The Wayne & Garfield County Insider March 14, 2024

Orchard Docent Volunteer Program Moving Forward at CRNP

CAPITOL REEFCapitol Reef National Park is excited to start up its new orchard docent volunteer program and begin planting projects at the end of March. Volunteers will be a helpful and knowledgeable presence in the orchards, helping to answer visitor questions and maintain the health of the orchards.

Orchard docents will check-in at the visitor center upon their arrival to sign-in and receive a radio. Then, they will pick up their volunteer kit and head out to their stationed orchard to set up and announce on the radio that the orchard is open. Throughout the rest of their shift, docents will hand out brochures, encourage questions, offer their knowledge of

Orchard Volunteers

Cont'd on A3

TORREY - The Wayne County Farmers’ Market will be set up in a new location this summer as the Torrey Town Council voted to move the market from its Main and

Escalante Schools to Host LitJam, Career Fair on Mar. 19

by Nancy Goude

ESCALANTEMarch 19 will be a busy day at the Escalante schools as the Moquis host the third annual LitJam and, its first in recent years, Career Fair.

The LitJam is a writing conference for students in 5th-8th grade and will feature over 130 students from throughout Garfield County School District. Each student in attendance has submitted a writing sample that has been read and reviewed by a group of volunteer judges.

Center Street location during a public meeting held on March 6, 2024. Market organizers were hopeful to remain at the Center Street location but are committed to making a new location a

BLM, USDA Forest Service Invite Input on BENM Draft Plan

success. This year’s market location came into question during the February Torrey Town Council meeting when market organizers asked to secure a location

for planning and promotion purposes. Council members disagreed on where the market should be held,

Farmers' Market

Cont'd on B3

Bryce Town Council by

Kadi Franson

Mar. 7, 2024

BRYCE - The meeting began with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance.

The council approved a motion to allocate $8,000.00 for new public safety signage.

William and Christie Kalles requested to purchase three plots at the Bryce Canyon City Cemetery on a payment plan. The plots cost $2,750.00 each, including burial fees. The council approved a motion to allow the Kalles to purchase the cemetery plots with a payment plan.

Tropic Fire Chief Ron Harris provided an update about emergency fire response services throughout the area. Bryce Canyon City and Tropic Town are working to combine their fire departments to pool resources, align policies and procedures, and respond jointly to fire emergencies. He is also

Bryce Council

Cont'd on A3

Escalante Resident Seeks Input for Opening Nonprofit Veterinary Clinic

by Ian Marynowski

Morgan Flynn, pictured here with a former patient named Bagel, hopes to open a non-profit animal clinic in Escalante.

ESCALANTE - Dur-

Author Janet Sumner Johnson is this year’s Keynote Speaker at the third annual LitJam at Escalante High School on Mar. 19.

The LitJam will be held at Escalante High School and the Career Fair will take place at the new Escalante Elementary School. Each event will span the course of the day.

The Career Fair jelled when Business Education and Science teacher and EHS Career Fair Coordinator, Emilee Lott, at-

Courtesy Anchor + Spire Photography tended a career fair out of town and wanted to bring one to Escalante.

“There have been other career fairs before this. I was compelled to organize this career fair to have kids experience the fact that just

LitJam/Career Fair Cont'd on B2

MONTICELLO - The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service are seeking public input on a draft plan to guide management of the Bears Ears National Monument, incorporating considerable input from the Bears Ears Commission, the State of Utah, other cooperating agencies, and the public. The agencies are committed to ensuring that existing uses of cattle grazing, recreation and traditional gathering of firewood and plants continues as part of the monument’s management. The proposed plan inDraft Plan Cont'd on A6

ing the upcoming March 19 Escalante City Council meeting, local resident Morgan Flynn will be presenting to the city her idea for a nonprofit veterinary clinic designed to bring affordable animal care and services to Garfield county.

Still in the early stages of establishing the Escalante Community Animal Clinic, Flynn is currently seeking board members, funding for initial startup costs and opinions on how best to serve the needs of county residents. “Its goal would be to

Courtesy Morgan Flynn

increase access to veterinary care for Garfield county residents and provide that care for affordable fees,” said Flynn. She explained that the clinic will be set up on a Vet Clinic Cont'd on A5

Opinion

Lauren Gustus: You Should Know What the Utah Speaker Said is

Wrong Are state lawmakers reaching enough to comfort the afflicted or reaching too far to comfort the comfortable?

SALT LAKE CITY -

Someone asked me how many reporters The Salt Lake Tribune has up at the state Capitol during Utah’s 45-day legislative session.

I told them that whatever our head count is on any given day, it’s not enough.

On our best days, the entire Utah press corps is far outnumbered by 104 members of the Legislature, members of their staff and innumerable lobbyists and influencers who have way more access to your legislators than you do. Legislators who, ever more frequently, don’t answer reporters’ questions, making the work we do both more difficult and more important. And more in need of your support.

In 2024, lawmakers introduced more than 700 bills. Too many of them are designed to make it

by Lauren Gustus | The Salt Lake Tribune

significantly harder for you to see how they do their work. With just one day left in the session, some experts say the number of anti-transparency bills is unprecedented.

Gov. Spencer Cox has already signed legislation making elected officials and lawmakers’ work calendars a secret. Other bills, if signed, will pay for private companies to scrape lawmakers’ public information from the web and mean you won’t know how much water Utah wants to buy from other states and what it will cost taxpayers. I could go on.

But you get the point.

I hope it is of great concern to you, as it is to me.

In Utah and across the United States, we are consistently reminded that we have to work for democracy. It is not a given.

Letters to the Editor

Send us your letters.

Your thoughts, opinions, and notes to the community are important to us and we welcome your submissions of 500 words or less Letters to the editor must include the author’s name and location (town). We may edit letters for length, format and clarity, and we also reserve the right to refuse material. Opinions expressed in letters to the editor are not necessarily those of The Insider Send letters to snapshot@live.com. Note: The Insider will accept one letter per month per person, plus one additional letter if there is a response from another reader to which you would like to respond.

100% Opacity in Transparency

100% Opacity in Transparency carcass. Folks! There is no such thing as good cancer. We (voters, Utahns) are responsible for this garbage (Mullah regime). ------ Utah just passed a non-disclosure law that a government janitor can travel to Las Vegas with taxpayer money and he/ she doesn't have to let you know. ----- We need basic law ----- Full transparency for public money. ------- GRAMA should cover the report as a public record with a redacted portion if it has personal business. ---------- If AG went to China, the public has the right to know (in Utah) where AG is. The Secretary has to know where AG is. If the report for 10 days has 15% personal and 85% public business, the record should be public with 15% redaction. ------- What the Utah legislature did was "Threw a baby with bath water". ------------ Wake up Utahns. --------- How did it pass unanimously in committee with democrats voting yes and then crying outside.

Harshad P. Desai, Panguitch

Just as secrecy is increasing, so is hostility toward journalists—one group lawmakers cannot control or influence.

Earlier this month, I wrote a letter to House Speaker Mike Schultz after he mischaracterized Tribune reporting and criticized our reporters during a news conference. The inaccuracies were amplified on social media by House Majority Whip Karianne Lisonbee and others.

He did not respond to my note.

But BYU professor Joel Campbell, an expert in media ethics, did weigh in. He wrote about why government needs the Fourth Estate.

Even as it’s increasingly difficult for us to report on how Utah lawmakers are serving the people who elected them, I would put this year’s coverage up against any in recent memory when it comes to helping you understand changes big and small. Sometimes, flaws in the bills that were highlighted by our reporting moved lawmakers to amend their legislation.

For example, reporter Emily Anderson Stern wrote about how the bathroom bill initially put millions in federal funding for domestic violence and rape crisis centers in Utah at risk. It was rewritten after we published our story, so funding would be preserved.

Reporter Bryan Schott wrote how a GOP lawmaker said Utah’s businesses are forcing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices on workers—but could provide zero examples. The bill failed.

Reporter Courtney Tanner wrote about how hundreds of college tuition waivers for Indigenous students in Utah were in danger of disappearing with

the passage of the anti-DEI bill. Lawmakers told Courtney they hadn’t considered this impact and changed the language to protect the scholarships.

What we do is possible only with your support.

