Show K‘ m'' ' r ' ' - r v ' v -- : Friday’ March 8 2002 Page! The Herald journal Outdoors report Logan to host Extreme Snocross Wild turkey Cache Valley will play host for the first time to a nationally sanctioned IsnociDU event this weekend when Ibp of Utah Racing and the RMX-CRhost Extreme Snocross at the Cache County Fairgrounds 400 W 500 Saudi Logan Races will include categories for pro beginner women and youth competitors and will tun from IQ am to 3 pm Saturday and Sunday C transplants released in the valley Canyon slideshow The USU Outdoor Recreation Center wiU hort a dideshow presentation ' of Utah’s most beautiful canydhs by backcountry explorer Steve Allen author of the Utah Canyoneering guidebook series This statewide tour is sponsored by die Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and comes to Logan at 7:30 pjn Sunday at the Outdoor Recreation for details Center Call By Lanon Fraziar outdoors editor well-kno- 797-3?- ML The birds were trucked up fimm Ogden in 16 large cardboard boxes and set free on a morning that was brilliantly sunny but bitterly cold A crowd of nearly 50 people turned out to help with the release and get a close up look at the gobblers and a dozen youngsters responded eagerly when Lou Comicelli the Northern Region Big Game Manager for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources picked up a bird by the legs and asked “Who wants their picture taken with a turkey?” Then it was time to turn them loose and as usual with such releases it was over quickly Most of the turkeys hesitated briefly when first offered their freedom but when they realized the opportunity at hand they burst forth with a flurry of feathers wings flapping The first bird out flew SO yards on a line to settle in the trees to the south The remaining 31 flew mostly south to a stand of trees a football field away with a couple of exceptions heading east to the mountainside where they would have to be forgiven if they were a little disoriented by their steep surroundings — this shipment of Rio Girandes came foqm the flatlands of Kansas Utah received a total of about 100 turkeys with the others going to the Price and Sptingville areas “We send elk to Kentucky they send Eastern wild turkeys to Kansas said South Dakota and they' give Rio Grandes to Utah” Comicelli explained dark-color- ed Bridgeriand Audubon Society and Dick Huiren will host a program on owls of Cache Valley at 4 pjn Saturday at the Stokes Nature Center in Logan Canyon Learn how owls locate and capture their prey practice your owl calls and learn to identify ' owls by sight and sound Program foe is $5 for adults and $3 for chiL dren An owlir 5 pm cost i Nature Crater members Call for information ' 39 Proclamation issues 1 1 1 - Brent StevensHerakl Journal Volunteers set free turkeys at the mouth of Millville Canyon last Saturday The release was part of an ambitious transplant program orchestrated by Utah wildlife officials DWR has been bringing in as many as 1 700 turkeys a year malting Utah No 1 in the country in turkey restoration The big birds have flourished from die southern deserts to the northern mountains Contraryto a previous report this was the first release this winter in Cache County (three previ- ous releases were made in Box Elder County) and it will likely bp die last Comicelli added He estimated that the Northern Region is home to mbrethan 1500 wild turkeys and said the new- -' comers should fit in well “Their survival is usually really high” he said By Lancu Fraziar outdoors editor March is a great time to mate a trip to die Hardware Ranch Midlife Management Area (WMA) up Blacksmith Fork Crayon Visitors can ' enjoy the warmer weather and beautiful scenery that’s available at die ranch Plenty of snow remains on the ground for the horse drawn sleigh rides that operate seven days a week at the WMA The rides should continue until March 17 Sleigh rides last about 20 minutes Cost for die rides is $5forages9and up and $3 for ages 4 to & Ages 3 rad under are fire For more infor- intiion visit the Web site or call ' 435) With spring rumored to be approaching at long last state cuds are asking Cache Vi dents who have been feeding deer this winterfo begin phasing out the free grub Convincing the deer to return to their natural spring forage patterns may take some time said Dennis Austin the Northern Region biologist for the Utah Division of Midlife Resources but it will bene fit finth animals and human b in the ' kmgrun “We’re asking people to taper off their feeding and try to be done by the end of March” or as soon as i 06 - non-feedi- ng 245-526- 1- a plahinmler ed In protecting blsori but hi protecting Vi- - tie' Z'Mifr ? v v': gist srith die US' Agricuiture f ' Ctapeiapotes4ilMn r if r - Ittook the ’state of Montana JC - V w'j-- ' ' ' ’ V x- v sarxple taken fipm die bison A conmuter screen displays the results and decision pn whether foe bison should be sent to slaurhi ter Can be 'made in die field offi--- cials said y Kra Lee a vetoinarian with the interpreting foe resuks it is bodi sensitive rad Specific ih measur- - - C vi 1980s'agricvltinebfficiabiuud 1 tTbC unfortunate sad truth is 'i&frfoit a numberof (bison) in foe $ e :: trying to fKtisoh die disease issue the blood tests v v show that (the bisoq) iue likely to he infected that is what has tn hfe : Livesfrvlc TVpartmgnt said RuaftsSklttlm’re t tesf significantly reduces the risk fc’re pi woman for foe state ’ - L wildlife btotodst Wy r ' Rented by several stSteana feder s u la v '9W- ’ fn-- area are indeed infected” Ragan said “If we capture a lot of those animals they’re going to test posi-dafive If we have a test that is more accurate-thresults will be more accfrnte Wfe’re trying to use the best science that we have" 'iThe new test employs a small i - H ! 