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Show Page 12 The Ogden Valley news Volume XXV Issue VII June 1, 2018 Memorial Day Ideas and Reminders from DWR As Memorial Day weekend approaches, many Utahns look forward to getting outside and starting the summer. Below are some ideas of places to go and how to stay safe. Enjoy Solitude & Family Fishing on Memorial Day If you’re like a lot of Utahns, you’re ready to get outside, enjoy some sunny weather and catch some fish. As you make plans for Memorial Day weekend, biologists with the Division of Wildlife Resources have some “inside information” to share about fishing waters you might want to consider visiting. Randy Oplinger, sport fisheries coordinator for DWR, says Utah has literally hundreds of fishing waters. “It can be challenging to pick a water that best meets what you’re looking for,” he says. “Fortunately, our biologists know these waters like the backs of their hands. And they’re happy to provide direction.” Oplinger says many anglers are looking for one of two things: a close-to-home water that provides them and their kids with a good chance to catch fish, or a water that provides good fishing in a peaceful and quiet setting. From Memorial Day weekend through the end of June, the following waters should be the very best waters to fish in Utah this year. Oplinger places the waters into two categories: “best family fishing waters” and “places to fish and get away from it all.” Best Family Fishing Waters - “Early summer is the perfect time to get outside and fish with your family,” Oplinger says. “And it doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced angler and members of your family are just getting started. Many lakes in Utah provide fishing opportunities that can be enjoyed equally by anglers with various levels of experience.” So, which waters are the best waters to consider taking your family to from Memorial Day weekend through early summer this year? Oplinger’s picks for Northern Utah are Mantua and Willard Bay reservoirs (Northern Utah), which are great places to catch bluegill and channel catfish. Oplinger says Mantua should provide great bluegill fishing during early summer this year. “Bluegill are a great fish for kids to catch,” he says. “They’ll take just about any bait or lure. And, if you find a school of them, you can catch a lot of fish.” Oplinger says channel catfish numbers appear to be up at Willard Bay this year. “I think this will be a great year to fish for channel catfish at Willard.” Places to Fish to Get Away From It All While some Utahns will be looking for a closeto-home place to take their family, others will be looking to beat the crowds and find solitude while enjoying the early-summer weather in Utah’s backcountry. Oplinger says some of the best, most scenic, least crowded waters in Utah in Northern Utah includes Lost Creek Reservoir and lakes on the Uinta Mountains. Lost Creek Reservoir, located near Morgan isn’t heavily fished, and lots of large cutthroat and rainbow trout are available to catch. The Uinta Mountains are also a great place to take a hike and catch trout in beautiful, highcountry lakes. Other great places to fish can be found by visiting <www.wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots> When you arrive at the webpage, click on the water you’re interested in. In addition to receiving a fishing report, you’ll also receive information about the water itself, including how to reach it, the type of facilities you’ll find and the fish you’ll likely catch. In addition, four of the waters on the list— Currant Creek, Flaming Gorge, Steinaker and Willard Bay—are Blue Ribbon waters in Utah. You can get detailed information about them by visiting the DWR’s Blue Ribbon page at <www. wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots/blueribbon.php> Once you arrive at the page, click on any of the waters. Visiting www.wildlife.utah.gov/hotspots is also a great way to stay up-to-date on fishing at the waters. If you’d like to receive the fishing reports via email, that’s possible too. You can subscribe to them at <www.wildlife.utah.gov/ about-us/subscribe-to-updates.html> Two additional websites—bigfishtackle.com and utahwildlife.net—also provide current fishing information for waters across Utah. Fishing Basics - If you’re new to fishing, you can learn the basics online. One of the best websites to visit is Take Me Fishing.org. To learn how to fish, or brush up on your skills, visit <www.takemefishing.org/how-to-fish/howto-catch-fish> More People in Utah’s Backcountry Means More Encounters With Bears: Safety tips offered You might be surprised to learn how simple it is to avoid a negative encounter with a black bear. If you remember two simple things—and then do those things in the outdoors—you’ll greatly reduce the chance that a black bear visits your campsite or cabin area: • Keep the area clean. Don’t toss food scraps and trash around. Instead, put it in trash bags, and store it in a place where a bear can’t get to it. When it’s time to go home, take your trash home with you. • Store your food in an area where a bear can’t get to it. Darren DeBloois, mammals coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources, says black bears have an amazing sense of smell. And they have no problem eating the same type of food people eat. “Even though they’re incredibly strong and surprisingly fast,” DeBloois says, “like most wildlife, black bears will typically do everything they can to avoid people. When a bear finds food, though, that all changes. Once it finds food, a bear will often become aggressive towards anything it perceives as threatening the area where it found the food. That includes people.” DeBloois says keeping your campsite or cabin area clean lessens the chance that a bear will smell food and trash, and be lured to your camp. And, if a bear does find your camp, if it isn’t rewarded with food, it will often move on. DeBloois provides the following tips to keep both you and the bears safe: Safety tip 1 - Store your food and items that are scented, such as deodorants and tooth paste, in an area where a bear can’t get to them. Storing them in a locked trailer, or locking them in the trunk of your car, are good choices. Storing food and scented items in these areas will reduce the chance that a bear smells them. And, if a bear does makes its way to the area where you’re staying, if it isn’t rewarded with food, it will likely