You may think that Utah lawmakers are doing too much or too little, not reaching enough to comfort the afflicted or reaching too far to comfort the comfortable. Either way, it is crucial that you, the public, be fully and accurately informed as to what is happening in the halls of power. We’ll continue to share information you need during the legislative session and beyond. I hope you’ll join us in doing the daily work it takes to strengthen your community. Onward. This article was originally published in The Salt Lake Tribune on February 29, 2024.

Lauren Gustus is the executive editor for The Salt Lake Tribune. This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.

Utah Prairie Dog Day Returns to Bryce Canyon National Park on May 9

The celebration will include an art contest open to K-12 students in the local area

BRYCE - Utah Prairie Dog Day returns to Bryce Canyon National Park on Thursday, May 9. This annual celebration of one of the park’s most unique animals features ranger-led prairie dog viewing, family-friendly activity booths, and a special keynote presentation. For a detailed schedule of events, please visit go.nps.gov/UtahPrairieDogDay.

To help promote the event, the park is holding

store. The grand prize winner will also be featured on the 2024 Utah Prairie Dog Day poster. Entries must show the Utah Prairie Dog in its natural environment, measure 11 inches by 17 inches or smaller, and can be created using any artistic medium. Artists should include their name and grade level on the back of the artwork. Entries can be mailed to Bryce Canyon National Park at P.O. Box 640201, Bryce, Utah and should be

instructions at the park’s Academic Fee Waiver page at go.nps.gov/BryceFeeWaivers.

A year-round inhabitant of Bryce Canyon’s high plateau meadows, the Utah Prairie Dog is a critical part of the park’s ecosystem. Utah Prairie Dogs are considered a "keystone species" as they serve a variety of important functions in maintaining southern Utah's meadows including aerating soil and promoting plant growth. Over 200

a Utah Prairie Dog art contest open to all students —kindergarten through 12th grade—in Garfield, Wayne, and Kane counties. Art contest submissions will be judged by park staff, and the winner in each grade will receive a $50 gift certificate to the Bryce Canyon Association Visitor Center book-

postmarked by April 5. Entries can also be scanned and emailed to the park at brca_information@nps. gov. All submissions will be displayed for the public on Utah Prairie Dog Day. Teachers interested in attending Utah Prairie Dog Day with their classes can apply for free entrance to the park by following the

other species have been associated with prairie dog colonies, including wildlife that depend upon prairie dog activity for both food and habitat. More information on the Utah Prairie Dog can be found online at go.nps.gov/UtahPrairieDog.

—Bryce Canyon National Park

Orchard Volunteers: Capitol Reef National Park is excited to start up its new orchard docent volunteer program and begin planting projects at the end of March. Volunteers will be a helpful and knowledgeable presence in the orchards, helping to answer visitor questions and maintain the health of the orchards.

Orchard Volunteers

Cont'd from A1

the orchards, and educate visitors on what ripe fruit looks like. When the volunteer’s shift has ended, they will announce on the radio that the orchard is closed and pack up for the day. If you only have a

morning, but still want to help, this year’s fruit tree planting day will be March 26 in the Guy Smith Orchard at 9 a.m. Come help plant trees and protect the historic integrity of the orchards. Volunteers can come for however long they are able to dedicate time. They should come prepared in work clothes,

bring gloves, snacks, and water. Additionally, they will have to sign a volunteer form upon arrival. For more information on how to get involved, please email katherine_ johnston@partner.nps.gov.

—Capitol Reef National Park

SkyWatcher Leo T

Aurora Australis and the "Dreamtime" of the Aboriginal Australians

by Leonard Thomas

NASA NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli's picture—courtesy of NASA—of an Aurora Australis from the International Space Station on Feb. 15.

In a special treat this time of year, grab a mug of something hot, and about an hour before dawn as March starts, look southsouthwest, and you'll discover some fun jewels as the moon—growing a bit every morning—tours Sagittarius with all of its glowing clusters and Nebulae.

It then crosses Scorpio— right by big orange red Antares—in a bit of an early, summer preview.

Remember Osirus Rex? Osirus Rex asteroid probe was slumbering as it approached the sun and is awake now after surviving close passes by the sun.

The probe that went way out in space and came back to drop off a sample of an asteroid in the Northern Utah desert and then fired off for another asteroid destination has just finished making relatively close flybys of the sun in order to borrow a gallon or two of gravity assist to boost it out to its destination asteroid, Adophos. Stay tuned.

And in low Earth orbit keeping an eye on our home planet from the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli posted a picture courtesy of NASA of an Aurora Australis from the International Space Station on Feb. 15.

She captured stunning pictures of green and red auroras stretching from the southern regions of the Earth and the Aurora Austrailis, as well as one that was taken over Utah.

It's one sky, many cultures on SkyWatcher Leo T,

and since the astronauts are showing us amazing photos of the southern Aurora Australis, let's visit Aboriginal Australians, who give the name “Dreamtime” to the era when ancestral figures created their present world. They call their tales “dreaming stories” and believe that these stories give meaning to special places and creatures that are still among us, such as the emu in the sky, which is among the most cherished. The Australian celestial emu stretches over a quarter of the southern sky, from the head of the creature, in a spot called the Coalsack, through the Southern Cross, and then across the dense dark region of the Milky Way towards Scorpius, which outlines the body, and Sagittarius, where a bright star cloud represents the eggs it sits on. The seasonal movement of the emu in the sky animates the "Dreamtime"

myth. Being close to the south celestial pole, the emu’s head is visible from Australia every night, but the entirety of the giant bird doesn’t appear until April and May. That’s when people say, it runs across the night sky, in concert with the mating season among emus, when the females frantically chase the males.

The sky is all of our heritage; its something we all have in common, as we look up, look around, and get a little bit lost in space...and found.

Leonard Thomas has a Bachelor of Science degree in Comprehensive Broadcasting and worked as a park ranger as a star guide at Capitol Reef National Park. He is a resident of Torrey, Utah, and is the creator of the podcast SkyWatcher Leo T, which is available to listen to on Spotify.

Bryce Council: Approval of a motion to allocate funds for new public safety signage, a request to purchase bural plots in the Bryce Canyon City Cemetery, and an update about emergency fire response services discussed.

Bryce Council

Cont'd from A1

collaborating with Bryce Canyon National Park and Garfield County around sharing facilities for equipment storage.

Sydney Syrett Lamas

updated the council that she is attending a clerk conference the first week in April.

Bryce Canyon City Town Council meetings take place the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month.

Utah Prairie Dog Day returns to Bryce Canyon National Park on Thursday, May 9. To help promote the event, the park is holding a Utah Prairie Dog art contest open to all students—kindergarten through 12th grade—in Garfield, Wayne, and Kane counties.

Courtesy Bryce Canyon National Park

Courtesy

Wills, Trusts, and More St. Patrick’s Day and Estate Planning

As a descendent of the “McKenna Clan” from the Emerald Island, I look forward to writing about St. Patrick’s Day and Estate Planning.

So, you are asking, “What does March 17th and the accompanying holiday have to do with Wills and Trusts or Probate and Estate Administration?” I will share three points that I hope you will find interesting.

FIRST - Death

Both estate planning and St. Patrick’s Day have a principle element related to death. Saint Patrick died March 17, 461. His life should be remembered not for returning to Ireland to drive out snakes but as the first Christian Priest.

Since March 17, 461 A.D., millions of people around the world, have honored St. Patrick by celebrating his date of death on St. Patrick’s Day with Irish festivities.

Estate planning is to plan for one’s own death. As Saint Patrick died and is remembered, we will all die. The question is: How will we be remembered?

Estate planning allows us the opportunity to not leave our affairs in disarray for those we love.

SECOND - Pinching Growing up in Las

by Jeffery J. McKenna

Vegas, I never wanted to forget to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day. If I dressed on March 17th and forgot to wear green, my mom would gently pinch me. Her pinch was much kinder than the pinches delivered in my third grade classroom.

So, “pinch” a loved one or pinch yourself about getting your estate planning done or updated. It is much better than a painful experience if it does not get done.

THIRD – Celebration

I am personally pretty boring when it comes to a party, but the Irish like to celebrate. Green whiskey and green beer are common, and since 1962, the City of Chicago turns the Chicago River green with 400,000 spectators watching. The signing of your estate planning documents will not “turn rivers green,” but should create a personal or family celebration.

Having served clients as an estate planning attorney for 25 years, I have heard hundreds of clients “celebrate” the signing of their documents and often state, “Wow! This feels great and was a lot easier than I thought.”

