Utah Outdoors

Everett Ruess mystery solved?

2009-04-26T15:41:00.005-06:00

If you have traveled in southeastern Utah you have heard the story of Everett Ruess. Many have speculated what happened to Ruess. Now, it looks like there may be an answer. Read Ben Fulton's story about a soon to-be-released article about how the mystery may have been solved.
-- Brett

"I Want to Ride My Bicycle"

2009-04-23T10:36:00.004-06:00

In the honor of spring and the inevitable urge to get on your bike and ride I'm including a cool vid of Danny MacAskill playing around. In light of the recent rash of auto-cycling incidents in Utah I implore riders to keep an eye on each other and for drivers to be rider aware. Safe riding to all.
— Brett

Park Service rebuilding Dinosaur's Quarry Visitor Center

2009-04-22T14:06:00.002-06:00

Good Earth Day news came out of Washington, D.C.
As part of a large investment in national parks, the Dinosaur National Park Quarry Visitor Center near Jensen that has been closed since July of 2006 due to safety and structural concerns will be rebuilt for $13 million.
Thank goodness.
Though Dinosaur has much to offer in the way of scenery, river rafting and history, the exposed bones in the quarry were always its big draw and one of the most unique exhibits of its kind anywhere in the world. It's been missed by the thousands of families who enjoy visiting Utah's many dinosaur museums and outdoor attractions.
Soon it will be possible to enjoy the quarry again, coupling it with a visit to the excellent Utah Fieldhouse of Natural History in Vernal and then making the Drive Through the Ages from Vernal to Flaming Gorge.
– Tom Wharton

Hopefully we won't regret not building City Creek Canyon firebreak

2009-04-21T14:50:00.000-06:00

I sure hope the residents and recreationists who use Salt Lake City's City Creek Canyon knew what they were doing when their protests caused the cancellation of a program to create a 100-foot firebreak.
Nobody wants to see one of the Salt Lake Valleys prettiest and most pristine hiking, biking, fishing and picnic areas ruined. But considering the fact that a blaze last summer near the canyon threatened homes, perhaps the firebreak was a good idea.
If, God forbid, a fire would to roar down City Creek Canyon in the next few years and threaten homes in the area, we wonder if residents whose homes could be in the path of the flames might wonder if their opposition to the firebreak was such a good idea.
And, while fire is a natural part of the ecosystem, such a fire would also blacken much of the scenery recreators who were against the firebreak enjoy. And what about protecting an important part of Salt Lake City's water supply from potential damage of slides should fire destroy vegetation on the sides of the narrow canyons?
I guess I have enough faith in those who manage the canyon to think that a viable firebreak could have been constructed that would have preserved the beauty of the place while still protecting homes, property, water supplies and perhaps even lives.
You have to hope that a fire won't roar through the canyon but, if it does and damages homes in the area, we would do well to remember that many in the area opposed the firebreak.
– Tom Wharton

Check out the National Abilities Center

2009-04-21T09:43:00.004-06:00

One of the first feature stories I did with the Salt Lake Tribune was on what was then known as the Park City Handicapped Sports Association. The name of the organization eventually changed to the National Abilities Center. I've done several other stories on NAC through the years and it has been incredible to watch as the program has grown from providing only skiing to equestrian events and now the new compound in Park City. The amazing number of people with disabilities, and just importantly their families, served by NAC is a tribute to founder Meeche White. Check out this video and you will get a feeling for what the National Abilities Center is all about.

-- Brett

Just a bit off mark

2009-04-20T11:55:00.002-06:00

All those people with silly shots of themselves playing Twister to get a body part in four states at once are about to be very disappointed. According to the National Geodetic Survey, the Four Corners marker showing the intersection of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah is about 2.5 miles west of where it should be.
— Brett

