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Show Page 10 The Ogden Valley News Volume XXX Issue VIII July 1, 2023 Tips to Keep Deer Out of Your Garden This Summer Despite the abundant snowfall this past winter, which has helped increase vegetation in some areas of Utah, wildlife may still migrate into neighborhoods this summer in search of food and water. Whether you want to keep the deer from eating all your garden vegetables and flowers or you’re interested in ways to help wildlife this summer, here are a few things you should know. If you want to try to save your plants—and also minimize any property damage from wildlife visiting your yard or garden—here are a few tips: • Building an 8-foot fence around your garden or yard is the most e昀昀ective method, and is often the only reliable way to keep deer out of your garden. • Another fairly e昀昀ective technique is to install a motion-activated sprinkler system. • You can also try planting unpalatable vegetation around the perimeter of your garden to deter deer from eating additional plants. Visit the DWR website for deer-friendly landscaping ideas if you live in an area frequented by big game animals. Help wildlife by not feeding them - While some people may want to prevent deer and other wildlife from eating their lawns or gardens, others may be looking for ways they can help hungry and thirsty animals this summer. While it may be tempting to provide feed or water for these animals, it can lead to unsafe situations for the animals and people. It is not illegal to feed wildlife—except for in certain cities that have enacted no-feeding ordinances—but there are several reasons that it is highly discouraged, including: • Public safety concerns • The spread of chronic wasting disease among deer, elk, and moose • Potential harm to wildlife from introducing foods not in their diets “The best way you can help wildlife is by letting animals stay wild,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Big Game Coordinator Dax Mangus said. “Don’t approach them, and don’t try to feed them. While we did implement emergency feeding of deer in parts of northern Utah this winter, it was due to special circumstances that follow Division policies, involve trained professionals and use specialized feed. Often people’s good intentions wind up doing more harm than good for wildlife. It can also be really dangerous when deer, moose, or bears become habituated and lose their fear of people.” When to report wildlife sightings • If you notice deer or elk that look sickly, are injured or are acting aggressively, you should report it to the nearest DWR o昀케ce. • You should report a moose that has wandered into lower-elevation areas and is within city limits or heavily populated areas, so DWR can relocate the animal. • If you encounter a cougar that has killed something in a neighborhood or yard—or it is exhibiting aggressive or threatening behavior—you should report it. • If you see a bear in a residential area within the foothills or canyons, you should only contact DWR if the animal is being aggressive or if it is getting into trash, fruit trees, or causing damage. You should de昀椀nitely report a bear that has wandered into lower-elevation areas and is within city limits or in a heavily populated area. Visit the DWR website at wildlife.utah.gov/ news/utah-wildlife-news/1556-when-to-reporta-wildlife-sighting-or-encounter.html to learn about other common wildlife scenarios where you should contact the DWR. Note: Photo courtesy of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. Inspirational Thought In his day, author Dostoyevsky feared materialism was dominating European thought and culture. In his classic book The Brothers Karamazov, he suggests that the day would come when human beings would give up on the meaningful things of life in favor of material goods: ‘Dost Thou know that the ages will pass, and humanity will proclaim by the lips of their sages that there is no crime, and therefore no sin; there is only hunger?’ Dostoyevsky suggested the cure then for hunger would be the dictator—the man who satiates hunger will be worshipped as a deity.” Dostoyevsky saw how people, too frightened, ignorant, or unwilling to use their God-given freedom, preferred to retreat into infantilism with no adult responsibilities. The dictator would say, “We shall show them that they are weak, that they are only pitiful children, but that childlike happiness is the sweetest of all.” But Dostoyevsky concludes, what man really wants is “simply independent choice, whatever that independence may cost and wherever it may lead.” PLACE AN OFFER – STARTING PRICE $168,900 WESTERNHOMEOFFERS.COM Gerald “Jerry” Dickson 801-645-1501 jerryd.westernhomeliving@gmail.com 290 25th Street #101 Ogden UT Great recreational property in Evergreen Estates, 1 BD cabin on 2 Acres including well. Cabin is wired and includes a generator. Located 15 minutes from Pineview Reservoir and 5 minutes from Causey Reservoir. “Tons of potential.” Bring your tool belt, this is a fixer upper, sold as-is. Remarks: This property is part of an Online Offer System. Starting bid is $168,900 (Dead-line to place your offer will be July 5th-2023 7:00 p.m. MST.) Sellers reserve the Right to Accept, Counter or Reject any Offer. Western Home Realty powered by ExP Realty Utah Wildlife Board Votes to Prohibit Harvest of Trumpeter Swans, Approves Other Changes to Upland Game & Turkey Hunting The Utah Wildlife Board approved some changes to upland game hunting and waterfowl hunting—including making it illegal to harvest trumpeter swans—as well as changes to a few other items during a public meeting Thursday. Changes to Waterfowl & Swan Hunting - In 2019, swan regulations changed to expand the hunting boundaries in Box Elder County and to increase the total number of swan permits offered in Utah to allow for additional hunting opportunities. Since that change, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has had to close the swan hunting season early for the last four years, due to the federal quota of 20 trumpeter swans being met. Utah is one of only nine states in the U.S. that allows hunting for swans. Due to the low population size of trumpeter swans in the Greater Yellowstone area, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service sets the annual harvest quota (currently 20 birds) for the number of trumpeter swans that can be harvested in Utah. In an effort to prevent the swan hunting season from having to close early, the Utah Wildlife Board voted to prohibit the harvest of trumpeter swans in Utah. Only tundra swan hunting permits will be issued to hunters, and it will be illegal to harvest a trumpeter swan. Hunters will still be required to check in any harvested swans at a DWR office. Trumpeter swans will be seized, and the hunter may face a citation. In December 2021, the Utah Wildlife Board voted to mandate a waiting period for anyone who harvests a trumpeter swan. The waiting period prevents hunters from obtaining another swan permit in Utah for five years, for adults, and for three years, for youth. That waiting period is still in effect, in addition to the new rule approved Thursday. “We have