So, with a four-leaf clover in your “up to date estate planning binder” and a little “leprechaun luck”

Comics

NOW WITH RICHFIELD AND PANGUITCH OFFICES TO SERVE CLIENTS IN AROUND THE SURROUNDING COUNTIES.

Jeffery J. McKenna is a local attorney whose practice has been focused on Estate Planning for over 25 years. He is licensed and serves clients in Utah, Arizona and Nevada. He is a shareholder at the law firm of Barney, McKenna and Olmstead. If you have questions you would like addressed in these articles, please feel free to contact him at 435 628-1711 or jmckenna@barney-mckenna. com or visit the firm’s website at WWW.BARNEY-MCKENNA.COM, he would enjoy hearing from you. Additionally, you can RSVP to attend one of his FREE Estate Planning Seminars in Richfield, at 159 North Main Street, every Third Thursday.

to ensure that it will not be needed for a good many years, I conclude my article on St. Patrick’s Day and estate planning with a hearty Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

country roads

by Lynn Griffin

Parachutes

There was a plane and it had 5 people in it: a president, a lawyer, a young teenage boy, a priest and a blonde girl.

The plane driver said that the plane was going to crash so one of them has to jump off without a parachute because there was only 4 so they were talking to each other about who was going to jump off without a parachute.

The president spoke first and he said " I run a part of this earth so I should get a parachute" so he jumped off with one.

Then the blonde girl spoke and she said " I look beautiful so I should get one too" so she jumped off with one.

The next person to speak was the lawyer and he said " I help people solve their problems so I should get one" so he jumped off with one.

Now there was only two people left: a priest and the teenage boy. The priest said to the boy "Here you take the last parachute and go because you will live a longer life then me" but then the boy said "No, it's all right because there is still 2 parachutes left. The blonde girl only took my backpack."

Eye Pain

Patient: "I get a terrible pain in my eye when I drink a cup of coffee." Doctor: "Try taking the spoon out."

Fire Arms

A man is filling up his car tank with gasoline and accidentally gets some on his hand. He doesn't notice it, so when he gets into his car he lights a cigarette. His arm instantly catches on fire. The man sticks his arm out the window and begins to wave it around attempting to blow out the flames crawling up his sleeve. A policeman sees the man struggling with his arm on fire and arrests him on the spot for an unlicensed firearm.

Obituaries

Kathy R. Woolsey

1948 - 2024

BICKNELL - Katherine May Rees Woolsey, age 75, passed away peacefully at her home in Bicknell on March 5, 2024.

Kathy was born July 25, 1948, in Salina, Utah, a daughter of Antone Bastian “Bash” and Faun Bagley Rees. She grew up in Loa and graduated from Wayne High School, Class of 1966.

Kathy married Jerry Rulon Woolsey October 29, 1964, in Loa. They had two boys, Scott J. Woolsey and Wade R. Woolsey.

Kathy is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held many callings. She worked many jobs during her lifetime: a waitress at Sunglow Restaurant, Secretary at Bicknell Town, Secretary at Southern Utah Mental Health Clinic, school bus and school lunch director of Wayne School District, partner with Lifetime Friends at Late Bloomers in Lyman, but her biggest job in life was raising her two boys, and tending her husband, Jerry.

Kathy loved to quilt, read, tend her yard and spend time with her family. She was always taking pictures at every event and family gathering. Kathy was an amazing woman. She was always helping those around her with anything they could need. After nearly 11 years, she has been reunited with her husband, Jerry.

Kathy is survived by her children: Scott J. and Heidi Woolsey, Wade R. and Valerie Woolsey, all of Bicknell; her grandchildren: Whitney Kae, Waylon J. and Sierra Summer Woolsey; her brother, Ronald A. Rees of Loa; and an “adopted” daughter, Amy Hatch Gleave of St. George.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Bash and Faun Rees, and her husband, Jerry.

Funeral services were held Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 1:00 P.M. in the Thurber LDS Ward Chapel, 190 North 200 East in Bicknell, where friends called for viewing Tuesday morning from 10:00 to 12:30 prior to the services.

Live streaming of the services could be found at: www.springerturner.com under Kathy’s obituary about 15 minutes prior to starting time.

Burial was in the Bicknell Cemetery under the care of the Springer Turner Funeral Home of Richfield and Salina, Utah.

Online guest book at: www.springerturner.com

by Mack Oetting ~ mackoetting @gmail.com

On Saturday, March 9, Panguitch High School (PHS) held a 100 State Championships Sports Carnival, and 106 Panguitch state championship trophies were on display in the PHS gym. The PHS Bobcats received their first state championship title in 1924.

Well, spring has sprung and so has daylight saving time, and I love writing this letter in the daylight. I do believe that we had another warm month, with little snow. But Brian Head ski resort, with new owners and plenty of snow, for the first time is going to be open till May 5th. Usually, they close the week after Easter, so for the skiers, this is adding a whole month of time.

Last Saturday night (March 9) at the high school, there was a 100 years’ of sports award program. There was plenty of food, and at six o’clock, there was the parade of champions; there were sixty of the champions— players, coaches, and those of the past—that marched around. They stopped for pictures, and the announcer called out for all of

those that had X number of championship titles. Finally, when she got to eight, there was only one person left. It was Tabetha Henrie, and she actually has ten so far. There was plenty of memorabilia from days gone by and from the Cats' first state championship in 1924. In those days, there was only one state championship. One of the pieces of memorabilia was a copy of Sports Illustrated from 1957. Most of all, there were 106 state championship trophies. We do have over 120 banners in the gym, but some of them weren’t in the field of sports. This program was so great. I think that they need to repeat it on the 24th, when so many people return to Panguitch for the holiday.

The Academic AllState teams have been announced, and in basketball,

we have Cameron Parkin and Cache Eyre. In wrestling, we have Jaren Henrie and Tanner Marshall. In cheer, we have Jocelyn Certonio.

At Saturday’s Monroe City Lion's Club 1A and 2A All-Star Basketball game, the boys were coached by Clint Barney, and the Cats had two players from Panguitch—Cache Eyre and J.J. Osburn. The 1A Team won the tournament. They beat the 2A team, and then played the 3A team and won the championship. The 1A girls' team lost, but they didn’t have any Cats' players on the team. You have to be a senior to play in these games. I stand corrected on how many championships that Coach Barney has, and it is five and counting.

You have a month and a half to get your taxes done. VITA will be here on

March 18th and will do your taxes for free. They will be at the Panguitch Senior Citizens' Center on that day, and you can sign up at Meals on Wheels before then. Our friend Rosa, who owns Escobar’s Mexican restaurant in Kanab, has been honored with the 2024 Womanhood Award from the Women's Forum in Kanab. Rosa is always friendly, pleasant and knows what you want, even when it comes down to my Dr. Pepper.

Easter is just around the corner, and the hunt is in the planning stages, so bring your kids, camera and a bag for all of the goodies. It will be earlier this year. It will be on March 30 at 10 a.m. at the fairgrounds, weather permitting. The bunnies will be there on the big red fire engine.

I was one of the 33 million viewers that watched the president's State of the Union address. Like most of them, I felt he hit a home run speaking about all of the things that have come about in the three years that he has been in office. There has been another great report on how many new jobs have been added in the U.S. in the month of February—275,000 new jobs—and the unemployment stayed below 4% for the 25th month in a row. I think that this shows that this country’s economy is the greatest in the world. See failure as a test, a teacher, a detour to a better outcome and an event that builds a better you.

Mack O.

Vet Clinic: I haven’t always been able to afford emergency services for my dog, or had the ability to travel long distances for it. After talking with people who live here, I have heard that same story or experience from so many others. It is really scary to know that your pet is sick, and maybe you don’t have a reliable car or you don’t have the finances to make the trip; a lot of people have barriers to traveling far for care.

Vet Clinic Cont'd from A1

—Morgan Flynn

sliding scale to help make the services affordable for everyone. Extra income would be further used to help supplement more expensive emergency care. The clinic would initially be staffed by contract veterinarians and ideally a full-time veterinary tech-

nician. “There are a few interested already who we would schedule to come here on a rotating basis,” said Flynn, who also hopes to eventually have funding to put locals through a veterinary technology program to supplement the clinic further.

“Escalante is a good center point in Garfield County, especially for the small towns between here and Panguitch,” said Flynn. She has already started talking with interested community members to find a location that would provide adequate space for services, as well as accommodations for staff. “Eventually, we would also like to also have a mobile unit that we can get to more of the surrounding area to support people who don’t have as good of access to transportation to come to Escalante, let alone Cedar City, Lyman, St. George or

Richfield.”

