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Show f SSsljSss S.SSSS SS SS":SS SS'iSSSiS ' : S si' SSSsi s Si:" S:.:SS's':;? S;S : '; :-v -v : jjS vSSsis is s$ .:SSSS . si.; i; sS. . : Ss. isAA As iisS. : 's .sA ': S. - v.; iA . Ss;.'ix ' ' : v- . . ' ssi . . A '- y . ' -t i ' I V A' AAAASAA A AAA ' :!isstt : A 5' AAAAiA; A -,. iiHM 'a ''-i''i: ' ? ?, wmme m m''- A . '-j; : AA5 A ;i iA'i A AssAss ?: AA-A:1: M :: : A . 3 A A : V : Y A a ,: ;J " ! ' " 'f i. ? iliillllliBliifilWillttl ,;lliiiKlilipllii i " " I Herds of about 600 buffalo live on Antelope Island, a number that will soon be thinned by a roundup and limited hunt. i I Antelope Island: The home where the buffalo roam I By TOM HARALDSEN 1 ! I Editor ! ANTELOPE ISLAND It 1 stands tall in the Great Salt Lake, the lake's largest island, consisting of over 28,000 acres. After the I pioneers first settled in the Salt i Lake Valley, it was "colonized" of I sorts by order of Brigham Young. Once a popular tourist attraction, particularly before the lake's rise, it was even the scene for filming of a movie, "Union Pacific," starring Randolph Scott. But today, Antelope Island seems almost forgotten. The ; causeway that once took motorists i from Syracuse to its northern ; shores now sits under three feet of ! water. A concessionaire that ran boats to the island two summers ago had to abandon that plan last season due to water problems on the island. And its only real residents, resi-dents, aside from personnel from the state's Division of Parks and Recreation, are herds of buffalo that havo had their way on its hillsides hill-sides for over 90 years. This year, that will change. As the first phase of a long-range plan for management of the island by the state moves forward, those buffalo buf-falo herds are about to be rounded up, vaccinated, tested, and in some cases, sold. Two legislative sessions ago, the Parks and Recreation division received re-ceived a recommendation to develop de-velop a management program for the buffalo. "We are currently working in cooperation with the Division of Wildlife Resources, Utah State University and public herd managers mana-gers throughout the country on development de-velopment of that program," stated Kay Boulter, chief of recreation recrea-tion services for the division. For the past five months, personnel per-sonnel from both departments have been building a $500,000 complex com-plex near the north shores of the island that will be used on Saturday, Satur-day, Nov. 7 for the first annual Antelope Island buffalo roundup. As in other state and national parks, the buffalo population will be tested for disease, vaccinated, counted, and thinned out. Three limited-number hunts will be conducted con-ducted on the island beginning Nov. 28, with only 15 permits issued between the three hunts. Jay Christianson, northern region manager for the Parks division, said hunters will be encouraged to seek the older, bigger buffalo, assuming the island's population comes out as expected. "The fact is," he said, "we aren't really sure how our population popula-tion will come out. We don't know exact numbers, though we estimate esti-mate there are about 600 buffalo on the island. But we do know our calf population has been small the last few years, so this roundup will help us determine bull-to-cow populations." popula-tions." Because part of the long-range management plan includes bringing bring-ing other buffalo onto the island, Christianson said the testing will also help determine parts of the country where the buffalo on Antelope Ante-lope Island came from, information that can be used for improved breeding. The island was in private ownership own-ership entirely until 19, when the state purchased 2,000 acres for a state park. The balance of the island is-land was acquired in 1981 for recreational re-creational purposes. The farmhouse farm-house used by cattle ranchers up until that time was built in 1850, and is acclaimed as the oldest, continuously con-tinuously inhabited building in the state. At that time, the state also received re-ceived approximately 250 buffalo that were on the island. Buffalo were first introduced to Antelope Island in 1893, and at one time lived with a number of other