Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Bryce • Tropic • Antimony • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder • Fremont • Loa • Lyman
Thursday, July 5, 2012 • Issue # 951
Bicknell • Teasdale • Torrey • Grover • Fruita • Caineville • Hanksville
DAY OF THE CONDOR, JULY 14
See the Northern Hemisphere’s largest birds at a free viewing event
TOUR SHEDS LIGHT ON SHAKY FUTURE OF MAMMOTH CREEK FISH HATCHERY
those birds are free flying. And about one third of the free-flying birds are found in Utah and Arizona. “That means on any given day,” he says, “nearly one quarter of the world’s wild California condor population could be right here in southern Utah.”
Virgin — If you’re in the right spot at the right time, one of the largest and rarest birds in the world might soar directly over your head. On July 14, the Division of Wildlife Resources will host its annual California condor viewing event. Dubbed “The Day of the Condor,” the free event runs from 8 a.m. to noon at a spot on the Kolob Reservoir Road two miles south of the reservoir. The viewing site is 21 miles north of Virgin in southwestern Utah. Those who have attended the event in past years have been thrilled to watch condors soar in the sky above them. “To give yourself the best chance to see the greatest number of birds,” says Keith Day, wildlife biologist for the DWR, “get to the viewing site as early as possible.” To reach the viewing site, take state Route 9 to Virgin. Then turn north at the Kolob Reservoir turnoff in Virgin, and travel through Zion National Park. The viewing site is 21 miles from Virgin near Kolob Reservoir. After you’ve traveled 21 miles, look for DWR staff directing cars into a parking
area on the south side of the road. Biologists from the DWR, the National Park Service and The Peregrine Fund will be available to answer your questions. Free information about condors will also be available. If you’d like to see a preview of the type of bird you’ll watch at this year’s event, a free video — Flying giants—rare California condors return to Utah skies — is waiting for you on the DWR’s YouTube page.
PANGUITCH WEATHER
LOA WEATHER
A condor viewing hotspot Day says condor activity in Utah has increased dramatically since 2005. “During the summer months, it’s not unusual for more than 30 birds to be in Utah. And some condors stay through the winter,” he says. “In the past, more than 60 condors have been tracked in the Zion National Park area during a single day.” When you consider how rare California condors are, seeing that many condors in southern Utah is exciting. “The world’s California condor population numbers 414 birds,” Day says. “More than half of
A large and unique bird The California condor is the largest flying bird in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s about four to five feet long from head to tail. That makes the bird impressive to see, even when it isn’t flying. But, with a wingspan of about 9 feet, and weighing between 16 and 23 pounds, condors are especially impressive in flight. Adults are a dull black with white coloring under their wings. Their bald heads are covered with yellow, orange and red skin. Young condors have a black head and don’t have white under their wings like the adults do. But they’re about the same size as the adults. On the ground or in the air, the young condors are just as impressive to see as the adults are. Taking care of their young Condors usually reach maturity when they’re six to seven years old. When they reach that age, they choose a mate. They usually remain with that mate for the rest of their life. Condors lay a single egg on the floor of a small cave or crevice on the side of a cliff. Both parents help incubate the egg. It takes about 56 days for the egg to hatch. After the egg hatches, the young condor will remain near its nest for about two to three months. It won’t fledge (take its first flight) until it’s five or six months old. The young condor’s parents will take care of it for a full year, and sometimes even longer. Because of their devotion to their young, condors don’t nest every year. Instead, they nest every two years. For more information about the Day of the Condor viewing event, call the DWR’s Southern Region office at 435-865-6100.
Jim Snodgrass, with Friends of Mammoth Creek Fish Hatchery, Senator Ralph Okerlund and hatchery manager Gordon Nelson address tour members.
