The Utah Rivers Council recently announced its displeasure with the the Bureau of Land Management for failing to explain, among other things, how the federal agency came upon the conclusion that only 28 river segments are suitable for Wild and Scenics Rivers desgination. The BLM had previously found 118 of the 676 segments under its juristiction as being eligible for inclusion.
The URC calls the BLM Resource Management Plans "an absolute atrocity and travesty for our state's incredible rivers." The non-profit group also called the plans illegal, violating the National Environmental Policy Act and the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.
The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was created 40 years ago. Not one mile of Utah's famed rivers or streams has been designated as Wild and Scenic.
Here's a story I did on the URC's efforts last year with a multimedia on the Green River below Flaming Gorge Dam.
— Brett

As someone who went on one of the first snowmobile trips from Flagg Ranch into the Old Faithful area in the mid-1970s, I've always been a fan of winter in Yellowstone. On subsequent trips, the last being to cover the Olympic torch relay at Old Faithful in 2002, I've taken snowcoaches into the park instead of snowmobiles and then cross country skied. Both methods were enjoyable in their own way.
That's why the situation for this season's Dec. 15 to March 15 winter season at Yellowstone is so interesting. Recent U.S. court decisions and another one from Wyoming to come have put the whole winter season in doubt.
According to Yellowstone National Park news releases,"the latest winter use plan and regulations allowing limited, commercially guided snowmobile and snowcoach travel were rejected by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on September 15. Park managers and staff members have been carefully looking at options that would authorize oversnow access this winter in these parks. The National Park Service is beginning preparation of an environmental assessment and a proposed rule, which will be made available for a public review and comment period by early November. The National Park Service intends to have a final decision effective prior to the scheduled December 15 opening of the winter use season. Specifics on the use of snowmobiles, snowcoaches, and vehicle numbers have yet to be determined, as data analysis and formulation of alternatives have just begun. It is the intention of the National Park Service that any such temporary decision be consistent with the agreement providing for travel on the East Entrance road over Sylvan Pass, subject to avalanche and safety-related constraints."
The new rule was going to reduce the number of best available technology and commercially guided snowmobiles from 720 to 540 daily for the coming season.
Who knows what will happen?
I view this from someone who has both skied, used snowcoaches and snowmobiled. I never viewed the snowmobiling inside the park as all that great. Grooming was often poor and machines were limited to park roads used in the summer. And there is great snowmobiling on U.S. Forest Service lands in Idaho, Wyoming and Montana just outside the park boundary with not only over 200 miles of groomed trails but some "play areas" available as well.
That said, it is difficult to see how 540 commercially guided snowmobiles using the best, least-polluting technology will have any more impact on the park environment than the thousands of cars that roll over the same territory in the summer. The low number seems like a good compromise though, if I were snowmobiling, I'd enjoy the sport more outside of the park.
-- Tom Wharton

If you ever wonder why people are cynical about government and don't want to get involved, then all you have to do is look at what the U.S. Department of Interior is trying to do with 200,000 comments on a new endangered species proposal.
According to the Associated Press, the proposal would exclude greenhouse gases and the advice of federal biologists from decisions about whether dams, power plants and other federal projects could harm species. That would be the biggest change in endangered species rules since 1986.
A team of 15 Department of Interior employees is being given 32 hours to review the 200,000 comments. Breaking that down, that would mean they would have to look at 6,250 comments an hour or seven comments per minute by each member.
That is obviously almost impossible, at least if you are trying to give people who took the time to comment on the proposal and their ideas a fair shot at being heard. It makes it look as though requesting public input was just a legal formality with decision makers having no intention of actually listening to citizens.
No matter how you stand on this issue, people who took time to participate deserve better than a cursory look. Is it any wonder folks don't trust their government any more and that environmentalists can't wait for Bush and his cronies to get out of office.

