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Show The Garfield County Insider February M9 201® Page SOUTHERN UTAH GETS ITS OWN `PRAIRIE DOG CZAR' Good news from the high school, the drama class will be presenting the Sound of Music, in March. Elaine Baldwin and Cheryl Church have a cast of 58 students that will take part in the musical. Mrs. Rember has found the funds to continue the Drama class for another year, which is music to my ears. Speaking of ears, I have giving up on my hearing and got some hearing aids. I have only had them for 5 days but I couldn't believe how good they make things sound. I couldn't hear most of the women voices on TV or at church. The hearing aids made me a real believer in what I was missing, in only a few days. My family was getting tired of having to repeat everything and the hearing aids are cheaper than paying for my funeral. The Class of 2013 had a fundraiser on January 30, at the Homecoming game. Joe's Main Street Market donated two hams that were given away. The hams were won by Lori Munford and Parker Brinkerhoff. "Thank you Joe" for your support. Ralph Perkins took his FFA students to SUU for a region competition. The Parli-Pro team took 1st place. Congratulations to John Mudge, Noelle Perkins, Janisa Brienholt, Caleb Holman, Jacob Perkins, and Cassidy Josie. Frecia Houston and Katelyn Parkin did their FCCLA project for the 4th, 5th and 6th grade students at Panguitch Elementary on Friday February 5th. Their project was educating students about personal hygiene. In addition to their presentation they gave out 110 hygiene kits. A special thanks to Panguitch City, Panguitch Dental, Garfield County Sheriff's Department, Lamp Lighter Inn, and the Blue Pine Motel for their donations to make the hygiene kits. The bus trip for the wrestles in Milford on Saturday morning was an exciting adventure. We were early and beat the snow plows up highway 20 and it was slow going. The morning run was just a preview of what was to come that night. We hit rain from Milford to Beaver and then the snow really started to come down on the return trip over hwy 20. For some reason the snow plows hadn't done their job and the road was terrible. It took almost an hour to make the trip; going along at 15 miles an hour, you don't set any speed records, but we made it and all were safe. All this snow we have been blessed with is bringing out the best in the neighbors who were out plowing many driveway and walkway, not stopping for a thank you. Not a lot of news this week, however check the sports that's where the events are going on. Next week I hope to report on Panguitch High School National Recognition Award. Keep the good stuff corning. Mack 0. mackoetting@gmail.com Take the4Trip, o .our Lifetime Jo, professional travel photographer- Bill Chapman Overland across 'Himalayan plateau of Tibet to ,Nepal. Stopping, at Mount Everest Basecamp along,the way on the night of the full , moon. Departure April 18,2010 Call or email for details. 435-616-0414 chapmanwr@hotmail.com Prairie dogs have long been a vexing issue in Iron and Garfield counties, but Southern Utah University is leading the way to help provide solutions with the hiring of the first coordinator of the Utah Prairie Dog Recovery Implementation Program. Elissa Black, who served until Jan. 29 as community planner for Form Tomorrow, a Washington County non-profit organization devoted to assisting local municipalities to implement Vision Dixie planning principles, began work as Southern Utah's new "prairie dog czar" on Feb. 1. As the first paid staff of the program, Black will begin by seeking to unify approximately 20 UPDRIP local, regional, state and federal partners in meeting the program's goals, said Brian Cottam, associate director in SUU's Office of Government Relations & Regional Services, which is hosting the program. Black's office is located in the College of Science; her salary and other pro- 9-1 La Errol, 435-616-2829 - embutah@gmail.com CHUCK NORRIS Interesting 'facts' you always (?) wanted to knowabout Chuck Norris (Walker, Texas ranger) 1) When an episode of WTR aired in France, the French surrender to Norris...just to be... SAFE 2) He's so smart...Stephen Hawking once STOOD UP and bowed to him! 3) Occassionally he calls the Power Rangers...just to say Hi! 4) Every piece of furniture in his house is a...Total Gym. 5) He is considered a Prime Number in some school in Ontario. Did you know that the number of Utahns who want to catch and keep a venomous snake in their home is growing? 7) He has a Wrangler Belt in Karate. 9) His pick-up is upholstered in DENIM. 10) WW II occured (only) because he was taking a nap. 11) He gargles with Anti-freeze. 12) A kid once stole his hat...he flew into such a rage, he accidently created: applesauce. 13) He once played JENGA...the result was the Empire State Building. 14) He Remembers The Alamo...and is NOT happy about it! 15) He flosses with....barbed wire. 16) It's no coincidence that the tattoo on Mike Tyson's face and Chuck's boots share the same pattern. 17) He drives an Optimus Prime. 