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Show V IVe iV V ! 20 - UINTAH BASIN STANDARD. March 3. 1998 Defendant asks for March 3 In Vernal delay in sentencing Open house to expand wetlands for rare fish will review proposal ridn River Recovery Program, U.S. ii Fish and Wildlife Service and of Reclamation will host an opi n house at the Weston Plaza Iliiel, 1684 West U.S. Highway 40, Vernal, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Bu-r'-u- March 3. The public is invited to attend informal discussions next week on a federal proposal to expand riverside wetlands along the Green, Colorado and Gunnison rivers as habitat for endangered fish. Staffers from the Upper Colo- - and Park Service to work together on river studies BLM The Dixie Resource Area of the Bureau ofLandManagement(BLM) and Zion National Park announced turiay an agreement to work together in conducting wild and scenic river studies on specific tracts of public lands north of the Park. I 'ndcr the memorandum of understanding, the Willis Creek, t rap Canyon, and Goose Creek river segments, as well as two additional BLM parcels at the head of the Middle Fork of Taylor Creek uni the Kolob Creek Narrows, will !r i'liiitly studied. Jim Crisp, Area Manager for IB. M's Dixie Resource Area, approached Zion National Park several wf eks ago with the idea of having the river segments studied as part 'T the Tark's ongoing general management plan for Zion. "The Park's study provides a ' : on ly, efficient way for both Federal agencies to look at the same irenms. Perhaps even more impor-'antlby working together we can ivnlnntc the streams throughout i heir reaches across contiguous Fed-erlands, said Crisp. 'A lien the river segments were i mted by the BLM in the early I I'i's as part of the planning effort lor the Dixie Resource Area, they sere found not to be eligible for i'u rt her st udy. Contiguous river within the Park were not evaluated at that time. Although BLM's segments may not tie eligible when considered on lhcir own, that may change when copisidered in conjunction with contiguous segments in the Park, said l:LM-munage- d Ilc-ur- -- a! seg-iiicn- ts trip. Under the agreement, BLM will cooperate as a partner in the Park's study, and for such purposes only, will serve as a agency in the development of the plan and the co-le- preparation of any associated environmental impact statement. Infor- mation gathered on the river segments will be evaluated by Zion National Park, BLM and other experts. Analysis and recommendations will then be used by the BLM to make decisions on the public land stream segments. Those decisions will constitute a plan amendment for BLM's Virgin River Management Framework Plan or the Dixie Resource Management Plan, whichever is in effect at the time the decision is made. Scoping information is being gathered from the public concerning these parcels until March 12. Information can be sent to the Dixie Resource Area, ATTN: Lauren Mermejo, 345 East Riverside Dr., St. George, Utah 84770. Including the five BLM segments in the ongoing Park study is in keeping with provisions of an earlier memorandum of understanding between the National park Service, BLM, the Forest Service, the State of Utah, and interested local governmental agencies dated November of 1997, which calls for better interagency coordination ofwild and scenic river studies. Federal land management agencies are directed by Section 5(dXl) of the Wild and Scenic Rivera Act of 1968 to consider the potential for national wild, scenic and recreational river areas in all planning for the use and development of water and related land resources. Federal agencies will explain and answer questions on an initiative to acquire easements and remove certain levees on the Green River directly below Dinosaur National Monument; the Colorado River between Rifle, Colo., and the Utah border; and the Gunnison River from its north fork near Delta, Colo., to the confluence with the Colorado River. Copies of a draft environmental assessment document prepared to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act will be available at the meetings. Biologists believe restoring and protecting riverside wetlands is essential to the recovery of endangered fish such as the extremely rare razorback sucker . The fish grow significantly faster in these areas, where water is warmer and chock-fu- ll of microscopic food. Increasing these floodplain habitats is one ofthe best ways we have of restoring endangered fishers, said Pa; Nelson, a biologist with the Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition, these wetland areas are some of the moat important types of habitat for af. Western wildlife species, iicliding waterfowl, eagles, deer nd ek. Hiuto .i sally, upper Colorado HOMESTYLE ATMOSPHERE-Th- is newly remodeled room in the Obstetrics Department at the Uintah Basin Medical Center allows an expectant mother to complete the labor, delivery and recovery process without being moved from one room to another. In fact, other than for those who must go to the Suite, new moms are no longer shuffled from the labor room to delivery room. gered fish, which in turn would be used as justification for future waThe project is strictly volun- ter development by the states of tary. Landowners are under no ob- Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. For an advance copy of the draft ligation to participate and would be compensated at fair market value environmental assessment, call or for property rights if they choose to write Pat Nelson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 25486, sell. The preferred agreements Denver, CO 80225, (303) would involve easements, not pur- ext 226. Comments are due March 20. chases, allowing original landownThe Upper Colorado River Reers to maintain the property title. covery Program is a cooperative efdo activities not that Floodplain fort aimed at recovering endangered harm endangered fish or their habfish while also allowing for future itats would be allowed. The project would help achieve water development for human progress toward recovery of endan Some key points of the initiative are: Riv-r- b icin luodplains frequently were inundated during spring runoff. Today, much of the river is bounded by Ieveei, dikes and rock structures that prevent water from spilling onto the banks. Under the wetlands proposal, federal agencies would develop agreements or purchase casements from willing landowners to protect or enhance existing wetlands, allow riverside flooding and allow access to the property for scientific study and monitoring. 236-298- 5, p -- ipv Now is the An Altamont man convicted of fleeing during a traffic stop in a highly publicized case in 8th District Court in Vernal has asked the judge to delay sentencing. According to court records, Roger L. Holfeltz, 46, requested that his March 3 sentencing date be continued because he hadnt received transcripts of earlier court hearings in the case. Judge A. Lynn Payne noted that Holfeltz has received continuances throughout the judicial process for a variety ofreasons and declined to postpone the sentencing date. One year ago Holfeltz was arrested and changed with a first degree felony for attempted murder after he allegedly dosed his car door on the arm of a Utah Highway Patrol trooper and then drove a short distance. The charge was later reduced to third degree felony aggravated assault Last November an 8th District Court jury found Holfeltz not guilty of the assault charge, but did find him guilty of a third degree felony count for failure to stop at the command of a police officer. New comptroller hired at UBMC Certified Public Accountant Brent Hales has been named as the comptroller at the Uintah Basin Medical Center. Hales assumed the position in December, replacing Ken Richins who left the area to accept a job in Tooele. Hales was born and raised in Vernal. He obtained his bachelors degree in accounting at BYU. After graduation he moved to Las Vegas where he was employed by an accounting firm doing auditing work for casinos. 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