Bennett and Hatch should quit playing politics with Interior

2009-04-20T10:19:00.001-06:00

You have to wonder what Utah senators Bob Bennett and Orrin Hatch thought would happen when a majority of Americans elected Barack Obama president and, in the process, repudiated many of the more obnoxious policies fostered by George Bush's Department of Interior as well as the Republican ticket's repeated campaign mantra of “Drill Baby, Drill!”
So now the two are doing everything possible to stall Obama appointments in the Department of Interior. This should be of major concern to outdoor enthusiasts, hunters, anglers and public land users looking forward to a change of management in the agency that manages millions of acres of public lands they use for recreation.
It seems the senators remain upset that new Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar cancelled 77 highly questionable oil and gas leases on Utah's public lands offered in the Bush Administration's dying days, some of them near some of the state's most beautiful outdoor treasures.
So, in a snit, Bennett has placed a hold on the nomination of David Hayes as deputy secretary, a move that is supported by Hatch. In fact, according to a story by The Tribune's Thomas Burr, 10 key Interior officials have yet to be confirmed and no one has even been dominated to head the Bureau of Land Management.
What is the purpose of such a hold? Do Bennett or Hatch honestly think that President Obama and Salazar are actually going to change their positions on public land management because of their obstructionist position? And can you imagine what Utah's two long-serving senators would have had to say if the Democrats had held up appointments should have John McCain been elected president instead?
This obstructionism is Washington politics at its worst and Bennett and Hatch ought to be ashamed of themselves. Republicans had eight years to manage the Department of Interior and, with the possible exception of James Watt during the Reagan years, I can't think of a time over the last 30 years when the department was so poorly managed or politicized.
Let's give the new guys a chance and quit with the useless political games playing.
– Tom Wharton

Results from Backyard Bird Count reported

2009-04-15T16:24:00.002-06:00

Results from more than 93,600 checklists are being tallied by the organizers of the 12th annual great Backyard Bird Count and some interesting results are being released.
First, bird watchers shattered last year's record for participating in the four-day event that began Feb. 16. Participants in the program sponsored by the National Audubon Society and Cornell Lab of Ornithology identified 619 bird species. Utah counters identified 160 species
Here is a list of the 10 most-frequently reported birds:
1.Northern Cardinal
2.Mourning Dove
3.Dark-eyed Junco
4.American Goldfinch
5.Downy Woodpecker
6.Blue Jay
7.House Finch
8.Tufted Titmouse
9.American Crow
10.black-capped Chickadee
– Tom Wharton

Ski resort closing dates? Why?

2009-04-10T09:12:00.002-06:00

Utah's ski resorts have been getting some of the biggest dumps of the season in the past few weeks. Resorts in Little Cottonwood are claiming 115 inches of new snow in the last two weeks and 626 inches this winter!
But because you can't always count on the spring snow and because tourists rightly don't plan their big ski trips in April, some of the resorts have already closed and others will turn off the lifts soon. No worries, Snowbird officials expect to be running well through Memorial Day and Park City just extended its season by another week. The best part is that most of the resorts are offering discounted spring prices.
Here's a list of closing dates from Ski Utah!
Alta Ski Area- April 19
Beaver Mountain- closed
Brian Head- April 12
Brighton Resort- April 19
The Canyons Resort- April 12
Deer Valley Resort-April 12
Park City Mountain Resort- April 19
Powder Mountain- April 19/ cat skiing until mid-May
Snowbasin- April 19
Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort- Memorial Day or later
Solitude Mountain Resort- April 12
Sundance Resort- closed
Wolf Creek- closing April 12
-- Brett

Apa On Top of the World

2009-04-07T14:36:00.002-06:00

Yes I'm about to tease another Tribune blog in this blog.
Given the success of the Trib's SuperSherpas base camp blog from Mount Everest in 2007, I'm assuming some of you may want to hear that we are doing it again. Apa Sherpa, the Himalayan highlands transplant now living in Draper - who also happens to be the world record holder of summit on Everest with 18 - is back in Nepal working on breaking his own record.
Here's the story we ran Monday.
Here's the link to On Top of the World.
Here's the twitter link for updates.
The video is footage from Apa's 18th summit last year.
-- Brett

Pond Skimming at the Canyons

2009-04-06T09:06:00.002-06:00

The video is a week old now, but worth watching. PCTV shot this during the Spring Gruv at The Canyons. Enjoy
-- Brett

Money raised for Utah Avalanche Center

2009-04-03T10:46:00.002-06:00

It is a shame that an agency that is responsible for preventing so much loss of life and injury should have to scramble to make ends meet each year, but such is the case for the Utah Avalanche Center. While the federal government provides the bulk of funds for UAC there is always a shortfall.
Luckily, there are groups, namely Friends of Utah Avalanche Center, which make up the difference. This past ski season Backcountry.com and eleven resorts offered the locals-only lift ticket program to provide money for UAC.
The resorts donated discounted lift tickets and Backcountry.com provided personnel to handle the logistics of the program. With the end of the season approaching, at least on paper, organizers say approximately $38,000 was generated. Kudos to the resorts and backcountry.com for stepping up and helping save lives.
-- Brett