Flynn has been a Veterinary Technician for over a decade and worked in a variety of clinics and nonprofits. Most recently, she has worked for a mobile clinic which services parts of the Navajo Nation.

“That experience has been a big inspiration for me to start a similar program here because we have been able to provide low-cost care across much of the northern Arizona portion of the Nation and have done pop-up spay and neuter clinics where we can do more than 100 surgeries in a day. We should be able to offer those services here.” She moved to Escalante full-time in the fall of 2023 and quickly saw the need for animal care services after seeing that the nearest clinic was more than an hour and half drive.

“I haven’t always been able to afford emer-

gency services for my dog, or had the ability to travel long distances for it. After talking with people who live here, I have heard that same story or experience from so many others,” Flynn said. “It is really scary to know that your pet is sick, and maybe you don’t have a reliable car or you don’t have the finances to make the trip; a lot of people have barriers to traveling far for care.” She also spoke to the importance of having easy access to vaccinations in more remote counties to help lower the rates of serious illness like parvo, rabies and distemper.

The clinic would initially focus on providing vaccines, routine surgeries—such as spay/neuters and mass removals—and wellness visits to address common illnesses, wounds or infections. Services will be focused on dogs and cats, however, Flynn hopes to eventually raise funding to bring a large animal vet to the area regularly.

If you are interested in learning more about the clinic or applying to sit on the Board of Directors, Flynn can be reached at info@escalantecommunityanimalclinic.org.

Shawn Caine

News from Wayne County Sheep and George Coombs

WAYNE CO. - The sheep shearers rolled in and out of Wayne County so fast that they hardly had time to say hello. Sheep shearing is and can be a memorable event, if you like sheep. It is a wellknown fact that cowboys like a good rodeo, but rarely is it that you find a cowboy that knows how to rodeo sheep.

Sheep shearers don’t care much for the limelight; their job is to get in and get the job done.

If you get in their way, you might find your head sheared down to nothing. Say "sheep" in Wayne County, and all the greats come to mind—Clarence Baker, Gene Bullard, Guy Coombs, and many, many others. In recent times, one of the most colorful among them was the late George Coombs of Teasdale. George once sat in a recliner at his place in Teasdale, and without skipping a beat, he told the whole of sheep history and how he remembered it.

In 1847, the first domestic sheep arrived in Utah with the Mormon Pioneers. Sheep numbers increased until, in the early 1900s, there were more sheep in Sanpete County alone than exist in the entire state today. Those numbers peaked at around 2.4 million head at just about the time of the Great Depression, during which time, many of Utah’s sheep ranchers took their sheep and skills and migrated to the surrounding mountain states. Utah has always been the place for sheep producers from all over America to come to select the finest purebred seed stock, and today, the Utah Ram Sale is still the place to find the best rams anywhere in the United States. By 1994, Utah had only 445,000 sheep and lambs and a wool clip of only 3.8 million pounds. Sheep remain an important element in Utah's agricultural economy, but the glory days of the 1920s are gone forever. (Utah Wool Growers Association)

The glory days of sheep herding for George Coombs was when he was a kid in the fifties. During a recent balmy spring afternoon conversation at George Coomb’s Cactus Hill Ranch, George recalled, from memory, the days when he was six or seven and some of the old sheepherders—like Clarence Baker and Gene Bullard—were still alive. Another favorite memory that George Coombs shared was a day in his childhood when he was sitting on an old wood rail fence at the Cactus Hill Ranch, and he first saw what was surely his dad driving a herd of sheep. In the distance, a swirling cloud of dust began to prominently rise on the eastern skyline, all from the hooves of a large herd of Coombs' sheep. It was something like a slow moving dirt devil, coming toward Teasdale around Donkey Hill.

As George classically, and somewhat glassyeyed, remembered and expressed it, he jumped off the rail fence and began to race as fast as he could through the newly planted field, and just as suddenly, “here come Gene Bullard, and he took hold of my arm and swung me up behind his saddle,

by Adus F. Dorsey II

and still to this very day, I can still smell that old man, the campfire smoke and the sweat, in one swift move with an outstretched arm, he lifted me off me ground up and onto his old gray mare, and I held on for all it was worth and together we rode the rest of the way to my dad’s sheep herd.”

In a grateful voice, George says he was very fortunate to grow up with those old sheepherders.

"They did it the old way... and those old timers taught me a lot about herding sheep. I started to go to the sheep herd when I was in seventh grade, and I spent seventy two days between the seventh and eighth grade in Jacobs Valley with Alfred Ekker, Culla Ekker’s son, much of the time poaching deer and catching more than our limit of fish in the crystal clear mountain lakes on Boulder Mountain," said Coombs.

George stated that the most sheep he and his dad had was about 3,000 in the late sixties and early seventies. He also said, when he was younger and when he was in grade school, they would shear sheep down at the Cat Ranch and or set up a portable sheep shearing outfit down at Little Egypt and shear two or three herds there, "but there were a lot of sheep on the desert in them days, but not anymore as they pulled out their sheep operation on the west end of Henry’s in about 1986."

In the early 1960s, George remembers loading up in an old pick up with his dad (Guy Coombs) and heading out to the desert. The road was still dirt from at the junction of Highway 12 and 24. They would start out early in the morning with a few cans of gas and two spare tires and supplies for the sheepherders and head out of town. "It would take me and my dad all day long to get to Star Springs, a long hard day, and it was dark when I would get there," said Coombs.

Tugging at the sun bleached handkerchief tied around his neck, George’s mind drifted, and he said back in those days, there was about ten herds of sheep on the desert. Old Hugh King had a herd, Reed Brian and Sam Allen partnered up with Guy on a herd, and a few fellas from Grand Junction Colorado would winter down there. George said that his dad was a businessman, and he probably knew more about sheep than anybody in southern Utah; he had herded sheep on seventeen different allotments. George said “there was a time his dad bought a herd of sheep down on

Draft Plan: The publication of the Draft Resource Management Plan and associated Environmental Impact Statement begins the next step in the Bears Ears National Monument planning process. I greatly appreciate the extensive knowledge provided by the Commission and the State, and welcome substantive public input as the vital next step in considering the alternatives in the draft.

—Greg Sheehan, BLM Utah State Director

Draft Plan

Cont'd from A1

cludes five alternatives for public comment. The Bears Ears Commission—comprising the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, and the Pueblo of Zuni—provided input during the development of the draft plan consistent with the vision of President Biden’s restoration of the national monument and the central role Tribal Nations have had in stewarding these ancestral homelands.

Bureau of Land Management - Utah

the Arizona strip, and, with a couple Judas goats and Kay Allen’s dad, they drove them up the Paria between Kanab and Page, Arizona, through Cannonville and Tropic out Widstoe way and onto the West end of Boulder and Parker Mountain, a monumental feat that hasn't or will ever be repeated."

George said that most of his younger days were spent up on Boulder Mountain with the sheep herd from the time he got out of college, herding sheep from Donkey point to Government Point, which was the Coombs allotment, as well as areas on Parker and Monroe. A lot of his time he spent sitting out on the rim of Boulder Mountain, gazing down and reminiscing about his memories of Gene Bullard, Hugh King, Sam Allen and his rural way of life in the expansive fields, and, as George calls it, “East Teasdale."

When final, the comprehensive management plan will replace the existing 2020 Record of Decision and Approved Monument Management Plans for Bears Ears National Monument and portions of the 1986 Manti-La Sal National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan, as amended, and portions of the BLM Monticello and Moab Resource Management Plans that together guide the management of the approximately 1.36 million acres of federal lands within the Bears Ears National Monument.

“The publication of the Draft Resource Management Plan and associated Environmental Impact Statement begins the next step in the Bears Ears National Monument planning process,” said BLM Utah State Director Greg Sheehan. “I greatly appreciate the extensive knowledge

The Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service are seeking public input on a draft plan to guide management of the Bears Ears National Monument, incorporating considerable input from the Bears Ears Commission, the State of Utah, other cooperating agencies, and the public.

provided by the Commission and the State, and welcome substantive public input as the vital next step in considering the alternatives in the draft.”

“While the draft management plan offers five different alternatives, public feedback will help us to refine the final plan,” said Acting Manti-LaSal Forest Supervisor Barbara Van Alstine. “It’s through these public comments we are able to find the best course forward.”