move on. Safety tip 2 - Keep your cooking grill clean. After you’re through eating, clean utensils and anything else that was used to prepare or eat the food. Also, don’t dump oil or grease from pots or pans onto the ground. Put the oil or grease in a container, and take it home with you. Safety tip 3 - Don’t toss food scraps and other trash around your campsite or cabin area. Instead, put it in trash bags, and take it home with you. Keep your campsite or cabin area clean. Safety tip 4 - Never feed a bear. More tips on staying safe in bear country—including what to do if you encounter a bear while hiking—are available from Wild Aware Utah at <www.wildawareutah.org/utah-wildlife-information/bears> The DWR also provides tips at <www.wildlife.utah. gov/dwr/learn-more/bear-safety.html> A video about bear safety is also available on the DWR’s YouTube channel. The video shows what a bear will do if it finds a campsite that isn’t clean. You can watch the video at <http://bit.ly/26U1Q7S> Mt. Ogden Midweek Bike Race at Snowbasin Resort Offers Fun for All Ages Snowbasin Resort continues to host the Mt. Ogden Midweek Bike Race Series this summer. There will be ten races starting Wednesday, June 20. The races will continue through Wednesday, August 29, with the exception of no race on Wednesday, July 4. This is a race that is fun for all abilities and all ages. Registration starts at 5:00 p.m. and the races start at 6:30 p.m. There is a $15 registration fee each night, and a one-time plate fee for $10 for adults. A competitor can purchase the whole season and save money. A Race Series membership is $125 and includes 10 races, plate fee, and summer gondola pass. There are categories for both men and women, including Pro, Expert, Sport and Beginner. Snowbasin even offers a race for the kiddos that starts at 6:45 p.m. Race registration for the kids’ race is $5 per night with a $10 onetime plate fee. New this season, Snowbasin will offer food and beverage for purchase on Earl’s Plaza at the Plaza Pick-Me-Up Cart from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. The races are a perfect place to bring the family to cheer the bikers on and grab a bite to eat in the cool mountain air. Tim Eastley, Terrain Parks Manager says, “We are excited to offer the Mt. Ogden Midweek Bike Race Series again this summer. After the immense growth in the number of participants during last season, we are enthusiastic to see who comes out this year. With more people joining the sport and the high school cycling teams growing, this is the perfect avenue for everyone to practice their skills in a fun, competitive manner. Each week we have prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for both men and women in our four divisions: Beginner (5-6 miles), Sport (10-12 miles), Expert (15-18 miles), and Pro (15-18 miles). We also offer season point tracking for pro, expert, and sport classes and the leaders in those divisions all season wear a Hyperthreads leaders jersey each race night. We hope to see you out on the starting line.” For more information, please visit www. snowbasin.com or call 801-620-1000. Nordic Valley Resort to Host Spartan Race Super & Sprint July 28 - 29 Call your friends, co-workers, and loved ones! Let’s get them off of the couch and into the mud! Whether they’re helping you over the wall or chasing you up the mountain, make sure they’re with you at the starting line. Conquer the Spartan solo or with teams of any size (minimum of four members) to be included in the team rankings. The Spartan Race Super is a grueling eightmile (sprint is four-mile) obstacle course race through the Wasatch Mountains, starting at historic Nordic Valley Ski Resort in Ogden Valley. It includes 26 unique obstacles throughout the course with an entertaining finish sequence into our festival area. The Spartan Festival Area includes merchandise, sponsors, activities, music, food trucks, and more. Lastly, there will also be a kids’ course race for youth ages 5 to 13. The kids’ course is 1 mile with more than ten unique obstacles of its own. The Spartan Super takes place Saturday, July 28 with the Festival Area opening at 6:00 a.m. The Elite Men will kick off the race at 7:30 a.m. followed by the Elite Women at 7:45. Heats will roll all day until the last projected heat at 2:30 p.m. The Festival Area will remain open until the last finisher, which is projected at 9:30 p.m. The Spartan Sprint takes place Sunday, July 29 with the Festival Area opening at 6:00 a.m. The Elite Men will kick off the race at 7:30 a.m. followed by the Elite Women at 7:45. Heats will, again, roll all day until the last projected heat at 12:30 p.m. The Festival Area will remain open until the last finisher, which is projected at 7:00 p.m. Event Impacts - Because of the event, 3500 E. will be closed from Nordic Valley Road to the fork of Viking Dr. and Nordic Valley Way, and patrolled by two Weber County Sheriff officers. Neighborhoods can expect significant traffic over the weekend as we are projecting 6,000 racers on Saturday and 4000 racers on Sunday. The Spartan Super & Sprint will test your endurance, perseverance, and grit. It’s not too late to sign up! The 8- to 10-mile Super packs more than 25 signature Spartan obstacles through tough and more rugged terrain. The Super & Sprint are two thirds of your Spartan TRIFECTA. All racer and spectator parking will be located in the field at N. 3500 E & E. 4100 N. Signs will be placed directing vehicles where to enter and exit. The parking lot is a 10 minute shuttle ride to the race venue. Space is limited, so please carpool. Parking is $10 per vehicle; cash only! The last heat time is still TBD (posted 10 days prior to event day). Waves of 250+ racers will be released every 15 minutes. Finishers will receive a badass Super/Sprint Finishers Medal and a trifecta medal wedge piece (run a Beast to collect your remaining piece!). Also, a Super/Sprint Finisher t-shirt (your other one should be pretty dirty), free professional photos (to frame and flaunt!), bananas at the finish line, CLIF Builder’s protein bar, cold can of FitAID, cool bottle of BodyArmor, and bragging rights! For more information and/or to register, visit www.spartan.com and search for Utah! Carver’s Cove Petting Farm May 2 thru September Open Wednesday thru Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call 801-745-3018 or visit www.carverscove.com weather permitting ~ Especially during the month of May |