I've had quite a response since my story on whitetail deer ran in Sunday's paper.
Some wrote that they like the whitetail influx and others said "keep them out". I had two people write to say they had mistakenly taken whitetail while hunting for mule deer in other states. Still haven't heard of any whitetail being killed on opening weekend. I'll post if I do. The picture here was taken by Todd Black on the Utah/Idaho border.
— Brett

National Parks are treated differently than any other type of public lands. One of the prohibitions over the years has been that carrying loaded, concealed weapons in National Parks has been against the rule.
Gun advocates have been pushing the Bush Administration to lift both that ban and another against loaded, concealed weapons on National Wildlife Refuges. That has angered many national park and U.S. Fish and Wildlife employees.
In a recent survey, 77 percent of 1,400 present and former employees of the National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are against the change. The results were released recently in a new report by the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees which now has more than 670 members.
According to the survey, 75 percent feel there will be an increase in opportunistic or impulse wildlife killings in parks and refuges if the law changes and 83 percent anticipate that the proposal will increase the overall level of complexity for management of their park or refuge.
“We think the proposed rule is manufactured and driven politically to fix a problem that doesn’t exist,” said CNPSR executive council chair Bill Wade. “Data show that parks are among the safest places to be in this country. Moreover, we believe it will create more problems than it can possibly fix. It is likely to alter, over time, the friendly atmosphere visitors look forward to in parks, where they go to get away from the day to day pressures and influences of their everyday lives, including worry about guns.”
— Tom

Outdoor issues such as hunting, fishing, camping, wilderness and guns often get ignored in a presidential election. That’s why outdoor enthusiasts might want to log on to either Outdoor Life or Backpacker web sites. The magazines both gave the candidates a chance to air their views on subjects such as gun control, wolves, wilderness drilling and funding.
Though many of the questions are of a more serious nature, I liked how the two responded to the question: “Where would you take a Backpacker reader hiking?”
“I would want to take you to Canyon de Chelly in Arizona, which I believe is among our nation’s best-hidden natural treasures,” said McCain.
“I remember fondly my childhood visits to Yellowstone, and I would very much like to return there for some autumn hiking,” replied Obama.
Having visited both places many times in my lifetime, I certainly couldn’t argue with either of those responses, a rarity in this year of bitter campaigning.
That said, the sites are worth checking out to read the interviews.
— Tom

The latest national publication to heap praise on Utah skiing is Outside magazine, whose readers picked Alta/Snowbird as the continent's best ski area. Snowbasin placed fifth, Solitude 13th.
Utah's three selections in the top 15 is second to Colorado's five — Vail (third), Silverton Mountain (seventh), Aspen Highlands and Snowmass (eighth), Steamboat (10th) and Telluride (12th). California had two selections — Squaw Valley (ninth) and Mammoth (11th), as did British Columbia with Whistler/Blackcomb (second) and Fernie Alpine Resort (sixth). Wyoming (Jackson Hole, 4th), New Mexico (Taos, 15th) and Alaska (Alyeska, 14th) had one apiece. Alyeska is owned by Alta resident John Byrne III.
Snow quality was the most important consideration cited by 78 percent of the people who responded to the survey by Outside, a monthly publication with paid circulation in 2008 of 675,000. Hence, Alta/Snowbird's ascent to the top.
"Sitting on the bull's-eye of the Wasatch Range's freakishly powerful storm track . . . AltaBird is the closest you can get to a sure thing," the magazine said. "Learn the ins and outs of the many traverses and hikes (try Alta's Devils Castle and the 'Bird's Thunder Bowl) and you'll ski soft snow on new lines for weeks.
"What both places share, other than a dearth of nightlife, is a lack of pretense. Everyone is here for powder. And they get it," it added. The survey also noted that only 1 percent of respondents cared about nightlife.
The magazine advised national readers to try Snowbasin on a weekend when Park City is crowded, anticipating they will be impressed by its posh day lodges. While not as snowy as Alta, "the snow quality (less skier compaction) and the terrain (everything from 2,500-foot treed runs to mellow bowls to hairball chutes) make up for
it."
Solitude received recognition for the well-spaced trees of the Headwall Forest and its less-crowded ambiance, at least during the day. "The sidecountry feel of Honeycomb Canyon encourages you to hunt your powder over the course of a chill day. Which is followed by a chill night — the two bars shut down at 9:30."
— Mike Gorrell

The Tribune is starting a new interactive feature that allows the public to post their pictures to our website to become part of a giant slide show. One of the first collections will be from the 2008 deer hunt. If you took a big buck during the archery or muzzleloader hunts post your shot now. If you manage to take a buck this weekend post it then. Posting information can be found at the Trib Outdoors home page. Thanks to Dave Peterson of Moose Hollow Outdoors for the picture of a buck still out there.
— Brett

