Show : w"‘ iKlfnlC' siv ’I U r i i lUUnJ!Ut 7 Serving Utah's Great Pahvant Valley Single Copy $75 USPS 349 - 520 Crickets continue to swarm Millard County By Kathy Halker Armies of Mormon Crickets are vading bench areas from eamington to Cove Fort and many residents are considering aerial spraying in an attempt to stop the pests before homes are attacked “The crickets are currently thriving in ideal conditions" said USU Extension Agent Mike Pace “A baiting program was done on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land last month but it will take a couple of years before the crickets are under control Everyone involved is doing everything they can and w e are slow ly making progress" Crickets are follow ing Oak Canyon Creek on Forest Sen ice land and are infesting homes in Oak Meadow about a above Oak City said resident Janet Lindquist Since baiting cannot be done near water resources Oak Creek Canyon was not baited and the popular campground Millard High is currently overrun with the insects Private property owners in Oak City to discuss an aerial met Sat May spraying program “We contacted Spanish Fork Flying Service about spraying Dimilin It is not harmful to animals fish or birds and attacks a substance in the crickets called chitin The state will reimburse half of the cost However we Ed must get it done immediately w ith the Utah Bianco entomologist Department of Agriculture said of the state's baiting funds has already been spent" Lindquist said Cost to homeow ners in Oak City is $ 96 per acre if the state has remaining funds to reimburse half the cost Otherw ise the cost is $390 per acre Lindquist said a lot of specifics are needed such as written permission slips and legal descriptions from property owners but it is important to get it done quickly to ensure the state's help lomeow ners may call Lindquist 3 for addior Roy 846-at tional details Private property owners are looking at an aerial spraying program in Scipio and Cove Fort also Pace said Interested parties must contact Bianco 84 for prior approval at 80 The UDAF provides bait on a 50 50 cost share basis to county farmers which may be obtained by contacting Pace This year bait is being offered to private property ow ners by Millard County and is av ailable at the County Road Department which is open Monday through Thursday It is necessary to call the Road Department at before arm mg “Last year on a cost share basis a bag of bait cost $1750 The bait is no longer produced in the US and comes out of Canada The cost 533 on a for is currently 50 50 basis" Pace said teacher receives Huntsman Award for Excellence in Education By Knox Huntsman After meeting Industrialist Jon M and having her picture Huntsman taken with him Special Education teacher Sherry P Paxton accepted the prestigious 2002 Huntsman Aw ard for Excellence in Education Paxton attended a banquet in honor of the award recipients in Salt Lake City on Friday May 3 Paxton was also presented with a $ 0000 check “It touched my heart to see the generosity and support for education from Jon Huntsman” said Paxton 91 No 45 May 16 2002 Special Olympics Torch Run Millard County police officers and participants carried the torch Monday May 13 during the annual I aw Torch Run for Special Olympics Ihe torch run stated at the west end of Delta and continued along Main Street at 9 a m Ihe torch was 30 a m at the taken to Fillmore at south end of town and continued north along Main Street Official Torch were for participants Run sold for $12 with proceeds used for uniforms training facilities and other expenses for Special Olympics Utah athletes The run is a relay conducted by hundreds of law enforcement officers who carry the Special Hympics torch more than 16(H) miles to show their support for the event It for is one of the largest Special Olympics Utah In 2001 more 000 w as raised than $ The final leg ceremony takes place Wed May 29 at the Utah State l at 8 am and of ficially ends May fi) as the torch enters the 2002 Spec lal Olympics Utah Summer Games at mi Sherry Paxton and friend share the torch Commission approves building new long-tercare center m Kathy 0 other After public informational meetings April 24 and 25 the Millard County Commission approved building a new extended care facility at their May 6 meeting to meet projected needs Hie $6 million facility w ill adjoin the Delta Community Medical Center An increase in taxes is not needed to build the facility said Commissioner IaVar Cox The Commission has accumulated funds for the past three years in anticipation of building costs In 200 half the amount was transferred into Capitol Funds with the remaining $3 million budgeted into the 2002 Capitol Funds Budget Idle West Millard Care Center in Delta is inadequate for future needs and remodeling costs are prohibitive Cox said it is less expensive to build the new facility than remodel the current care center Millard County currently hires Health Care as administrator for the West Millard Care Center ddie County Commission decided to continue that practice and II 1C w ill at the new serve as administrator care center Cy “Chairman Christena Huntsman Durham called me on a Sunday evening and informed me that I had w on the aw ard - it did not register w ith me How can this be there are many outstanding teachers in the State of Utah and Millard County" said Paxton Paxton was nominated by her Rita daughter DeEtte Englebright Giles and endorsed by Principle Dennis Alldreadge Superintendent Ray Timothy Julia Stephenson Diana Day Warren Peterson and Joan Adams Four years ago Paxton was offered the opportunity to teach a special education program at Millard High School She w elcomed the challenge with enthusiasm and dedicates each day to teaching special children to reach for Vol the sky “My students do not have disabilities they have different abilities” Paxton said for the Special She is Olympics program in Millard County and spent hours training students to the summer compete in primarily events “To make the special education program work it takes a powerful influence from Dr Timothy and Principle Alldreadge along w ith strong support from Diana Day Charla Starley Patty Carter Relene Stevens Dawn Olson the George Richardson club and the incredible support from all of the parents" Paxton said “I believe the Huntsman award is as much theirs as it is mine the award belongs to our community school teachers and volunteers" SWBEDASH Care resident Club member visits Martha who will benefit from new facility Anderson Wes Millard See story on page 9 Die facility w ill consist of two pods with a nurse's station between the pods Rooms will be staggered to low window placement in each room for natural light and skylights added in the hallway High functioning resi dents would be housed in one pod Ihe other will be used lor residents needed a high level of caie Construction on the cure center cility could start ill early fall with a months later completion date