species of wildlife on the strip. But today, only a few birds and a small number of deer remain as inhabitants with the herds. That will change as well in the future, as state personnel plan on developing a diversity of wildlife, including antelope, elk and possibly poss-ibly big horn sheep to the island. New vegetation will also be introduced intro-duced in the future. But first will come the roundup, which will be open to the public on Nov. 7, as buffalo are herded into three large "drift" areas and slowly slow-ly moved into the corral-testing and holding area. Media representatives represen-tatives were taken to Antelope Island Is-land earlier this month to preview the operation. - "The Division feels we have a ' real good program," Boulter offered. "We've looked at many other parts of the country where buffalo roundups are held annually. We feel it's a program that will be very beneficial to the state in the years ahead." All officials involved in the project, pro-ject, which could last for several days, agree with Boulter that this first year ' 'could be a rodeo until we get these animals domesticated." The roundup will be conducted using us-ing experienced horsemen and perhaps one helicopter, plus a handful of vehicles. For that reason, media personnel were warned against bringing in their own aircraft. "We have areas set aside for the media and public the day of the roundup," stated Alton Frazier, public affairs director for Natural Resources. "We'll have an orientation orienta-tion the night before we begin, then once the animals are in the holding areas, we will allow the media to come down for a closer look." Transportation to and from the island for the public is being handled hand-led by a private concern. More information in-formation about that should be forthcoming soon, officials said. Some of the buffalo, about 200 head, will be sold to private individuals indi-viduals who have already submitted submit-ted bids to the state. Buffalo breeding breed-ing is a big business in many parts of the United States. The limited hunt, which saw 13 permits issued to state residents at $800 apiece, and two out-of-state permits which went for $1600 each, will help thin the population even more. Boulter was quick to admit that during the roundup, a few buffalo could be injured. He pointed out that "in the long run, these efforts of vaccination and treatment are designed to help the population, not hurt it. We are extremely concerned con-cerned with the buffalo and hope to conduct the roundup in a manner that will not endanger their health. We've taken every precaution to do so." Come November 7, the buffalo who roam on Antelope Island may never be quite the same. But the state personnel working with them hope that that only means bigger and brighter things in the future for wildlife as a whole on the deserted island that these herds currently call home. I 1 All PHOTOS BY TOM HARALDSEN I L v"mSc' v ' vt V r tp v -, fJ ftl. ....... i :r"-:&jlfofc O I During next month's roundup, buffalo will be herded into this chute, from where they will be vaccinated, tested and sorted out according to age and sex. w This ranch house on Antelope Island was built about 1 850, and is the oldest continuously inhabited building in the state. m-gi'h ..rjM yM,M$ : , t A:.i: h :vs '-:;A ' .'A: A. :1 ' . . : s . A : A ' i, ;:K. 'A -: I . i tMSM A ' As ; A: E A? AAA! tAi t -sS ' ,1 A A A A A AA: -A -.: j ' A?!4 A;. A i: ;!; ;;; 5 j? '? ?" :; i f :::.'Sssi ':-:::s :ss;s :-';::sss:::s:: v: s-;''-y:::'':::S:ssssS: ss.si s '' y:.. . sv. . s: s :y. :-::.V-':: .:s. : vs s- s--:: :! ?';':;'ss; s;: ss:. . ;s;sss .4 i . j:;;sssi ii;M&'''Z'WMM;u'ii,i: iSz&f ?o! ,. iiii". XMiA:, ,, . J;..; j 4 H: .s!;V- s-isi' !i::!;;s;: ,'4 vs-s Vsr' ' !i v ss::is is. :AiAs::-lJ; tl.' a aa: k .a; a i: ; ; a - . j- f: :;a4 -- V : -si, :.; ?s. . , . ::..;..,. :.., - , .-..., I O : This $500,000 facility near the island's north shore will be used to sort the buffalo herd. Some 200 head will be sold to breeders as the state tries to improve the herd's breeding and living conditions. O Buffalo were introduced to Antelope Island in 1 893. Now, the state hopes to reintroduce other wildlife, including antelope, elk and big-horn sheep. t |