seen a higher number of trumpeter swans harvested in the last four years because there are more migrating through Utah than in previous years,” Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Migratory Game Bird Program Coordinator Jason Jones said. “We are hopeful that this change will prevent hunting opportunities from being taken away due to the early-season closures.” A few other changes to waterfowl hunting were approved by the board as well, including updating the rule to allow electronic duck stamps, in accordance with recent legislative changes. In addition to having a hunting license, anyone hunting waterfowl in Utah is required to have a Harvest Information Program (HIP) number, and those 16 years of age or older are required to also have a federal duck stamp. Previously, duck stamps could only be purchased from a local post office, various license agents or by phone. HB341 is now in effect and authorizes the DWR to sell duck stamps online on the DWR website, in order to make transactions easier for hunters. Another rule change that was approved during Thursday’s meeting clarifies that dogs are allowed year-round in the Hasenyager Nature Preserve area of Farmington Bay (where the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center is located) but must be kept on a leash. However, other parts of the Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area are closed annually between March 10 and Aug. 31 to protect nesting birds. Upland Game & Turkey Hunting Changes - The board also approved an updated turkey management plan, which was set to expire this year. The current plan was approved in 2014 as a six-year plan, and a three-year extension was approved in 2020. The new plan will be in effect until 2029. The plan outlines several goals for turkey management in Utah, including: • Maintaining and improving wild turkey populations (within the carrying capacity of the habitat) • Minimizing con昀氀icts between people and turkeys • Improving turkey hunting opportunities across the state • Enhancing the appreciation of wild turkeys in Utah • Enhancing interagency cooperation for the management of turkeys The planning process also resulted in the development of an emergency feeding policy and a crash response plan. The release sites were also due for revision this year, as they need to go through the public process every five years. The approved plan also includes updates to the limited-entry hunt boundaries (which will follow existing roads rather than county lines). Some turkey and upland game hunting changes were also approved Thursday, including: • Allowing air guns to be used for hunting and harvesting turkeys during the fall hunts. • Allocating three vouchers per individual for harvesting turkeys in depredation situations, where the turkeys are causing damage to private property. This quota will not count toward the over-the-counter permit quota per hunter. • Allowing owners and operators of commercial poultry or game bird facilities to apply for and obtain a Certi昀椀cate of Registration from the DWR in order to remove wild turkeys from the area. • Prohibiting robotic decoys, night-vision devices and drones in turkey and upland game hunting, in order to be consistent with other technology rules for other species. • Prohibiting the harvest of a wild turkey in a roost, regardless of the type of structure. • Allowing three turkey hunting permits (two beardless permits and one either-sex permit) to be allocated to an individual hunter during the fall turkey seasons. • Prohibiting dog training near sage-grouse and sharp-tailed grouse leks (breeding sites) from March 1 to May 31. Live Game Birds Rule Changes - The board also approved some updates to the rules regarding pen-reared game birds. Previously, these rules were distributed across six DWR rules and one Utah Department of Agriculture and Food rule. The administrative rule change was made to: • Update the rules for consistent language and de昀椀nitions across agencies. • Simplify DWR rules by consolidating penreared game bird regulations into a single rule. • Shift the regulation of commercial game bird growers to the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. • Update disease-testing requirements in order to meet the challenges of emerging diseases that impact game birds, wildlife, and commercial poultry. • Update the de昀椀nition of pen-reared game birds. Other Approved Items - The board also voted to approve some administrative updates to the Collection, Importation, and Possession of Animals rule. This rule regulates the collection, importation, transportation, and possession of animals in Utah. The proposed update will simplify the rule and make it easier to understand and navigate. The DWR oversees the Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit program, which allocates hunting permits to private landowners who then provide hunting opportunities to public and private hunters for a variety of wildlife species. The CWMU program in Utah has opened more than 2 million acres of private land to the public for hunting. During Thursday’s meeting, the board voted to deny variance requests for two CWMUs, which would have allowed them to include additional non-contiguous land within their CWMU boundaries. The board also approved an update to the translocation management plan for desert tortoises in southwestern Utah. Mojave Desert tortoises, native to areas north and west of the Colorado River in Arizona, Utah, Nevada ,and California, were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990. As such, desert tortoises are protected under federal and state laws. Washington County is the native range of the Mojave Desert tortoise in Utah. It’s also an area with a lot of growth and recreation, which leads to more human-tortoise encounters. The updates to this plan outline how displaced desert tortoises from developed areas will be used to enhance desert tortoise recovery efforts in Washington County by: • Strategically moving displaced tortoises to low-density areas that provide the best conservation need and enhance populations within the Upper Virgin River Recovery Unit, east of the Beaver Dam Mountains. • Identifying translocation areas that contain criteria necessary to sustain populations. • Supplementing core populations and augmenting connectivity between the desert tortoise conservation areas. New Utah Wildlife Board Chair - The terms for Kevin Albrecht—the current chair of the Utah Wildlife Board—and Karl Hirst—a fellow board member—both expire in August. During Thursday’s meeting, the board voted Randy Dearth as the new chair of the board and Gary Nielson as the new vice chair. The two new board members will be announced when they join the board in August. The Utah Wildlife Board comprises seven members who are appointed by the governor. They serve for six years and help make decisions about hunting, fishing, and wildlife management in Utah. The Ogden Valley News is looking for Ogden Valley and Ogden Canyon historical biographies, stories, and photos to use in its publication. Please mail, email, or call Shanna at 801-745-2688 or Jeannie at 801-745-2879 if you have material you are willing to share. |