The BLM and USDA Forest Service intend to hold seven open-house style public meetings with opportunities to speak with resource specialists, including two virtual meetings. Logistics of those meetings

will be on the BLM National NEPA Register at least 15 days in advance. This initiates a 90day public comment period on the Draft Resource Management Plan, Environmental Impact Statement, related proposed recreational shooting closures, and proposed Areas of Critical Environmental Concern.

Interested parties may submit comments through the “Participate Now” function on the BLM National NEPA Register or mail input to ATTN: Monument Planning, BLM Monticello Field Office, 365 North Main, Monticello, UT 84535. —Bureau of Land Management

Adus Dorsey

George Coombs.

Bobcats Boys and Girls Win at 1A State Basketball Championship on 100-year Anniversary of 1st State Title

by Jaynie Connor

RICHFIELD - Panguitch High School basketball had an impressive weekend at the 1A State Basketball Championship at Sevier Valley Center in Richfield on March 2, with both the girls' and boys' basketball teams bringing home state championship titles.

This is Panguitch girls' basketball’s fourteenth state title, and their first since 2019. The boys' team was able to repeat history and bring home their second state title in a row, bringing the total Panguitch boys' basketball state titles to ten.

The girls' team took to the court first, with Panguitch local Becky Henrie singing the national anthem. Sophomore Makena Owens hit the ground running and finished the game with an impressive twenty-two points for the Bobcats—Owens was the leading scorer of the game. Cousins Tabetha Henrie and Mallory Henrie worked well together and helped add to the Panguitch score, with Tabetha getting twelve points and Mallory scoring seven. Bobcats Head Coach Nadine Owens stated, “Our team motto this season was “Team Above All,” and the girls really committed and did a great job thinking outside of themselves and focusing on the team.”

Clearly the girls took the motto to heart and applied it. The Lady Bobcats took the title with a 56-37 win over the Tabiona Tigers. The All-Tournament Team is as follows: Mallory Henrie, MVP (Panguitch); Tabetha Henrie (Panguitch); Makena Owens (Panguitch); Maycee Rhoades (Tabiona); and Sicily Fabrizio (Tabiona). This is senior Tabetha Henrie's third state title for the school year, having already secured a title in 1A Cross Country, team and individual, and 1A Girls Volleyball.

Coach Nadine Owens has been the head girls' basketball coach in Panguitch for five years, and has been a coach for the program for seven years. Her daughter is number five, Makena Owens.

Owens says that the

team has given it their all this season. “I honestly feel like all of the girls stepped up this season and state tournament. Tabetha Henrie, Mallory Henrie and Makena Owens have all reached a new career high scoring this season. The bench was in it and cheering loud, especially when we were down or turning the ball over—they would help pick up the momentum in the games,” she said.

For next season, Owens says that “...besides [being] state champs, we should work on improving on the little things, doing the little things that make a big difference. I focus a lot on fundamentals and being able to improve the skills of my athletes, which in turn helps build their confidence. I coach them to be intrinsically motivated, and to find joy in the process and not just results.”

When it was time for the boys to hit the court, the Panguitch crowd was already thrilled from the girl’s win—they went into the game with tremendous

energy. The number three ranked Bobcats took on the number one team, the Rich High School Rebels. The Bobcats played with an almost suffocating defense and walked away with a 55-48 win. Senior Cache Eyre secured a total of eighteen points for the Bobcats, leading all scorers. Cache was also named McDonald’s and the UHSAA’s Athlete of the Week for Feb. 26 - March 3. Cache’s older brother Jace Eyre also helped secure back-to-back titles for the Bobcats back in 2017 and 2018. Senior Justin Osburn was able to score twelve points for the Bobcats. The All-Tournament Team was as follows: Cache Eyre, MVP (Panguitch); Daxton Miller (Panguitch); Justin Osborn (Panguitch); Jaden Desch (Rich); and Ridge Lundgren (Rich). The Bobcats boys basketball coach is Clint Barney, and he has coached basketball for Panguitch High School for twenty-two years. This is also the Panguitch boys basketball team’s eighth

straight year in the finals.

Panguitch High School won its first ever state title in 1924 for boys basketball, so it seems only fitting that they were able to bring home the state championship on the 100 year anniversary of their first win.

Panguitch High School Principal Russell Torgersen said, “We are proud of our student athletes who worked hard all season to get to the championship games. Both teams took their knocks along the way and, ultimately, were able to learn from their experiences and get better each day. With coaches pushing them harder and expecting the best from them, they have reached a level that maybe they wouldn't have if there hadn't been a whole team working together. Hopefully, the skills and experiences that these kids have gained can be transferred directly into their personal lives for more than just the game of basketball.”

WCSD Celebrates Educators for Excellent Rating on ECERS-3 Scale

tional

Hiskey

excellent

LOA - Wayne School District celebrates Megan Hiskey, head preschool teacher, and Kallie Brian, instructional assistant, of Loa Elementary School's preschool program for achieving an excellent rating on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-3).

Loa Elementary School's preschool program is considered to be

one of the most outstanding programs of its kind in the state of Utah (They received the highest score this year.) The Department of Workforce Services, Office of Childcare and the Utah State Office of Education monitor and support this program.

Our students are learning, connecting, interacting and gaining skills daily. Hiskey has been asked to

Local HS Students Visit Snow Campus for CTE Days

EPHRAIM - High school students from across Snow College’s six-county service region recently participated in a series of Career and Technical Education Days. Designed to connect students with technical training options that lead to in-demand careers, students spent the day in hands-on learning workshops led by Snow College instructors.

In the months leading up to the workshops, Snow personnel met with high school counselors, teachers, and CTE directors to coordinate each detail. Becky Callister, Snow College Career and Technical Education Director, said, “As we planned each workshop, our focus was on quality rather than quantity. While we knew we could fill a bus with students, we limited the number of attendees to make sure each student could get the most of the event.” Students were invited based on their areas of interest and the CTE courses they’ve taken during high school. Five different workshops were held, focusing on the following areas:

• Manufacturing Day: Composites, Welding, HVAC, Machining, Industrial Mechanics and

Student Recruitment

• Health Professions Day: Nursing Assistant, Medical Assisting, EMT and Nursing.

• Business Day: Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Business Grit, Finance and Sales

Construction and Design Day: Architectural Drafting, CAD/3D Modeling, CNC Fabrication, Finish Carpentry and Recruitment.

Transportation Day: Automotive, Diesel

Each of the five events saw breakout sessions, rotations to expose students to different programs within the department, hands-on activities, lunch, and drawings. Students, teachers, and counselors alike were pleased with the day and left feeling like they learned more about each given field and opportunities available to them. Based on the feedback received, the college plans to make these workshops an annual event.

For more information about technical education at Snow College, please contact Becky Callister at becky.callister@snow.edu or visit snow.edu/teched.

—Snow College

Tri-County Library in Bicknell Now Has Telescope Available to Check Out

Mary Bedingfieldsmith

Tri-County Library technician Amber Fullerton. The Tri-County Library in Bicknell now has a telescope available to check out to anyone at least 18 years and older.

BICKNELL - Have you been thinking about getting a telescope? There are lots of reason why you might be considering this. Stars are beautiful. There are a lot of them—billions, in fact—and they are all different. You could keep your mind busy for years and years gazing at them through a telescope. You can learn about astronomy, space travel, and other sciences. A telescope could allow you to explore the universe in ways you may never have imagined.

present at a state meeting to share her successes and structure with other preschools. Comments from the visiting evaluator included, "This really is one of the most intentional, positive, and interactive preschool classrooms I have visited."

Great work, preschool team.

—Loa Elementary

There are so many celestial objects you can see more clearly through a telescope. The Moon, for example, is easy to find, and it’s almost always there. Jupiter and Saturn are brilliant orbs in our amazingly dark skies. You’ll be astonished the first time you see the rings of Saturn.

What about constellations? Most of us know how to find Orion, but did you know one of the stars in Orion’s belt is actually a double star? And you can see that through a telescope.

Indeed, a telescope is a fun way to learn about and appreciate the solar system. But, before you make a purchase, maybe you would like to try one. If that’s the case, it might surprise you to know that the Tri-County Library in Bicknell has a telescope available for check out. It was donated to the library by the Entrada Institute, and it’s waiting to go home with anyone who is at least 18 years of age and who is looking for a fun activity.

