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Show Page 8 The Ogden Valley News Volume XXX Issue X March 1, 2023 We Love the Snow, But… It’s Time to Catch Some Fish! Have you ever considered fly fishing? Come learn what it’s all about! We love the snow, but we are also ready to catch some fish! We invite you to attend an Intro to Fly Fishing class right here in Eden, Utah. The class will be held March 10. You may sign up at https://tinyurl.com/2p8dadbm or on our website Katmaifishingguides.com. We will discuss what fly fishing has to offer, and the basics of the art, including subjects from technique; gear; types of fish; and fishing in Northern Utah, Alaska, and beyond. But best of all, the class is free! Held in Eden, the exact location will be sent to you in a confirmation email after you register. The class is offered and hosted by Steven Benjamin, a licensed USCG Capitan, lead guide, and owner of Katmai Fishing guides & Katmai B&B located in Southwest Alaska. DWR Reminds Community of New Rule After Increase in Illegal E-Bikes Ruin Habitat on Wildlife, Waterfowl Areas Spring is right around the cor- waterfowl and wildlife management areas. ner, and as the snow melts, the growing popularity of e-bikes is sure to increase the number of riders out enjoying the warmer weather. However, please note that class 2 and class 3 e-bikes are classified as “motorized vehicles,” and, as such, can cause serious damage to sensitive habitat and wildlife areas. After seeing an uptick in issued warnings in recent years, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officers are reminding the public that these class 2 and class 3 electronic bikes are now illegal to ride off-road on all wildlife and waterfowl management areas in Utah. After being passed by the Utah Wildlife Board in August, the new e-bike rule officially went into effect Nov. 7, 2022. Class 2 and class 3 e-bikes are now classified as “motorized vehicles” by rule, so motorized vehicle restrictions on wildlife or waterfowl management areas now apply to these classes of e-bikes as well. These restrictions are often publicized with “no motorized vehicles” signs in areas of the WMAs. Previously, only waterfowl management areas had rules about e-bike use and stated that only class 1 e-bikes could be used on established roads and other authorized areas. This new rule now extends the same e-bike rule to wildlife management areas, as well. Class 2 and class 3 e-bikes, which can self-propel (and often contain a throttle), are prohibited from leaving roads open to motorized vehicles on all “E-bike use, as a recreational activity, has increased dramatically in the past five to ten years,” DWR Capt. Chad Bettridge said. “As a result, we are seeing increased use on our waterfowl and wildlife management areas. In areas where there is a lot of e-bike use, noteable habitat damage is occurring. These new rules will help to preserve these properties for their intended use, which is for wildlife and their long-term benefit and health.” There are 193 wildlife management areas and waterfowl management areas in Utah. The DWR started acquiring the areas in the late 1940s for several reasons: • To conserve critical habitats for wildlife • To help minimize and mitigate wildlife depredation on private property • To provide anglers and hunters—who provide funding for the WMAs through the purchase of a 昀椀shing or hunting license—a place to hunt and 昀椀sh in Utah “While we would like to provide recreational opportunities on our WMAs, these properties were purchased for the benefit of wildlife and wildlife habitat,” Bettridge said. “These properties are public land, but they are not multiple use like many other federally and state-owned properties. With the increased use of e-bikes, we are seeing these properties damaged, ultimately limiting our ability to manage them for their intended purpose.” A citation for using a class 2 or class 3 e-bike off-road on any WMA is an infraction. DWR, UDOT Release New App to Allow Public to Report Roadkill The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Department of Transportation are working to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by building wildlife crossing structures on roads across Utah. But because these collisions unfortunately still occur from time to time, the agencies are making it easier for people to provide information about dead animals on Utah roads through the release of a new app: the Utah Roadkill Reporter. The new Utah Roadkill Reporter app is available for free in both the Google Play store and Apple’s App Store. The app will allow people to easily report the location and description of any dead animals they see on or near roads, so those animals can be removed more quickly from highways and freeways by DWR and UDOT employees who have access to the data. Dead animals left on roads can become traffic hazards and can cause additional incidents. The Utah Roadkill Reporter app uses GPS tracking technology to collect high-accuracy data on animal carcasses involved in vehicle collisions. The app collects data on: • Reported animal carcasses • Animal carcasses that have been picked up • Pick-up routes being completed by contractors When someone submits a roadkill report through the app, along with including the species of animal and a GPS location, they may also upload a photo of the animal. UDOT and DWR encourage the public to never use the app while driving and suggest not getting out of your vehicle when submitting a report, due to safety concerns along busy roads. If a passenger is unable to submit a report, upload the report later using a milemarker near where the animal was spotted. The state agencies also urge the public not to pick up roadkill—trained crews will do that once they receive the report. “It is important for us to understand how many wildlife-vehicle collisions occur in Utah,” DWR Utah Migration Initiative Coordinator Blair Stringham said. “This new app will allow us to know exactly when and where collisions occur, which will help us identify hot spot areas on Utah highways. We can then work with UDOT and other partners to install underpasses, fencing, wildlife overpasses and other structures to reduce collisions in those areas and keep wildlife and people safe.” Along with providing information about potential areas for wildlife crossings, the data collected through the app will also benefit the Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative and its efforts to learn more about the annual migration patterns of different animal species in Utah. The Utah Wildlife Migration Initiative is a program that tracks and studies the migration patterns of different wildlife and fish species in the state. Most of the data comes from animals wearing GPS tracking devices or from fish tagged with implanted transmitters. The tracking data benefits wildlife because biologists can identify where the animals spend large portions of time and then make habitat improvements in those areas. “For years, wildlife carcass data has been a key factor in UDOT and DWR’s decisionmaking process to make Utah roads safer and improve wildlife population health,” said UDOT’s Natural Resource Manager Matt Howard. “The new app will make it easier for the public to use and will give us more and better information to guide future mitigation efforts.” The most reported wildlife-vehicle collisions in Utah are with deer and elk. By the beginning of December 2022, there had been 4,900 reported collisions with deer, 166 reported collisions with elk, and 20 reported collisions with moose. However, the actual number of collisions is likely twice as high, because many incidents go unreported. Work on the app began in 2020 and was funded by the DWR and UDOT. You can learn more at experience.arcgis.com/experienc e/9c34ea0968e940ac8b3fdb2d61a19280/page/ Home/?views=Offline%2CView-14. Just in time for President’s Day last month, Dale Carter of Liberty sent in this photo taken near the bottom of Ogden Canyon, where, with a little imagination, you can see the profiles of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln on the canyon’s cliffs. Carver says you can see the outlines of the presidents just above the waterfall and below the place where people rock climb. He calls the view, “Ogden Canyon’s Mt. Rushmore.” Send The Ogden Valley News your favorite photos! |