Hatch—More than 50 people turned out for a June 27 tour of Garfield County’s state-run fish hatchery, hosted by Friends of the Mammoth Creek Fish Hatchery. The tour preceded an informational open-house in Panguitch the following day, and was held to provide a closer look at the facility and offer time for questions with officials from the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources regarding a proposal to close fish stocking operations at Mammoth Creek, or to shift the facility to a brood rearing operation. These proposals are the result of a state financial audit that has targeted the facility for closure. Many DWR officials were on hand for the event, as well as State Senator Ralph Okerlund. Located just south of Hatch off of Hwy 89, the Mammoth Creek Fish Hatchery has supplied regional waters with fish stock since 1923. It is part of a state system of 10 hatchery facilities operated by the Utah DWR. Supporters of the hatchery—and in particular its mission of maintaining fish stocking operations— claim that the state audit conducted last year by the Legislative Auditor General was flawed. Jim Snodgrass said in an opening statement, “The audit report focused on pounds of fish produced and dollars expended at each hatchery. This is a very narrow view of the hatchery process and not a good basis for important decisions to be made.” Further critiques of the audit include that it does not define the cost of transferring stocking activities to other hatcheries, particu-
larly transportation costs. Meanwhile, the audit report itself indicates that data to provide a sufficient evaluation is lacking. The report states, “…we found that DWR had not developed sufficient data to enable a fair and reliable comparison of hatchery production costs.” The Mammoth Creek hatchery was recently renovated with state-of-the art, covered steel raceways and a UV filtration system—the first hatchery in the state to obtain this technology-after whirling disease was discovered at the hatchery in 2002. Following this investment of more than $2 million, the hatchery reopened its fish stocking operations in 2006. Now, the audit suggests that the cost of the operating Mammoth Creek is too high and a proposal is on the table to transfer stocking operations to other state hatcheries. Mammoth Creek supporters believe this is shortsighted, wondering why such an investment was made, only to close the facility. They also note that Mammoth Creek hatchery is very efficient, producing more pounds of fish per cubit foot than any other hatchery in the state. Area residents claim that during the 2002-2005 period when Mammoth Creek was closed for renovation, the quality of area fishing plummeted, and significant economic activity was lost to the region from the lack of anglers. Panguitch resident Vince Salvato, who ran a fly fishing operation during that period, stated, “When the Mammoth Creek hatchery was full bore prior to the whirling disease problem, we would have campers fishing all along the Sevier River. When the hatchery
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was shut down it definitely impacted this whole area. The fishery was extremely poor, and we lost a lot of our fishermen.” He suggested that the state conduct a thorough economic impact study for the region prior to making a decision on Mammoth Creek’s future. It was noted during the tour that more than 70% of southern Utah’s fishing license revenue is from non-residents, significantly higher than other areas of the state. In addition, revenue from hunting is also dependent upon great fishing. Many hunters come from outside the area, and while they may not always get the deer or elk they were after, they are satisfied with their visit due to the great fishing, and that keeps them coming back. Organizers of Friends of the Mammoth Creek Hatchery feel that if they hadn’t started raising issues about the audit and impending closure, the facility might already be closed, or close to it. Roger Wilson, who leads the Aquatics Division for the DWR, has suggested that to keep the facility from closing completely, they have a proposal to transfer brood rearing operations from the Egan Hatchery in Bicknell, while it is closed for renovations due to a coldwater disease problem. This would keep Mammoth Creek open for a period of 3-5 years. “We’d like to keep Mammoth running,” stated Wilson. “We would like to have a discussion with the locals of what we can do to keep it running. He also noted, “There was some discussion of closing it in early September.” To some area residents, the proposal to shift to brood rearing is a poor replacement for the stocking operations, and there is a concern, should the brood rearing proposal move forward, about what happens to the facility after the Egan Hatchery comes back online again. Vince Salvato stated, “We’re not going to let this go away, and sweep this under the rug like they intend to do.” Operation Mammoth Creek Fish Hatchery costs about $370,000 annually, and the facility employs 3 full time staff 7 days a week and one seasonal employee.
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