Items included with the telescope are a user’s manual, a night sky map, a redlight headlamp, and an Audubon pocket guide to the sky.

The library is located at 70 North and 100 West in Bicknell. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 1:00 - 5:30 and on Friday from 8:00 to noon. Talk with library technician Amber Fullerton. She is looking forward to getting you set up for an adventure in star gazing.

—Torrey Dark Skies

Autumn Excell

Above: Panguitch High School basketball had an impressive weekend at the 1A State Basketball Championship at Sevier Valley Center in Richfield on March 2, with both the girls' and boys' basketball teams bringing home state championship titles.

Right: Pictured are the Panguitch boys' basketball team coaches (from left to right) Shaine Anderson, Bookkeeper; Greg (Hammer) Excell, first assistant; Clint Barney, head coach; and Glen Partridge, second assistant.

Courtesy Tacey Wood Megan

(left), head preschool teacher, and Kallie Brian (right), instruc-

assistant, of Loa Elementary School's preschool program achieved an

rating on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-3).

Autumn Excell

Schools and Sports

Escalante Tracksters Readying for Season

by Nancy Goude

ESCALANTE - Six athletes who qualified for the Class 1A State Championships last spring are returning to the Escalante track and field team in 2024.

Adrian Dalton, Rayce Jenkins and Peter Baksis are returning on the boys’ side, while Sonata Griffin, Lexi Osburn and Taylie Carlisle return for the girls.

Dalton, Jenkins and Baksis were part of the 4x100 and Spring Medley teams that qualified at state. Jenkins also qualified in the high jump and brought home seventh place with a jump of 5-feet-8-inches. Baksis finished tenth overall in the 800 meter race.

In the girls’ efforts at the championships last season, Griffin, Osburn and Carlisle were all members of the 4x100 and Sprint Medley teams that made it to state, while Griffin also made it to the finals in the long jump.

On the boys’ side of the state championships, Escalante tied with Mount Vernon Academy for 13th place, while the girls finished the season in 14th place.

Panguitch brought

home the championship trophy in both the boys and girls meets and are on pace to repeat with dominant teams. There has been controversy in nearly every sport this season about the appropriateness of Panguitch in the Class 1A division, with discussion of moving the school once again to Class 2A after this school year concludes. Panguitch has been classified in both 1A and 2A throughout the years.

The teams began practicing the first week of March, and the athletes and coaches are still determining which events the athletes will focus on, as well as encouraging other student athletes to participate; the full roster will be completed within the next week or so.

“The whole point is to try something new and have fun with friends. There are opportunities to test your abilities with people there cheering you on,” said assistant coach Chad Cottam.

At deadline, Baksis, Artorius Griffin, Xander Griffin, Jenkins, Dalton, Korben Young, Asa Davis, Lonnie Barney and Kendal Gardner will be donning Moqui uniforms for

the boys, and Kira Roberts, Osburn, Sonata Griffin and Carlisle are returning for the girls. The Escalante track and field teams are coach ed by Adam Griffin, boys’ head coach; Jordon Cottam, girls’ head coach; and assisted by Royce Orme and Chad Cottam.

The Moquis will put their abilities to the test with the season opener at the Old Capital Invitational on March 16 at Millard High School in Fillmore. The meet gives the Escalante athletes and teams a great opportunity to get a sense of how they measure up against the competition, as athletes from 18 other schools will attend the

Nancy Goude

meet, including Panguitch, who are the defending state champions.

“I really enjoy seeing each athlete’s progress throughout the season,” said Griffin.

Last Year's State Qualifiers who are returning this year:

Adrian Dalton: 100m, 4x100, Sprint Medley

Peter Baksis: 800m, 4x100, Sprint Medley

• Rayce Jenkins: High Jump, 4x100, Sprint Medley

• Sonata Griffin: Long Jump, 4x100, Sprint Medley

• Lexi Osburn: 4x100, Sprint Medley

• Taylie Carlisle: 4x100, Sprint Medley

LitJam/Career Fair:

March 19 will be a busy day at the Escalante schools as the Moquis host the third annual LitJam and, its first in recent years, Career Fair.

LitJam/Career Fair

Cont'd from A1

because you come from a rural, frontier school, this doesn't hold you back from getting a quality education and training, having personal success, and being a good citizen as well as making a positive contribution to community and society,” Lott said.

The Career Fair will focus on providing information to students in 9th - 12th grades about careers that former EHS graduates have attained.

Some of the careers that will be shared will be entrepreneurs and business owners, hair stylists, physical therapists, butcher, rancher, dentistry, family medicine, forestry, outfitting guide, pilot and educator.

Lori Phillips will provide the opening remarks and Dr. Chad Cottam will be the concluding speaker. The fair will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“The presenters will share information about their careers, a ‘day-inthe-life,’education and/or training needed, earning potential, career benefits, job opportunities in rural areas, what classes in high school helped them towards their career, and ‘if they knew then (during HS), what they know now’ how would they do high school differently or what would they focus on more,” said Lott. The LitJam is the work of local author and Escalante Elementary School Librarian, Robbin Peterson, who brought the idea with her when she moved to Escalante from Susanville, California.

Peterson explained that in California, “It was a fun event that really inspired the kids to look at

writing and reading in creative ways. We had a big keynote speaker--everyone from Reality TV stars to animators to children's authors. Then the students broke into smaller classes to be taught by other authors. There was also a writing contest, which we've continued in ours, just to give the kids a chance to write creatively and have some skin in the game before they go. It helps to pique their interest before the event, and then also helps build their confidence and reward them for their work.”

Author Janet Sumner Johnson is this year’s LitJam keynote speaker and the students will participate in five classes throughout the day taught by local writers and professionals.

LitJam is made possible by a grant from the Utah State Library as well as the generous support of many community members who volunteer to teach, judge, facilitate, and prepare the event along with PTA fundraising efforts.

The community is invited to take part in the public-portion of the conference held in the Commons from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19. There will be an author meet-and-greet, book fair, and bake sale featuring keynote Janet Sumner Johnson along with local authors Robbin Peterson, Karen Munson and Grace Welker, who will all be on hand to sign books and answer questions.

For more information on the keynote speaker, visit www.janetsumnerjohnson.com

For more information on the LitJam, visit https://ehs.garfk12.org/ litjam

Escalante track coach Adam Griffin and assistant coach Chad Cottam discuss which events the athletes will participate in at the team's practice on March 6.

Winter Dining Guide

Bicknell

Permanent CIB Approves $1.9 Million for Milford Wastewater Improvement Project

SALT LAKE CITYThe Permanent Community Impact Board (CIB) approved a $986,000 grant and a $986,000 low-interest loan for a wastewater improvement project at the Feb. 1, 2024, meeting.

“We recognize the pressing importance of enhancing our wastewater systems to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment for current and future generations,” expressed Jerry

Taylor, board member and Garfield County Commissioner. "It exemplifies the commitment of the Permanent Community Impact Board to empower Utah communities.”

The Permanent Community Impact Board awards grants and low-interest loans to cities, towns, and counties from funds directed to the CIB from mining and oil and gas extraction on federal land.

Projects funded by the Permanent Community Impact Board benefit rural Utah by creating safer, more livable communities. The Utah Housing and Community Development Division manages the fund, which is part of the Department of Workforce Services. For more information, visit housing. utah.gov.

—Utah Department of Workforce Services

Farmers' Market: Our primary goal is to make sure that local vendors are supported and that the market continues to foster a vibrant spirit of community for Torrey and Wayne County at large.

Joseph Shumway, member of the new vendor-run Wayne County Farmers' Market committee

Farmers' Market

Cont'd from A1

citing safety as the biggest concern with the current locale. Council member Richard Braaten suggested that the town hold a public meeting to gauge how community members felt about the current location.

Over 50 community members attended the Mar. 6 meeting, including Main Street business owners, market vendors, and residents. The majority of commenters spoke in favor of the market’s current location and did not want to see it moved. Karen Mayne, Torrey Town Clerk, reported that the town also received 75 letters from the community and that 50 of them mentioned not wanting the market to move.

At first, public meeting attendees were only allowed to speak if they had not previously submitted a comment via email or text message. After all persons who had not previously shared their opinions via written methods were offered the chance to speak, anyone was allowed to take the floor.

Mike Clark, co-owner of the Chuckwagon, said that the market congests everything in the area and he doesn’t see the difference in moving the market one block up. He also wanted to clear up the misconception that his family’s store wants to get rid of the market altogether. “Our only issue is the market not being neighborly,” he said. Diane Torrey, owner of the Torrey Trading Post felt differently and said she would not like to see a location change. “We see an extreme amount of business with the market,” she said.

