Show 2H Standard-Examine- Sunday Nov 12 1989 r ‘Outdoors Aggressive pheasant management plan needed Scattergunners who participate in Utah's annual rooster pheasant hunt soon realize more needs to be done if the popular sport is to remain a worthwhile outdoor activity Compared to the “glory years" in the late 1950s when more than 300000 birds were harvested in 1958 alone today's hunt is peanuts Most hunters even with good dogs hunt long and hard to harvest relatively few roosters Since the 1970s a gradual decline in pheasant numbers has paralleled the change in the rural landscape Intensive farming practices have resulted in larger farms removal of riparian and wetland habitats fewer fences windbreaks and ditchbank cover Urbanization of rural areas has also conditions during the nesting period resulted in lower production in 1983 and Bert Strand Standard-Examin- 1984 also The situation however has not gone unnoticed by Utah’s game bird manag- er outdoors columnist contributed to the loss of pheasant habitat The 1980 National Lands Study indicated that Utah lost 100000 acres of agricultural land to urban development from 1967 to 1977 and another 230000 acres will have been lost by 1990 During the 1980s thousands of acres of prime nesting and critical winter habitat were flooded by the rising Great Salt Lake and Utah Lake Severe winter conditions during this period also took their toll Cool wet ers As early as the 1940s biologists of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources began to realize the future of pheasants depended on habitat The DWR attempted a number of programs to help increase pheasant pop- ulations since then These programs have failed due primarily to the absence of landowner cooperation admittedly the result of generally poor public information and education and incen- tives for the landowners Today the DWR has outlined some objectives in the strategic plan for the comprehensive management of Utah’s1 wildlife resources regarding helping pheasants If these goals are to be realized it will take the cooperation of landowners sportsmen and wildlife managers As outlined in the plan the objectives from 1989 through 1994 are to reduce the rate at which Utah’s pheasant habitat is being lost improve the quality of pheasant habitat on 1000 acres of suitable land per year maintain hunting as a principal use of pheasants by managing of for an average of 250000 hunter-day- s logged in years to come “This is not peace The war in the woods continues Species are going extinct" Andy Kerr of the Oregon Natural Resources Council said as environmental- ists vented their anger over being forced to turn over to loggers 194 previously protected timber sales Sale of the 11 billion board feet of timber on eight national forests in Oregon and four forests in Washington was blocked most of this year by an injunction issued by US District Judge William Dwyer in Seattle Dwyer issued his order in response to requests by environmentalists who have challenged the way the US Forest Service manages forests inhabited by the northern spotted owl Some scientists say the owl needs vast tracts of old growth forest to survive and that continued harvest of the old trees threatens to drive the bird to extinction By JIM WRIGHT SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is alarmed by a dramatic drop in the number of young produced this year by the Colorado squawfish in Green It's not a particularly tricky business this wildlife watching pair of binoculars a bit of stealth and reliance on the Three W’s — walk watch and wait — and you’ll turn up some A good fascinating views November can be an interesting time to watch fish Brown trout spawn about this time of year and they can be easily observed in most Northern Utah streams Browns typically spawn in shallow gravel beds in the main river Other trout including cutthroat ‘and rainbows spawn in tributar-ie- s during the spring These spawning beds called “redds" are easily distinguishable The trout find a likely looking spot then clear the gravel of silt and debris with their tails The cleared area stands out from the surrounding gravels The fish hover and dart back and forth over the redds putting on a fairly impressive show Whitefish also spawn in mid 7 Provan CALIFORNIA - - ‘ snow-covere- background Moose are commonly found in the Snow Basin area as well as around Causey Reservoir and in the Powder Mountain areas They can frequently be spotted from the road They can also be seen in protected areas near trees or browsing on hillsides t I the Green River between the southern boundary of Dinosaur National Monument and Sand Wash at the head of Desolation The owls are small and live in pairs male and temale They eat rodents Shaded area represents national forests in Oregon and Washington where owls reside each national forest The sales also will be subject to normal appeal processes said John Lowe the deputy regional director of the Forest Service And Lowe said the sales will