Do they make a 5-pound carp swimbait?
Angler's at Lake Powell may consider taking one along if they do. Wayne Gustaveson, Utah DWR biologist at Powell, sent some photos of a 41-pound striper found floating with a carp stuck in its throat on Sunday in Padre Bay. The fish was 47 inches long. Gustaveson says another large striper was found floating recently in the same predicament, what he calls "the eyes bigger than its mouth" syndrome.
Here's a story I did on Powell fishing (with two videos) on Oct. 5.
Wayne sent an update with more info. Here's his e-mail to me.
"Evan Coleman, Page AZ, was on a houseboat trip this weekend in Padre Bay. While riding the wave runner, exploring the bay he came upon a large striper flopping on the surface. Upon examination he found a carp lodged in the stripers throat which was the cause of the discomfort and eventual death of the trophy fish.
Evan loaded the huge striper on his PWC and transported it back to the houseboat. That must have been quite a sight to see a striper taking a lap on PWC. Wonder if it had a license since it was probably only 10-12 years old?
Anyway, the striper measure 47 inches in length and weighed 41 pounds on certified scales. This is the largest fish to come from LP this year.
There was a 36 pound fish caught on hook and line by Robert Adele of Greenehaven, AZ On July 5, 2008.
Water temperature has dropped into the 60's which is the preferred temperature range of striped bass and may account for increased feeding activity of trophy fish during October. Wayne
— Brett

I didn't know how accurate I was in my last column about how many people would be impacted by the drowning of a 19-year-old at Lake Powell on Sept. 20.
I received several e-mails regarding the column about the circumstances that took the life of Luke Rogers. A ranger at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area sent an e-mail yesterday to say they had finally found the body and were in the process of recovery. Last night an e-mail from Luke's uncle arrived. He said 1,500 people attended a memorial service for Luke. He also attached a link to a video of Luke. I'm glad Luke has been found for the comfort of his family. Such a loss.
— Brett

Michael Swenson of USAALL, an organization of off-highway vehicle enthusiasts, had one of those moments he probably wishes he could take back when quoted by The Tribune’s Robert Gehrke about ATV and OHV enthusiasts not complying with federal travel plans throughout Utah.
The Tribune got the quote right, but since Swenson is a good guy and asked for his remarks to be clarified a bit, here is what he said he was trying to get across:
“What I was trying to get at, albeit poorly, was that when the motorized community isn’t involved and engaged in the travel planning and agencies cram it down the public’s throats, you can expect less compliance,” he wrote in an e-mail to me. “I was in no way saying that non-compliance is an appropriate response to a plan that folks don’t support. I was saying that it is predictable.
“That predictability and understanding of why non-compliance is happening has relevance because we cannot fix a problem until we know what is causing it. Too often agencies have compliance issues but they fail to recognize why it is occurring. Some of it is bad apples, some of it is ignorance, some of it is because the public’s needs are not adequately addressed.
“This was part of my response to [Tribune reporter Robert] Gehrke regarding the governor’s decision to step up enforcement which is fine but it treats a symptom of the problem and not the cause and therefore will not cure us of the actual problem.”
— Tom

The current debate over heavy use of the Nine-Mile Canyon road by trucks servicing natural gas and oil wells in the area begs for a compromise. There is an obvious need to protect the priceless rock art and a need for energy resources. (Today's story the BLM proposal to list Nine-Mile Canyon on the National Register of Historic Places).
Why not look at mitigating for the damages like was done with the Central Utah Project? The Bureau of Land Management could charge energy companies a fee and match it. Seeing the public relations campaign the oil company has developed on television shows it has some money to spend.
Money collected could then be used for several purposes. Either a new road could be built away from Nine-Mile Canyon to access the oil and natural gas wells or the current road could be paved, eliminating the dust problem. And interpretive kiosks and ways to protect the rock art could also be built.
Recognizing that natural resources such as oil and gas are necessary in modern society, why can’t reasonable people find a solution to mitigate the damages and still protect the rock art?
— Tom