Utah launches $3.2 million ad campaign

2009-04-01T11:58:00.002-06:00

The Utah Office of Tourism has launched its new "Life Elevated" advertising campaign for a mere $3.2 million.
The video ads will run on national cable television and on local stations in Los Angeles, Denver and Phoenix. Print ads will show up in five magazines and interactive ads will be displayed on various travel and outdoor-related Web sites.
Here's a taste of the advertising.
-- Brett

Kill Las Vegas Great Basin water pumping scheme now

2009-04-01T11:25:00.002-06:00

Patty Henetz had a wonderful story in today's Salt Lake Tribune about Las Vegas water officials who want water from Utah's West Desert to help continue Sin City's growth. The Southern Nevada Water Authority said it could not meet a June 19 deadline to provide required documentation “due to significant and recurring delays in the BLM review process.”
With any kind of luck, this horrible project that would pump 176,000 acre-feet of water per year to Las Vegas from the Great Basin will be delayed forever.
You have to love SNWA spokesman J.C. Davis complaining because the BLM is seeking information in its Environmental Impact Statement covering an area beyond the five Great Basin valleys whose groundwater would be tapped for the pipeline.
Since the potential dust bowl this would create could adversely affect already horrible air quality problems along the Wasatch Front and draining water has the potential to negatively affect the Great Salt Lake and it's important bird and wildlife habitats, federal officials supervising the environmental impact statement better darn well look past just the places where the water is being pumped.
Think this isn't an outdoor recreation problem as well? Think again. This terrible scheme which we can only hope is eventually killed could effect the health of Great Basin National Park and Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge in the affected area with virtually unknown effects on special places such as the Great Salt Lake, the Bonneville Salt Flats and the wonderful basin and range environment in the West Desert.
Given the power of U.S. Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, we would all do well to watch for all sorts of shenanigans with regards to this project.
-- Tom Wharton

Go With the Flowrider

2009-03-31T14:07:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Flowrider Utah you don't have to head for a coast to catch a wave this Spring Break. The TRUTH's Flowrider Spring Break Contest series is being held on the state's only indoor surfing simulator starting April 2 and wrapping up with the finals on April 16. The event is open to all ages. Qualifiers will be held April 2 and April 9 starting at 6 p.m. The finals will be held April 16 at 6 p.m. Participants pay $20 per session.
-- Brett

Get the lead out of national parks

2009-03-30T11:23:00.002-06:00

Hunting groups, gun rights organizations and fishing tackle manufacturers have their shorts all in knots over a proposed ban on the use of lead for hunting and angling in the National Park Service units where such activities are allowed.
Why is this such a big deal? Lead is bad for the environment. It can kill endangered species such as condors as well as many types of birds and mammals. And the groups opposing this deal, who couch it in terms that the Obama Administration that is proposing the ban is somehow anti-hunting or anti-fishing, offer the same tired arguments used many years ago when the use of lead shot was banned when hunting migratory birds. That regulation didn't kill duck hunting and this regulation won't kill fishing or hunting in national park managed areas.
What's the problem with using steel sinkers at Lake Powell instead of lead ones other than slightly increased expense? There are good alternatives to lead shot and bullets available.
I say get the lead out, the faster the better.
– Tom Wharton

OHV group upset about Washington County bill

2009-03-25T10:47:00.000-06:00

The Blue Ribbon Coalition, a pro off-highway vehicle organization, is mounting a campaign against the Omnibus Public Lands Act which recently passed the U.S. Senate and includes the Washington County Growth and Conservation Act which would designate over 250,000 acres of wilderness in southwestern Utah.
The group is upset that the Canaan Mountain Sawmill Road will be closed to OHV use under the proposal and is worried that the Washington County bill includes a new closure section as well as mandating the Bureau of Land Management to conduct travel planning in the area.
For information, log on to http://www.sharetrails.org/alerts/?alert+982.
– Tom Wharton