be reviewed by Forest Service officials in light of new spotted owl management guidelines being developed by Forest Service biologists The possible listing of the spotted owl as a threatened species by the US Fish and Wildlife Service also figures in the mix takes patience Elk are grazers and they can be found on south-facin- slopes g where sunshine has cleared some of the snow They tend to herd and while they prefer to get away from human company they’re not averse to wandering into pastures and haystacks if the promise of an easy meal is too attractive to pass up y skiers frequently find elk in the Middle-Forof the Ogden River or in the Monte Cristo area Easy viewing can be found at the Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area east of Hyrum in Cache County If you’ve got the time and the urge is strong you can frequently find some substantial herds of elk near the road on the west slope of the Oquirrh Mountains in Tooele County In the winter deer are everywhere They tend to stay away from the road most of the time however and a sharp eye is needed to spot them But bring along a good set of binoculars and you can count several hun- Cross-countr- k dred deer in a few hours of driv- ing Swing through the backroads in Morgan County or Cache County and watch the hillsides By early spring Northern Utah is home to hundreds of bald eagles The majestic birds fly south for the winter from Alaska and Canada and they’re creatures of habit Eagles can often be spotted along the east shore of the Great Salt Lake in western Weber and Davis counties The Weber River near Henefer and Echo is usually home to dozens of eagles They frequent Causey Reservoir the Middle Fork of the Ogden River and Blacksmith Fork Canyon There are hosts of other animals ranging from coyotes to blue grouse that spend winter struggling against the elements While some animals are easy to watch than others all are engaged in a true life or death struggle So if you watch do it from a reasonable distance Canyon That was less than h of the fish he expected to find “We thought this would be a good year It had all the makings of last year which was the best year on record” said Cranney “I'm not really sure what it (the decline) is linked to” one-tent- 3! wildlife areas user fees have proved to be unpopular and usually ineffective Provan said the DWR could accomplish much at almost no cost by simply letting people know where they can viewwild- -' life or by setting up informational displays and educational comes time to talk money And money will be discussed Provan said the chief reason haven't had much of a say in wildlife management is because they are not the ones who pay for that man- agement More than 90 percent programs of the DWR’s budget is derived “We’ve continued to work from sales of licenses and perwith our traditional way of fundmits or from federal taxes on ing and traditional projects and sporting equipment About seven programs — hunting fishing and percent of the DWR budget curtrapping" Provan said“But rently comes from Utah's Generwhen we transplant an elknow al Fund we are not going to transplant it Provan said he will ask the for the consumptive user alone Utah Legislature in January for a We’re going to transplant that anboost in the DWR's general fund imal for the share from the current lev el ot seven percent to the 14 to 16 Provan said bringing a wider he said a legislative task segment of the population into force recommended several years contact with wildlife programs it critical if the DWR is to be effecago Provan said his ultimitc goal tive in the future is to bring money in from “If we don’t move in this diusers either rection right now we're going to through an increase in the be so far behind the nationaj DWR'j share of the General trend that it’s not even funny" Fund or by finding new ways to Provan said There's been discussion among biologists about the possible connection between the oil spill and the squawfish’s apparent repro- ductive problems but Cranney said there's not enough information to confirm that theory “It's not unfair to raise the question but it's a question I don’t think can be answered” said Cranney noting that other factors — such as unusually low water levels in the Yampa River — also could have caused the He said reproductive success also was lower than expected at a squawfish breeding site in Gray Canyon of the Green River an area hundreds of miles downstream from the spill The decline in Gray Canyon was much less than that seen closer to the Yampa River however A ch steel pipeline crossing 'the Yampa River near Craig Colo broke June 2 spilling some 13000 gallons of light crude oil into the river Employ- - ees from Amoco Pipeline Co The Yampa River is home to four species of rare native fish The Colorado squawfish humpback chub and bonytail chub are on the federal list of endangered species The razorback sucker has been proposed for the endangered species list The squawfish was once the top predator