ATV riders like to say that only a few bad apples go off trail and do damage. They like to bill themselves as law abiding citizens out enjoying the public lands.
So, what should we make of comments by Michael Swenson, executive director of Utah Shared Access Alliance, to The Tribune’s Robert Gehrke last week? Swenson said off-roaders have an obligation to obey the law IN MOST CASES.
What?
“There are many cases where there is not a travel plan in place or there is one that was put together in such a fashion that the recreation community just can’t support it,” he said.
Is the leader of one of the top ATV advocate organizations saying that ignoring the law when riders feel it is unjustified is OK? Is he really advocating riding illegally off-trail if riders don’t agree with a land management agency’s policy?
So much for the argument that ATV users are law abiding citizens. Either you follow the rules or you don’t. It’s this kind of attitude that results in public lands being closed due to damage caused by arrogant yahoos who can’t be bothered to stay on the trail.
— Tom

Utah Governor Jon Huntsman Jr.’s comments to The Tribune editorial board last week calling ATV damage “an abomination” and “an embarrassment” seemed surprising on several fronts.
First, in calling for state officers to begin cracking down on abuse, the governor would have a good idea if the Legislature hadn’t recently slashed the State Parks and Recreation’s budget.
State Park rangers who would presumably “crack down on abuse” can barely manage parks now. Budget cuts will not allow the agency to hire seasonal workers during the busy summer season. Since the federal government’s public lands law enforcement agencies are even more strapped and limited, the reality is that talks of stricter enforcement is an idle threat, not a reality.
That said, the governor deserve praise for giving a Southern Utah Wilderness Association supporter, David Bonderman, a chance to give him a first-hand tour of damaged areas in the Moab area. Too often, Utah politicians ignore environmental groups even when they might have something useful to say.
And, since the governor is an avid dirt biker himself (that's the Gov. on his bike in the picture), his words have even more credibility.
— Tom

To honor Theodore Roosevelt on his 150th birthday (can you really call it a birthday or should it be the 150th anniversary of his birthday?) the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and famed fly tyer Craig Mathews have created the "Bully Bugger".
The fly bears a remarkable resemblance to the 26th President of the United States, at least when it comes to his spectacles.
Mathews will tie a limited edition of 150 Bull Buggers and 149 of those will be mounted in hand-made wooden shadowboxes and given to those who donate $150 or more to the TRCP. The first in the series will be custom framed and auctions on eBay beginning on Dec. 10 and lasting 10 days. Click here for more information.
Photo by Dusan Smetana
— Brett

With the waterfowl opener set for Saturday officials at Bear River Refuge asked that I get this information out.
— Brett
Here is the release:

October Water Conditions at Bear River Refuge
As of October 1, Refuge staff have begun to fill several units on the refuge and water conditions will steadily improve as the fall season continues. In the areas open to hunting, Units 1A and Block A are being filled. Block A is the large unit encircled by the auto tour route. The northeastern and northwestern portions of Block A are full of water at this time. Currently, no water is going into Unit 9, although there is some water in the channel.
Block C, on the Refuge’s southern boundary, open to airboats, remains dry. The northern portions of Unit 3, and the Duckville boat launch next to the road, will remain dry until culvert installation is complete, as part of the road construction project. The remaining portions of Unit 3 are full, or nearly full.
Units in the grasslands portion of the hunting area, near Perry, have some water.
A prescribed burn of the northern portions of Block A will be conducted the last week of October. During this one-day burn, the area will be closed to all visitors. For a linke to a detailed map of hunting areas click here. A “Hunting Information” line is available at 435-734-6427 offers a prerecorded message, which will be updated regularly. Visitors may also call to speak with refuge staff at 435-723-5887 during weekday business hours.

The monster Utah bull elk known as Spidey or the Spider bull, for his spider-like antler mass, has been taken by Denny Austad, owner of the 2008 Utah Statewide Conservation elk tag. Austad was hunting with Doyle Moss and the MossBack hunting team when the bull was taken on Monroe Mountain Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Here's a link to MossBack to see the bull.
A select group of people have watched Spidey grow through the years, amazed at his antler mass. Initial measurements, according to Moss, are 500 4/8 inches gross and 488 net green. The official Boone & Crockett measurement will come after the drying period, but it is expected that it will eclipse the current world record.
Utah continues to kick out some massive bulls. Here's a link to a story I did about the state's run on trophy elk last year.
— Brett