Ben Jackson of Ben’s Hens, a market vendor, credits the market’s Main and Center Street placement with its success. “The current location catches the eyes of passing tourists,” he said. “The more tourists who stop equals more money spent and more sales tax collection for Torrey Town.” Nycole Durfey said, “My biggest concern is safety,” She said she had witnessed many near misses at the current location and was nearly hit by a car there while walking.

Following the public meeting, the council met for a special work meeting to review both written and spoken comments regarding the farmers’ market location, among other agenda items. Mayor Mickey Wright began the discussion by reviewing the motion the council made in June of 2023 after an altercation regarding a trial run of a Center Street road closure necessitated the market to close for a week. At that time, the council agreed to allow the farmers’ market to continue at the Center Street location, with additional safety measures, until a better and safer location could be identified.

“The market has become incredibly successful and has outgrown its location,” said Wright. According to Wright, the motion the council approved in June requires the town to move the market. After some discussion, Councilmember Pat Kearney made a motion to hold the 2024 farmers’ market on the town property in the parking area near the post office and old fire station. The motion will only approve the use of this area for one year, and market organizers will need to work with Torrey Apple Days planners for a solution during the 4th of July weekend. The motion passed 3/2, with council members Jordan Pace and Pearl Thorndal-Stewart voting nay.

Community members still in attendance at the meeting expressed frustration that the town held a public meeting and accepted letters under the assumption that a decision to move the farmers’ market location had not yet been determined. Mayor Wright said that this was his mistake and that he had not reviewed the exact wording of the motion approved in June until twenty-four hours before the meeting. He decided to still allow the community to speak. “This was the motion we made in June so we have to live by it,” he said.

The location won’t be the only change to this year's farmers’ market. Diana Poulton, who has headed up the market since 2015, is passing on organizational duties to a

six-member committee of vendors. Poulton decided that the 2023 season would be her last year as market director before the start of the season. “The market has been my passion, and it has been wonderful to see it grow,” said Poulton.

When the Wayne County Business Association asked Poulton to take over the market in 2015, there were only a handful of vendors and the market was held in the parking area outside the Robbers Roost Bookstore. She started selling her extra produce at the market in 2013 and was lucky to sell $20-40 of fresh produce a week. When she took over the market in 2015, she looked for a new location that would attract visitors since the bulk of tourists didn’t seem to make it to the western end of town. At the time, Poulton got the permission of Randy Austin to hold the market at the Center Street location. “When we moved to Center & Main, it made the market more visible and really increased visitors,” she said.

Poulton said the market is nothing without its vendors and was proud to report that the 2023 market had a total of 42 different vendors throughout the season. Vendors represented all corners of Wayne County and have also come from Richfield, Monroe, and American Fork. Vendors sell everything from eggs, produce, and sourdough bread to jewelry, wooden spoons, and other crafts. According to Poulton, some local businesses attend the market during the slow tourist season to chat with visitors and drum up business for their shops.

“Our primary goal is to make sure that local vendors are supported and that the market continues to foster a vibrant spirit of community for Torrey and Wayne County at large," said Joseph Shumway, a member of the new vendor-run committee. Although the market was hopeful it would remain at its Center Street location, the new committee is committed to ensuring a successful and sustainable future for the Wayne County Farmers' Market.

“Our team plans to work hard to transition the market location as smoothly as possible and to be good partners with Torrey Town and any neighboring businesses and residents,” said Shumway. Mayor Wright has also said, “I’ll do everything I can to make it a success.”

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

INVITATION FOR BID ON REAL PROPERTY PANGUITCH

CITY

Panguitch City is accepting sealed bids on 11.67 acres of agricultural property located east of Panguitch.

TITLE: OLD CITY DUMP

PARCEL: 14-0064-0543

OWNER: PANGUITCH CITY

DISCRIPTION: BEG 660.00 FT N OF THE SE

COR OF THE SE 1/4 OF SEC 27 T34S R5W SLB&M AND RUNNING TH N 660.00 FT; THE W 990.OO

FT; TH S42°30’00”E 712.80 FT M/L; TH S76°30’00”E 495.00 FT M/ TO THE POB CONT 11.67 AC M/L

MINIMUM BID: $28,000

BID CLOSE: 5PM APRIL 9, 2024

RETURN SEALED BID TO: Panguitch City Office

25 S. 200 E. Panguitch, UT

BY MAIL: Panguitch City PO Box 75 Panguitch, UT 84759 ATTN: Mat Houston

Bids will be opened during the Panguitch City Council meeting on April 9th at 5:30 p.m. Panguitch City reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids.

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on MARCH 14, 21 & 28, 2024

INVITATION FOR BIDS FOR IMPROVEMENTS

TO PANGUITCH MUNICIPAL AIRPORT

REHABILITATE RUNWAY PANGUITCH, UTAH

AIP NO. 3-49-0025-019-2024

Online bids for improvements to the Panguitch Municipal Airport, AIP No. 3-49-0025-019-2024, will be received by the Panguitch City Corporation via online bidding through Quest CDN at www.armstrongconsultants. com until March 26, 2024 at 1:00 p.m., MDT. Online bidding will begin on March 20, 2024.

The work involved includes the following: SCHEDULE I

REHABILITATION OF RUNWAY 18/36 [01/19 (F)]

For a complete set of Plans, Specifications and Contract Documents all purchases must be made through our website at www.armstrongconsultants.com. A digital copy may be downloaded for $60.00, this will include access to online bidding. There will be no refunds.

Each bid must be accompanied by a Bid Bond executed by a Surety Company in an amount not less than five (5) percent of the total bid made payable to the Panguitch City Corporation.

The Bidder must supply all the information required by the proposal forms and specifications and he/she must bid on all items of every schedule. The Panguitch City Corporation reserves the right to waive any informality in, or to reject any or all portions of, the various bid items. No proposal may be withdrawn for a period of one hundred twenty (120) days from the opening thereof.

A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held at the Panguitch Municipal Airport on March 12, 2024 at 1:00 p.m., MDT. All bidders are advised to examine the site to become familiar with all site conditions.

The proposed contract is under and subject to Executive Order 11246 of 24 September 1965, as amended and to the equal opportunity clause and the Standard Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Construction Contract Specifications, including the goals and timetables for minority and female participation.

The proposed contract is subject to the provisions of Department of Transportation Regulations 49 CFR Part 26 (Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Participation).

Minimum wage rates as established by the Secretary of Labor are applicable to all schedules awarded for this project.

The proposed contract is under and subject to the following federal provision(s):

Affirmative Action Requirement

Buy American Preference

Civil Rights – Title VI Assurance

Debarment and Suspension

Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (Federal Minimum Wage)

Trade Restriction Certification

Procurement of Recovered Materials

Any questions regarding this project are to be directed to the office of Armstrong Consultants, Inc., Grand Junction, Colorado, (970) 242-0101 for interpretation.

PANGUITCH, UTAH

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on FEBRUARY 29 and MARCH 7 & 14, 2024

PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS John Osborn, Personal Representative of the Estate of April Lyn McNair.

Case No: 243600005. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that John Osborn, whose address is 71 Oakmarsh Drive, Henderson, NV 89074 has been duly appointed as the Personal Representative of the above-named estate. Creditors of the decedent are hereby notified to present their claims within three (3) months after the date of the first publication of this notice, or forever be barred as to claims not presented within the time period provided by Utah law, as set forth in Utah Code Ann. 75-3-801. All creditors of the abovenamed estate are required to deliver or mail their written claims to the Personal Representative at the address above or file with the Clerk of the Sixth District Court at 55 S. Main St., Panguitch, UT 84759, a copy of their claim before said three (3) months has passed.

DATED this 7th day of March 2024.

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on MARCH 7, 14 & 21, 2024

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR PROPERTY NEAR CANNONVILLE, GARFIELD COUNTY, UTAH UTAH SCHOOL AND INSTITUTIONAL TRUST LANDS ADMINISTRATION

The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration is now accepting proposals for the lease or sale of approximately 400 acres of Trust Lands near Cannonville and Highway 12 in Garfield County, Utah, in Township 37 South, Range 2 West, Section 32, SLB&M. The property consists of two separate parcels: 120 acres and 280 acres. See https://trustlands.utah.gov/work-withus/real-estate-planning-development/ for the Request for Proposal and additional information.

