberry Reservoir we could have a real problem” Goede said Strawberry the single most See WHIRLJNG3D The ‘Star Wars’ connection: May the games be with you Scnjipa MiXJalUiy Wostwn Service arih Vader and I mperor Palpatine may not operate by any rules of diplomacy that we recognize but there are rules lor many of the games spinning out there in the "Star Wars" universe Some test your knowledge others present lamihar challenges in dillerent clothing A lew even invite you to sneak up on your enemy i Here's a sampler' t Hasbro came out with the ultimate nund game in I rivlal Pursuit: "Star Wars" ( lassie Irilogy Collector’s I dition W nh more than 2400 questions this hoard game separates the casual Ians Irom the lunatics Most oflhe questions come directly from the movies with the rest Irom the novels - such as the marriage of Princess I eta and I Ian Solo here are even a lew questions from the prequel drawn Irom hooks that developed background material on major characters Structured just like the classic 'I nvial 1 Pursuit game with questions in certain categories (weapons and vehicles characters droids creatures and aliens) the game features tour pewter "Star W ars" characters and an electronic that beeps as n randomly determines how many spaces a player moves I lie game ranges Irom $14 99 to R2-D- 2 $49 99 or "Star Wars" Monopoly all a player needs is a business nund All the names have been changed to match the trilogy's people and places hut the game is the same I The space battles and laser weapons in the "Star Wars" mov les make perfect material for electronic games whether on little hand-heldevices or computers with superb graphics to can oiler such display the best as the X-- lug Alliance I his game can Iasi up to 40 hours if the player is skilled enough in battle Average playing time is anywhere from 10 minutes to two hours full-size- d d CD-RO- here are also games for Nintendo 64 Playstation and Sega Many ol these are available for rent at video stores I G0M£ mm’ Jim idricfht in on vacation flic column oill return nejet (dock |