Utah Trout Unlimited Awards

2009-03-23T09:33:00.007-06:00

The Stonefly Society and Cache Anglers, both Utah chapters of Trout Unlimited, presented two awards at the Wasatch Fly Tying & Fly Fishing Expo this past weekend.
Gerald Nielson was recognized with the Snow Award for his efforts over the past 7 years with the stream access issue. Nielson offered his services free of charge while defending the anglers who helped bring the issue to light by being charged with trespassing on a stream bed. The case ended up in the Utah Supreme Court where the access issue was clarified in favor of recreationalists.
Reggie Price was presented with the Trowbridge Award for his efforts to establish Reel Recovery in Utah. Price, a cancer survivor, as been instrumental in promoting Reel Recovery which provides free 3-day fly fishing and therapy retreats for men diagnosed with cancer.
Reggie is a good friend and he and I will be at a fund-raiser this Thursday night that will raise money for the Utah Reel Recovery retreats.
Congratulations to Gerald and Reggie. Both men are more than worthy of the recognition.
-- Brett

Elk Calling on CBS Sunday Morning

2009-03-20T16:10:00.003-06:00

I blogged previously about Utahn Al Morris winning the recent World Championship Elk Calling event sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. I talked to Morris earlier this week while he was helping a friend hunt a bison - he didn't mention whether or not he was doing bison calls - but he did tell me about his efforts to win the title for this week's Away section.

There may also be a chance to see Morris in action this Sunday morning when elk calling is featured on CBS "Sunday Morning". At the least you will see some of Al's competition.
-- Brett

Fishing at Powell

2009-03-19T13:01:00.002-06:00

The water is warming fast at Utah's biggest fishery and all sports species should be in good shape this year with a healthy population of forage fish. Wayne Gustaveson, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources biologist over Lake Powell, does everything to help anglers land fish short of setting the hook at his amazing resource on the huge reservoir at Wayne's Words.
Here's a video shot last fall by the DWR featuring myself and Wayne.
-- Brett

Antlers as a weapon

2009-03-18T12:53:00.002-06:00

Tom wrote about the new on-line antler quiz hunters need to take to collect sheds in northern Utah last week. I don't remember him mentioning that the quiz included a subject stating that once collected the antlers are not allowed to be used as a weapon. Here's a crazy story about a guy using antlers in a domestic violence case. here in Utah.
-- Brett

Paddling Film Festival

2009-03-17T09:57:00.003-06:00

The Utah Whitewater Club is hosting the 9th Annual National Paddling Film Festival Road Show March 20 at 7 p.m. at the Orson Spencer Hall Auditorium on the University of Utah Campus. Proceeds from the event benefit the Snake River Fund. Tickets are $8 and available now at Wasatch Touring and at the Outdoors Recreation Program offices at the University of Utah. Tickets will be available at the door for $10.

-- Brett

Idaho Fights Mussels with Boating Fee

2009-03-17T08:36:00.003-06:00

Planning a boating trip to Idaho? Take a long a $20 bill. Check out this link from the Spokesman-Review.

Wasatch Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo

2009-03-16T09:21:00.002-06:00

Looking to improve your fly tying or casting skills? Or maybe you just need to brag about the one that didn't get away. Whatever you are looking for when it comes to fly fishing can be had at the Third Annual Wasatch Fly Tying and Fly Fishing Expo being held March 20-21, at Salt Lake Community College, 9750 S. 300 West, Sandy. Activities include fly-tying and casting demonstrations, workshops, and a banquet. The Wasatch Fly Fishing Film Festival is being held in conjunction with the expo March 18, 7 p.m. Visit the link for more information.

-- Brett

What's an assault weapon?

2009-03-13T12:05:00.002-06:00

When I wrote a column supporting famous Wyoming hunting writer Jim Zumbo who lost some of his jobs when blogging about his dislike of certain types of assault rifles for hunting, I quickly got educated by gun owners who know far more about these things than I do.
What I learned is that I am not certain how to define an assault rifle or weapon. Perhaps it's kind of like the old Supreme Court justice who admitted that he couldn't define pornography but knew it when he saw it. Experts have different interpretations.
As the Obama Administration considers reviving the assault weapon ban to the consternation of gun rights organizations, I actually wonder if the proposed ban is more about symbolism than reality. With all the issues on the table in the nation right now, is this a controversy the new president really needs?
I'm just not certain there is a problem here.
Honestly, how often in reality do ordinary citizens use assault rifles? And how often are these rifles used in crimes? Seems like pistols are the tool of choice for most criminals and that we have plenty of tough laws to prosecute bad guys who use guns in a crime.
I just don't understand the pressing need for an assault weapons ban right now. But I could be wrong. I'd sure like to get a discussion going on this. Anybody out there got a good reason that assault weapons should be banned?
-- Tom Wharton