18) His calendar goes directtly from March 31 to April 2nd (NOBODY fools CN!) 19) When he plays golf...they have to put the hole on the....MOON. 20) The only time he was wrong was when he thought he had made...a mistake! Tl tium extends to in-kind resources, including office space, staff supervision and other amenities. "It is great that the university has stepped in to offer the space and equipment," Black said. "Without the university's involvement, the program would not benefit as much from the valuable resources it offers, as well as the neutral setting to carry out the work." The College of Science has been involved since early in the program and will provide Black's office space in the Science Center, said Robert Eves, dean of the College of Science. Cottam said Eves has been "a great supporter" of UPDRIP. Without his and the College of Science's participation, the university's role would not approach the current level, he said. "We want (Black) to interact with the faculty," Eves said. "We hope it will allow research opportunities for faculty and also undergraduate research." Black said she loves the idea of students and faculty working on research to help the prairie dog. Black earned a bachelor's degree in international studies from Humboldt State University and a master's degree in city and regional planning from California Polytechnic University. Throughout her professional career, she has worked for various nonprofit organizations focused on improving the health and well-being of people, assisting low-income populations, and preserving cultural resources. Before returning to Utah, Black worked as a landuse planner with the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, a planning agency focused on regional transportation and land-use planning for California's Central Coast. Most recently, Black has served as community planner for Form Tomorrow, which encourages collaboration and exchange of resources between citizens and local, regional and state governments in partnership with Washington County and the Five County Association of Governments. INTEREST IN VENOMOUS SNAKES GROWING 6) He bemoans the fact that the average American dosen't know that WTR is actually an unscripted Reality Show! 8) He is currently suing NBC, claiming that 'Law' & 'Order' are trademarked names for his left & right legs. gram expenses are provided by the consortium of partners involved in the program, Cottam said. "We're extremely pleased to have hired a person of Elissa's considerable experience and ability," Cottam said. "We're confident she will help us move forward in our efforts to recover the prairie dog according to the Endangered Species Act while allowing land-owners to develop their property as quickly as possible." The threatened Utah prairie dog has been protected by the Endangered Species Act since 1973, and may not be hunted or otherwise destroyed. Iron and Garfield counties are included in the geographic areas identified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the historic range of the Utah prairie dog. Iron County Administrator Reed Erickson, chair of UPDRIP's executive committee, said the partners have previously pursued their goals individually. "We finally realized that we could never fix the problem alone," he said. Iron County land-owners are frequently hostile toward the prairie dog and have vowed to "get rid of them," Erickson said. "The attitude is, 'If you want to protect them, come and get them,"' he said. In the past, officials in the region have worked separately, but now, with the UPDRIP coordinator beginning work, progress will be improved, he said. Cottam said the executive committee, led by SUU Government Relations and Regional Services, has been working since early 2009 to fill Black's position. "Elissa's role is to lead the cooperative effort and keep it moving forward," he said. According to UPDRIP's draft program document, the partners have two primary goals. The first is to recover the Utah prairie dog so that it no longer requires protection under the Endangered Species Act; the second is to allow property owners to develop lands historically inhabited by the prairie dog. SUU's involvement in the public-private consor- Happy 1st For 12 months now, you've been delighting us, little one. And for 21 months now, I've been tobacco free. We have every reason to celebrate this joyous anniversary. Happy 1st Birthday. For free help quitting tobacco, call 1.888.567.TRUTH or visit utahquitnet.com . BRYCE VALLEY SENIOR CITIZEN LUNCHES* Please call by 10:00 A.M. if you want a meal. 6798666. The food is good. Wed. 10th: Corn Chowder Soup, Grilled Cheese, Greens, Applesauce, Rice Krispies. Thurs. 11th: Pork Chops, Pot. & Gravy, Corn, Pineapple Chunks, Sugar cookies. Tues 16th: Fish, Baked Pot., Squash, Pears, Hot Roll, Peach Cobbler. Wed. 17th: Ham, Yummy Potatoes, Corn, Frozen Fruit Salad, Hot Roll. Thurs. 18th: Tom. Soup, Ham& Cheese, Pickled Beets, Dill Pickle, Cookie. To make sure this activity is done safely, the Division of Wildlife Resources is proposing several changes to the state law that governs it. Utah's five public Regional Advisory Councils want your thoughts about the DWR's ideas. (You can download a PDF of the agency's ideas online.) "The desire to catch venomous snakes in the wild and then breed them in captivity is growing among herpetologists in Utah," says Krissy Wilson, native aquatic species coordinator for the DWR. Wilson says six rattlesnake species live in Utah. The DWR is proposing that enthusiasts be allowed to catch and keep only the two most common rattlesnakes in the state—the midget faded rattlesnake and the Great Basin rattlesnake. To keep those snakes, snake enthusiasts would have to follow a number of safety rules. "Public safety is our main concern," Wilson says. "We don't want a snake to escape from someone's home." The requirements the DWR is proposing would also limit the number of snakes people could catch in the wild and the number of young the snakes could produce each year. "Snake enthusiasts would also be required to follow all city or county laws related to keeping and raising venomous snakes," Wilson says. Two ways to share your ideas After reading the DWR's ideas at wildlife. utah.gov/public_meetings/ info/2010-02-03.pdf, you can share your thoughts with your RAC chairman one of two ways, Email or RAC meetings |