to bed wet Wate ing early in the morning allows the soil to diy out before nighttime when diseases or fungus may develop" Pace said Mow ing height anil frequency are the two most important facctsof mow ing Hie minimum height any lawn should be mowed is Any less than can result in decreased drought and heat tolerance and a higher incidence of insect disease and weeds Mow the lawn at the same height throughout the year Mow grass frequently enough that of the grass no more than height is removed at any single mow mg If mow ing height is 2 inches mow when grass is tall Bluegrass may require mowing every three to four day s during spring when it is actively growing but only once every seven to 10 days when its growth is slowed by heat Buffalo grass lawns may require mow ing once cv cry 0 to 20 days Grass clippings should be allowed to fall back onto the yard unless used for composting or mulching elsewhere in the landscape The clippings decompose quickly and provide a source of recycled nutrients and organic matter for the turf If herbicides are applied to the grass do not use clippings in vegetable or flower gar dens Keep them on the lawn Contrary to popular belief glass clippings do not contubute to thatch Pace said hatch is a tight brown spongy laser of dead grass roots and stems that accumulate above the soil surface ight frequent watering is one contributor to thatch Pace said Grass dippings hrejk down quickly and encourage benelic lal micro organisms and earthworms that digest thatch and maintain healthy soil Consider fertility requirements of turf Apply an adequate amount of nutrients but do not over apply fertilizers since this creates excess growth increasing maintenance and makes the grass more susceptible to incests and diseases can Nitrogen application often be reduced by to when grass clippings are returned to the lawn during mowing because nitrogen contained in the clippings is recycled into the lawn as they decompose Xeriscaping offers a challenge to use locally adapted plants to develop a creativ e landscape w ithout sacrificIhe ing comfort and beauty Water wise landscaping starts with basics By Kathy Halker Glossy garden books from the East Coast highlighting endless green lawns with cottage gardens packed w ith flowers and fruiting plants bare little resemblance to the arid cold desert terrain found in Millard County Yet nearly 50 percent of the water consumed by the average county household is used for turf grass and landscape planting to conXeriscaping serve water may be the answer The practice is not cutting back on lawn areas by substituting vast areas of gravel and plastic Instead it is using adaptable plants and grouping them together according to soil exposure and watering needs said Mike Pace USU Extension Agent Whether redesigning or establishing a new landscape planning is a must The plan may be simple but should take into account exposures soil and w ater availability South and west exposures usually result in the greatest water losses especially near buildings or paved surfaces Changing to plants that adapt to reduced water use will save on consumption Soil more than any other factor determines a successful landscape Sandy soil has relatively large particles drains fast and usually does not hold nutrients well Clay has tiny particles that hold nutrients and w ater well but not air The soil stays wet a long time often too long for healthy root grow th When it dries it is hard as a brick The only way to improve sandy or clay soil is to add organic matter and work it into the soil as deeply as possible Pace said compost manure ground bark or peat moss is best To attain the best results about 25 to 50 percent of the total soil volume should be added For example to amend soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches add 2 to 4 inches of organic matter Soil in Millard County is usually alkaline and irrigation water is on the saline side Excess salts accumulate in soil and damage plants Leaching salts out of soil is effective only w ith good drainage and removes nutrients from the soil Turf grass cov ers the majority of landscaped areas and in Utah is most often Select or w grass based on the nature of the area to be covered water availability and the overall effect and use desired Areas close to the house or with heavy foot traffic are probably best planted with varieties such as buffalo grass or bluegrass Outlying areas w here appearance and foot traffic is not as important can be planted with various coarse graes such as smooth brome and wheat grasses Several grasses are types that go dormant in cool weather and turn tan at frost and stay tan until late spring Blue grama and buffalo grass are exBoth require water to get amples started and then perform well with deep irrigation about once a month Otherw ise the grass thins out and aggressive weeds take over They are slow grow ing and need infrequent or no mow ing Pace said bluegrass is the most popular and does best in slightly kaline soil Bluegrass is a type and stays green longer It may take up to of w ater from May until August and goes dormant during the hottest months greening up again in cooler w eather Mixed varieties of grasses are good but never mix a grass with a grass Pace said The key to grass regardless of variety chosen is deep This takes place root dev elopment with proper soil preparation and deep infrequent watering Proper irrigation can lead to a 30 percent to an 80 percent savings Water to moisten as much root zone as possible Using a shovel will help determine what the average rooting depth is in the lawn If the root zone is about deep it is best to irrigate so the soil is moistened to that inch depth In clay soil apply about of w ater to moisten the root zone to a depth The depth in sandy soil can be moistened by as little inch of water Measuring the as depth irrigation water penetrates is important and should be measured after watering for 20 minutes using cither a shov el or shallow catch cans in various locations It may be necessary to water one hour to reach the proper depth rather than watering two or three times weekly Watering less results in more efficient frequently water use and can reduce weeds If water is applied too quickly it runs off It is more effective to apply a portion of the w ater turn it off or mov e it then return an hour or so later and apply the remainder necessary T urf areas should be zoned and irrigated differently than shrub borders and flower beds North and cast ex posurcs need less frequent watering than south and west exposures The most efficient time of day to water turf grass is in the early morning hours It generally is less w indy cooler and more humid resulting in decreased ev aporation and more efficient use of the water applied Water pressure is also better “It's important not to put plantings landscape reflects local sur- roundings better than the New England landscape that are a constant struggle to establish and maintain ) |