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Show Forest Notes On January 2 Ranger Thursby made a trip to the top of the mountain moun-tain cast of Ephraim to make snow measurements. He reports that the amount of snow on the ground to bo the least a this time of year for any year since our measurements measure-ments began in 1922, a period of 9 years. At the Great Basin Experiment Station, about half way up the mountain, the average depth ol snow on January 1 since 1922 is 29 inches. For this year the depth was 17 inches. At the Apline Station, on top of the mountain, the average depth on the same date since 1922 is 34 inches. On January 2nd 01 this year the depth was 18 inches. The water content of the snow is less than for any year during the 9 year period. The snow is very loose except for drifts. On the trip horses were used and ridden to the top. It would easily be possible to cross the mountain with a wagon at present. Alhough the situation looks bad for the water supply for next summer, sum-mer, there is yet sufficient time for it to straighten out before spring. The wet 1929 summer saturated the soil with so much moisture that even if this winteer's snow fall is deficient our fields and watersheds can be in better condition than during dur-ing some of the past dry seasons. Even though the fall of snow on the mountain is deficient we have had the best sleighing for many years. As a general rule travelers travel-ers into the mountain at this tlmfc of the year had no sleighing from the Forest Boundary to Ephraim. This year the sleighing has been good, even in town, since our first snow came. The Salt Lake Weather Station reports the week ending 8 a. m. December 17 as the warmest week for the season since weather records were started fifty-five years ago. Ranger Ollerton reports that .on January 2nd, he made a trip to the Mammoth R. S. for the purpose of measuring the snow. He found 9 inches of snow wiwth a water content con-tent of .90 of an inch. This is the lightest amount of snow ever reported re-ported at that station on January 1. Ranger Ollerton made the trip to and from the station in his car, and he reports that at that time trucks could haul coal from the Huntington coal mine. |