Any individual or entity wishing to submit a proposal for one or both parcels may do so until 4:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Proposals should be emailed to eliseerler@utah.gov; Reference: Cannonville property. The Trust Lands Administration reserves the right to reject any proposal.

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on MARCH 7 & 14, 2024

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION

IN THE SIXTH DISTRICT COURT, GARFIELD COUNTY, STATE OF UTAH EMERY VALLEY WATER LLC; EMERY VALLEY LODGING ASSOCIATES, LLC; and BENCH IRRIGATION COMPANY, Plaintiffs v. BRYANT T. HINCKLEY, SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE; PITZTAL LLC; TRU NORTH HOLDINGS, LC; UTAH SOUTH VINEYARDS, LLC; and JOHN DOES 1-10, Defendants Case No. 230600050 Judge Mandy Larson

To TRU NORTH HOLDINGS, LC; UTAH SOUTH VINEYARDS, LLC; and JOHN DOES 1-10, Defendants

An action to quiet title has been filed against you requesting that the Court decree ownership of Water Right No. 61-3143 to the Plaintiffs. Tur North Holdings, Utah South Vineyards, LLC and any person claiming an interest in the water right is required to file a written answer with the Clerk of the Court at 55 South Main Street, Panguitch, UT 84759, and with Plaintiffs’ counsel at 257 East 200 South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, UT 84111. Your answer must be filed within 21 days of this publication. Your written answer will provide your side of the story to the Court. You can find an Answer form on the Court’s website: utcourts.gov/ans. If you do not file and serve an Answer by the deadline, the Plaintiffs can ask the Court for a default judgment, meaning the Plaintiffs win without the Court hearing your side of the story. Plaintiffs’ Complaint is on file with the Court, and you should read it carefully because it explains what the Plaintiffs are asking for in this lawsuit.

DATED THIS 14th day of March 2024.

/s/ J. Craig Smith Smith Hartvigsen, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiffs (801) 413-1600 | jcsmith@shutah.law

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on MARCH 14 & 21, 2024

DATE CHANGE FOR APRIL 2024

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING

BICKNELL TOWN

Bicknell Town Council meeting will be held on April 11 at 7:00 PM instead of April 4 at 7:00 PM. If you would like to get on the agenda please contact Kelsey Brinkerhoff at 435-425-2215 no later than April 10th by 3 PM.

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on MARCH 7 & 14, 2024

NOTICE TO WATER USERS

The applications below were filed with the Division of Water Rights in Wayne County. These are informal proceedings per Rule 655-6-2. Protests concerning an application must be legibly written or typed, contain the name and mailing address of the protesting party, STATE THE APPLICATION NUMBER PROTESTED, CITE REASONS FOR THE PROTEST, and REQUEST A HEARING, if desired. Also, A $15 FEE MUST BE INCLUDED FOR EACH APPLICATION PROTESTED. Protests must be filed with the Division of Water Rights on or before Apr. 10, 2024 either electronically using the Division`s on-line Protest of Application form, by hand delivery to a Division office, or by mail at PO Box 146300, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6300. Please visit waterrights.utah.gov or call (801)538-7240 for additional information.

GARFIELD COUNTY NEW APPLICATION(S)

97-2514 (A84098): Lydia Joukowsky propose(s) using 1.728 ac-ft. from groundwater (2 miles S of Boulder) for IRRIGATION.

97-2515 (A84103): Russell Carpenter propose(s) using 1.73 ac-ft. from groundwater (14 miles W of Escalante) for DOMESTIC; IRRIGATION; STOCKWATERING.

CHANGE APPLICATION(S)

61-3249 (a51421): Timothy M. Homerding propose(s) using 0.0016 cfs OR 0.25 ac-ft. from groundwater (6 miles S, 6 miles E of Hatch) for IRRIGATION; OTHER: 2 RVs, for 100 gallons per day year-round.

EXTENSION(S)

89-1666 (a36159b): Theron D. Rose is/are filing an extension for 40.9728 ac-ft. from groundwater (West of Henrieville) for DOMESTIC; IRRIGATION; INDUSTRIAL: Use in Tannery limited to .0832 acft; STOCKWATERING.

SEWAGE EFFLUENT NOTICE(S)

NS072 (NS072): USA, Bryce Canyon National Park propose(s) using for sewage effluent reuse 0.25 cfs OR 13.42 ac-ft. from (Bryce Canyon National Park) for IRRIGATION.

IRON COUNTY CHANGE APPLICATION(S)

61-3481 (a51339): Alexander Neville propose(s) using 0.0058 cfs OR 0.45 ac-ft. from groundwater (2 miles E of Cedar Breaks NM) for DOMESTIC.

WAYNE COUNTY

NEW APPLICATION(S)

95-5518 (A84094): Jedediah Maag propose(s) using 1.48 ac-ft. from groundwater (3 Miles SE of Teasdale) for DOMESTIC; IRRIGATION; STOCKWATERING.

95-5519 (A84097): Jacob Revoir propose(s) using 0.015 cfs OR 1.48 ac-ft. from groundwater (1.5 miles north of Loa) for DOMESTIC; IRRIGATION; STOCKWATERING.

95-5520 (A84104): Tim Pickett propose(s) using 1.45 ac-ft. from groundwater (Blue Valley Lot 2) for DOMESTIC; IRRIGATION.

CHANGE APPLICATION(S)

95-5470 (a51338): Eye Candy Properties LLC propose(s) using 0.015 cfs OR 1.2 ac-ft. from groundwater (1.7 miles SE of Grover) for DOMESTIC; IRRIGATION; OTHER: Bathhouses.

Teresa Wilhelmsen, P.E. State Engineer

Published in The Wayne and Garfield County Insider on MARCH 14 & 21, 2024

sudoku Answers for this week

industry and interaction with guests.

POSITIONS AVAILABLE:

Front Desk Agents

Laundry Services Housekeepers Maintenance Bellmen

Positions to start April 1st through October 31st

At Capitol Reef Resort we promote from within. Please stop by in person to complete an application. We are located at 2600 E SR 24, Torrey, UT 84775 435-425-3761

SENIOR CENTER MENUS

PANGUITCH SENIOR CENTER

HOT LUNCH PROGRAM

87 N 50 W • 676-2281/676-1140

MEETINGS

TROPIC AA MEETING

Wednesday at 6 PM. Tropic Heritage Center. All meetings are closed discussion.

Suggested donation $4.00 60 & older, $10.00 under 60 Call before 10 AM of the day of attendance to reserve a spot. Meals include milk & bread.

Tues. Mar. 19th Wed. Mar. 20th Thurs. Mar. 21st French Bread Pizza w/ Pepperoni, Italian Vegetables, Salad Bar, Pineapple, Strawberry Shortcake

Chicken Broccoli Casserole w/ Stuffing, Mixed Vegetables, Salad Bar, Pears, Lemon Pudding

Taco Soup, Tortilla Chips, Green Beans, Salad, Fruit, Tres Leches Cake

NOTE: PLEASE BE COURTEOUS AND CALL AHEAD. The kitchen staff work diligently to prepare a good dinner, and a head count helps them prepare enough for everyone.

Bryce Valley Senior Lunches at the BRYCE VALLEY Senior Center

TUES Mar. 19th Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce, Corn, Pears, Salad Bar, Cookie

WED Mar. 20th Roast Turkey, Potatoes & Gravy, Mixed Vegetables, Coleslaw, Peaches, Cake

THURS Mar. 21st BBQ Ribs, Country Potatoes, Mixed Vegetables, Carrot Salad, Applesauce, Chocolate Pudding

Call by 10:00 A.M. if you want a lunch or need a ride. 679-8666

All meals are served with milk & bread. Suggested donation is $4 for seniors and $10 for those under 60 years of age.

Escalante Senior Citizens Menu

Tues. Mar. 19th Cheeseburger Soup, Salad Bar, Cheesy Bread, Peaches, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Wed. Mar. 20th Meatloaf, Baked Potato, Roll, Green Beans, Pineapple, Wearingo' Green Cake

Thurs. Mar. 21st Mexican Casserole, Rice, Beans, Corn, Salad Bar, Pears, Key Lime Pie

All meals are served with milk or juice. If you would like a meal, please call us by 10:00 am. 826-4317. Suggested donation for seniors over 60 is $4.00, and under 60 is $10.00