Show Sunday January 5 2003 ' A3 Local state of the capture of a gray wolf By Mark Randall staff writer Nothing would make Dan ' Miller happier than to hear the cry of a wolf in the darkened night coming from the wilds of Utah ' Miller chairman of the Bear River Watershed Council even ventured to Minnesota once in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the shy creatures who once roamed naturally in : much of the West “I’ve always wanted to see a wild wolf” Miller said “I never did But I saw tracks that was exciting” So it didn't take much coax- ing when a group of friends from the scientific community approached him about serving on a new coalition to help pro- mote and educate Utahns about the return of the wolf back into Utah Miller like many Utahns was fascinated when he read accounts last November and regional news in Utah uneasy ' who had made his way to Utah from Yellowstone Park The animal was accidentally snared in a coyote trap Morgan County about 25 miles northeast of Salt Lake City Tracks found in the area indicated the wolf was not alone It was the first confirmed wolf in the state in more than 70 years The wayward animal was part of a population of wolves that were reintroduced into ! in' Yellowstone by the federal government in 1995 Biolo-an- d gists released 31 wolves into the park and another 35 into the wilderness of Central Idaho near the Sawtooth Range The wolf population in Wyoming Montana and Idaho today has grown to around 700 Scientists say they aren’t s surprised that the wolf is ing to' make its way back into ‘ start-new- know it is saturated because wolves are starting to kill each other There have been about 20 wolves that have beep killed by other wolves “What that means is that the young wolves are going to leave and look to set up shop somewhere else” Jones said It’s normal for a wolf to travel over 100 miles to find : the right place to settle Utah with its mountain ranges and herds of elk and deer is an attractive place for those young wolves “The fact that this wolf made it here in November says clearly that wolves are already setting up shop because he came here looking for a mate and the indications are he found one” Jones said Not everyone though is thrilled with the prospect of wolves returning to Utah Sheep and cattle ranchers spent nearly 100 years driving i APphoto leaps across a road into the wilds of central Idaho upon its release north of Salmon Jan 14 1995 The wolf was the first of 35 released in Idaho by the federal government to restore a predator that was exterminated decades before A wolf Utah and are optimistic the species can thrive and st Utah in modern-da- y “Wolves belong here” said Allison Jones a biologist with the Wild Utah Project co-exi- ‘They’re part of our heritage and the forested ecosystems in northern Utah” Jones said it was only a matter of time before the wolves introduced in Idaho and Wyoming headed south to Utah The northern Rockies recovery zone in Idaho and especially Yellowstone is satu- - See WOLVES on A12 rated she said Scientists would link state funding for buildings to school sizes Bill SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — State money for school construction would be linked to school sizes under a bill expected during the upcoming Utah legislative session Citing research showing that smaller schools are better for kids and communities Lehi Republican Rep Dave Cox would require districts in many cases to limit elementary and middle schools to 630 to 900 students if they want state building aid The bill would take effect in 2005 and apply to the 16 school districts splitting $28 million under the capital outlay foundation program Those districts which qualify because of their tax base enrollment and other criteria include Alpine Box Elder Cache Davis Duchesne Jordan Ncho North Sanpete Ogden Piute San Juan Sevier South San- m 4itrUtah Legislature Eli LuceroHerald Journal Pamela Bingham speaks with an officer at the 911 dispatch center Thursday afternoon TaGsDmg tiHu© ©§qDD§ fiw Mp de Dispatch operators provide first link during emergencies Jason Bergreen staff writer Y JL ou only hear their voices but what they say is important Their words help calm the panicked divert crisis and save lives Their main job is to alert fire medical and law enforcement agencies of emergencies and get them to the scene as quickly and safely as possible Most people if they’re lucky will probably only have to rely on the services of these unseen men and women a handful of times in their whole lives So who are these people with the important voices? They are not ghosts but many may think of them as angels They are 91 1 emergency dispatch operators The team of dispatch operators that man the Logan Justice Building 91 1 Dispatch ' Center are the first link in a chain of emergency personnel charged with handling a crisis or police emergency “We (also) do the noise problems the vandalisms and the dead dogs” Laura Andrade said “We do everything in here” Andrade became a dispatch operator six years ago after working for two years as a records librarian for the Logan Police Department “The position came open and I wanted the challenge” Andrade said And a challenge she got Local dispatch operators handle up to 300 calls a day for more than a dozen agencies throughout Cache Valley Of those calls about a dozen are considered serious emergencies “A lot of them aren’t what you would call a get up and go 91 call but some of them 1 are Sgt Bryan Low said” In October for instance Logan police officer Mark Robinson was shot in the foot during a struggle with a man who authorities believed was suicidal at the Mt Logan Clinic According to Logan Police Capt Russ Roper the dispatch operator who took the shots fired call was so upset after handling the call that he became physically ill and was sent home from work early Handling serious 91 calls can be challenging and stressful Andrade said She admitted that when she first began working as a dispatch operator she was nervous when answering 91 1 calls because she knew how potentially serious the call could be “One of my worst was young adults in a car accident” she said At least one of the young adults died in that crash which occurred several years ago border Andrade said o near the “No matter how much help we sent they still needed more” she said Dealing with emergency calls involving people that are suicidal or children that have died or are dying are the hardest for eight-yeveteran dispatch operator Shelley Peter 1 Utah-Idah- ar 600-stude- nt son “It can be stressful sometimes” she said “You have to make sure you cover all your bases and ask the right questions" Like police officers dispatch operators undergo 40 hours of standard training each year They are also trained and certified to handle medical emergencies Clipping newspaper stories about the emergencies she handles also helps Andrade eliminate daily stress “I keep a scrapbook” she said “If you put it in your paper I cut it out” Answering 91 calls has become less stressful for Peterson and Andrade because their experience has taught them how to handle countless types of emergency situations “Each one you go through the first time is like ‘wow’” Andrade said “You take a suicide (call) over the phone and then you realize you can do that You get tempered you don’t get callous” Not all calls are a crisis however Some are even funny (that accidentally call) never want to (go) get there mom or dad because they think they'll get in trouble" Peterson said The reward of being a dispatch operator is being the first person to laid a hand in a distressing situation Andrade said “Dispatchers look at dispatching as a career” Logan Police Capt Randy Auman added “They’re going to stay because they really enjoy it” 900-stude- 1 “Three-year-ol- pete Tintic Tooele and Weber Davis receives the most money $73 million Piute gets just $64000 Cox's bill would require those school districts if they want the state money to cap new elementary school sizes at 90 students per grade That would mean 630 students for a kindergarten through sixth-graschool Junior highs and middle schools could be built to hold no more than 200 students per grade or a school High schools could hold no more than 300 students per grade 10th- - through-12th-gramaking for a high school common in the state's most populous areas Cox believes small schools could save the state money in social and other costs He cites research that small schools have low dropout rates and less violence and would save on state transportation costs for which the state budgeted $54 million ds I de nt de this year “(People) are tired of having schools two to three times larger than they should be’’ said Cox who has a Web site touting smaller schools But some school districts say the bill would cost residents hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary taxes Such a law could force growing school districts to fork out millions of extra dollars said Jordan Superintendent Barry Newbold “It’s very punitive to districts that are' trying to be as efficient as they can with building space and taxpayer dollars” he said For instance under a proposed $28 1 million bond Jordan would build 13 elemen-tarie- s for about 900 students each four middle schools for 1200 students each and a high school for 2400 students in growing south and western neighborhoods If the bill were to apply to the bond it would require an extra five elementary schools at $9 million apiece four more middle schools at $20 million each and at least one more high school at $45 million Newbold said |