66 hiolfigit anil consultant to the ' ' Fund for Animals: l v Officiafshowever defend the: v test as focused on the disease that "t afflicts Yellowstone bison ' Bison that leave Yellowstone and cannot behteed bade into the ) '' over-wint- er " v : j vwavv mid-Decem- cattle to abort So far this wintq1 slaughter after testing positive she 23 of the 34 bis(m oqitured udien j said V Veterinarians and livestock offi- diey could not be hazed back into the park were slaughtered after say die test being used this i V'K winter representsthe best avail- 'I able technoIogy Schubert said he is not convinced the test is more ' ' i I- 1 ' ' accurate or that its rdiabilitylias BILLINGS Mont (AP)— A ‘ new test tiiat state and federal officials say is more accurate in r detecting the cattle disease brucellosis in bison is drawing criticism from sane conservationists who : fear it will lead to die slaughter of more bison that enter Montana from Yellowstone National Park ! - “Almost all of the birds live and they typically do really well "TTiey’ll probably mate their home in the foothills ” Adjusting to' the local predator population will be thrbirds’ biggest challenge he added '“Once they figure out die predators’ patterns they usually do fine” This bunch grouped up more quickly than usual gathering within 10 minutes and flying together up the canyon something Comicelli said he hadn’t sera before but took as a positive sign for Cache Valley’s newest wild residents DWR By program’s end the Diviareas it’s probably closer to 20 persion will have sprat nearly $15000 cent As the animals rater the most to go with the approximately $4000 critical stretch of winter — with at kicked in by the sportsmen who least one more major storm looming — DWR will be monitoring the also have manned the feeding stations since health of 16 adult does caught and “We really appreciate die efforts collared by the sportsmen “A high percentage of of everyone who helped out this loss occurs between late winter and year tiie sportsmen up in the the transition to green” when the foothills rad the people in their animals are at their weakest Austin backyards” Austin noted “People said “We could still lose a bunch” have put in a tremendous amount of volunteer hours” Those conditions mate it more Those efforts have paid off by than ever that recreationimportant ' “savings lot of deer mom starvation ists give die animals plenty of space this year” he added “It has really and keep dogs snowmobiles and ATVs well back Anyone who has made a difference” He guessed that fawn survival questions about phasing out feeding rates in feeding areas have been 80 or who sees a collared deer is asked to 90 percent while in to call Austin at green grass begins popping up on die hillside Austin said “If we keep them down in the valley they’ll have their fawns down here and we’ll have a valley hod again” That happened after the heavy and the deer that winter of 1993-9-4 summer became nuisances in stayed backyards and on highways I’m concerned that they’re going to continue to feed into April or May because the deer will still be here (looking for handouts) “Austin said “We don’t want them to do that” Austin estimated that as many as ? 40 individuals have been feeding deer in backyards fields and foothills supplementing the comprehensive program initiated by local sportsmen rad eventually funded by V al ajpendes ri Beginning this winter tifTteials ' to phase out deer feeding DWR: Time Hardware outing 753-62- ng Valley Owl program Anglers are being alerted to three mistakes in the 2002 Utah Proclamation says Toml qmri fisheries coordinator for Division of Wildlife Resources Three waters are affected by missing text in the proclamation: Bear Lake in northern Utah Parley’s Creek in Salt Lake County and tributaries Lake in southwestern Utah At Bear Lake hooks single or multipoint larger than 916 inch at the shortest pomt between the shank and point can be used or possessed when fishing at Bear Lake after Feb 15 A mistake in the proclamation left anglers with the impression that these hooks could not be used any time of die year at Bear Lake ‘Die only time they can’t be used at Bear Late is foam Jan 1 to Feb 15 dur‘ ing the annual cisco spawn turkey-importi- program continued last Saturday with the release of 32 birds in southeast Cache 64 755-32- CANYON — Utah’s aggressive wild v r - Reid Campaign said he wornes about possible effects im die Yel- - V sJowstode herd z v - 'V i ‘ ‘s v: V 'i V |