in the Colorado River food chain ruling the river like a lion rules the jungle They grew up to 6 feet in length and migrated as much as 500 miles to spawn at preferred breeding sites The construction of dams destruction of habitat and introduction of exotic fish have drastically reduced the squawfish’s numbers A small group of the fish still remain in the Yampa River the White River of eastern Utah and the main stem of the Green River A few are also found in the lower San Juan River Although widely dispersed most of the year the squawfish in the upper Green River basin gather in the early summer to breed in the pools of the lower Yampa River Federal biologists presume that squawfish like most types of migrating freshwater fish rely on a sensitive sense of smell to find these breeding areas They could be following the odor of tributary streams springs or ‘seeps experts surmise The oil spill occurred when most of the adult squawfish were migrating to their spawning grounds in 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The oil quickly dispersed in the air and water' leaving little for cleanup crews to skim from the river’s surface Biologists monitored the river for several days and found no evidence of dead or dying fish A few samples of the water fish sediment and insects were collected but there were no detailed follow-u- p “Choose Day & Night and chase it 11 AM to 6 per-ce- I le raise money from specific groups He said that while he hasn’t ruled out things like entrance fees at From 1H - ‘There are whitefish in the Weber Logan and South Fork By December deer elk and moose have all moved to lower elevations from higher ground Moose are the easiest to spot partly because they are more tolerant of human presence and partly because they stand out dramatically from their surroundings A dark brown moose is easy to see against a d Owls need old growth forests because they dwell in safe from hawks and other predatory birds who inhabit tfie sky above and animals who would eat them mid-fore- appealed which means timber companies can count on having the logs The next step under the compromise is preparation and sale of about 47 billion more board feet of timber from national forests in the two states by Sept 30 1990 The sales are subject to review tor their impact on spotted owl habitat by advisory committees being set up on from above River While the cause has not been identified a June 2 oil spill in the Yampa River which feeds the Green River is seen as one of several possibilities e DWR biologist Steve Cranney said he discovered fewer than 100 “young of the year" squawfish during his fall stretch of survey in a 110-minon-gam- Service list of 264 sales totaling 164 billion board feet that were stalled by the injunction Now that the sales have been selected they cannot be challenged or fall and because they tend to group in favored spawning runs they often lay thousands of eggs in relatively small stretches This is a boon for trout which can be seen waiting in large groups below the run swirling and rolling to feast on eggs floating down fish’s decline studied ty Wildlife watching Standard Examiner ring-neck- Oil spill Timber companies favor the old trees for the lumber they produce and say the region’s old growth forests should be harvested and replanted After environmentalists succeeded in blocking a portion of this year’s harvest of old trees Congress stepped into the fray fashioning a compromise intended to restore a steady flow of timber to mills while extending some protection to the old forests and the owl Under terms of the compromise signed last month by President Bush environmentalists had two weeks to select 11 billion board feet from a Forest high-quali- er recreation The plan also works to increase public knowledge awareness and support for pheasant management programs by 10 percent provide and manage public access to state federal and private lands Battle lines drawn in Northwest forests PORTLAND Ore (AP) — With the dust barely settled from the fight over this year’s timber harvest in the national forests of Oregon and Washington the battle already has begun over how many of the region’s oldest trees will be for hunting and other uses in 50 cases relaand improve sportsmen-Iandown7 tions' in 25 cases In some ways this seems a tail order But it can be done In fact there’s every reason for all concerned to see that it is done Since their modest introduction into the state in 1895 pheasants have become the most popular game bird in Utah An average of over 80000 sportsmen chase the bird annually This includes over 10000 juveniles who are experiencing their first hunt Presently these sportsmen spend 225000 day afield and generate over $25 million in revenue As the DWR says economics alone tell us that Utah needs an aggressive pheasant management plan frJ'’Mrrvv ire EBCOILEEVAIRD V CISTAltANT Call Today 3306 Wash Blvd Ogden S t fc 399-567- 1 ROBERT LOVE 1279 S 1100 West SYRACUSE M Air Conditioning 7735579 1 |