Fire Restrictions Take Effect June 2nd |
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MOAB, Utah - Southeastern Utah is experiencing hazardous fire conditions due to prolonged drought and extremely dry vegetation. Weather forecasts and wildland fire prediction models point to increased fire danger. As a result, on Thursday, June 2, 2022, all Bureau of Land Management (BLM), USDA Forest Service (USDA FS), National Park Service (NPS), State of Utah and unincorporated private lands in the following areas will increase fire restrictions:
• State lands and unincorporated private lands in Grand and San Juan counties.
• BLM Moab and Monticello field office areas located in Grand and San Juan counties.
• NPS including Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, and Natural Bridges and Hovenweep National Monuments.
• USDA FS Moab and Monticello ranger districts of the Manti-La Sal National Forest, areas within Grand and San Juan counties in Utah, and Mesa and Montrose counties in Colorado.
New restriction orders supersede previous restriction orders for participating agencies and will be in place until the fire hazard subsides. Maps and specific information about the restrictions may be found at: https://utahfireinfo.gov/fire-restrictions/. Fire restriction orders are specific to each agency and may contain different stipulations, but all the orders have the following prohibited acts in common:
1. No campfires (wood or charcoal) anywhere, including designated campgrounds.
2. No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area that is paved, barren, or cleared to mineral soil.
3. No metal cutting, welding, or grinding activities in areas of dry vegetation.
4. No discharging or using any kind of fireworks, steel tipped/core ammunition, tracer ammunition or other pyrotechnic devices including exploding targets.
5. Permissible acts – using devices fueled by petroleum or liquid propane gas (LPG) with a shut-off valve is allowed in areas clear of flammable vegetation within three feet of the device.
For more information about fire restrictions (including the orders from each agency), wildfires, fire prevention, and fuels treatment projects, please visit www.utahfireinfo.gov. Always extinguish campfires, dispose of cigarettes properly, stay on roads and trails to avoid dry vegetation, and ensure trailer chains do not drag or create sparks. Fire sense is common sense.
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Forest Service and BLM Honor Firefighters |
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The National Interagency Fire Center Governing Board has selected the Bureau of Land Management Green River District, Moab Interagency Fire Center Dispatch North Zone, U.S. Forest Service-Manti-La Sal National Forest North Zone and interagency partners as the winner of the 2022 Pulaski Award. The recipients are being recognized for their collaboration in advance of and during the Bear and Bennion Creek fires in June 2021 that spread northwest of Helper, Utah. The honor was awarded during a ceremony in Price.
“This award recognizes the amazing quality of our interagency relationships,” said BLM Green River District Manager Lance Porter. “It underscores the importance of how critical these relationships are in a wildland fire setting.”
The Pulaski Award is named after a young forest ranger who, in 1910, led his crew through thick smoke, heat and flames to safety. To this day, the name and the award exemplifies the true meaning of courage and teamwork.
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Lichen Study - Discovery Pool Update |
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Dr Steve Leavitt sent in this fascinating update on his Discovery Pool Project: Lichens as tools to monitor disturbances in the La Sal Mountains.
"We collaborated with folks in Canada and China to find out that what we call the 'granite rock speck lichen' is really a whole bunch of different species. Each region, and sometimes each mountain range, seem to have their own unique lichens. In the La Sals, there are up to 18 different species hidden in what we had previously thought was a single species. The next step will be to formally describe some of these as new to science. The first, I am hoping to name 'Lecanora tukuhnikivatzensis'."
Below is a link to the paper that was published in the Journal of Fungi, the second highest ranked journal for mycology (the study of fungi).
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Water Guzzlers Aid Bighorn Sheep |
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Moab Field Office wildlife program has a long-standing partnership with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to maintain more than 40 guzzlers that benefit Bighorn sheep and Pronghorn Antelope. Guzzlers are a type of water development that provide water for wildlife utilizing water catchments, storage tanks and an adjacent drinker. The water level in the drinker is controlled by a bob float valve that shuts off when the water gets to a certain level, prevents overflow and turns on when the water level drops.
The guzzlers are a tool to mitigate negative impacts, habitat fragmentation and loss, drought, and human disturbance. Providing water improves occupied habitats and reduces the need to move to other areas seeking water. BLM closely monitors water levels in the tanks during the summer months. Each guzzler collects rain fall with apron catchments and the water is stored in a holding tank. The tanks size ranges from 600 to 3,000 gallons depending on the landscape and terrain. These water systems are crucial during hot and dry summer months when natural water sources are sparse or nonexistent. Empty or low water guzzlers are filled using water trucks when the guzzler can be accessed by roads. In remote locations that cannot be accessed by roads, helicopters are used to fill the guzzlers.
Maintenance is an ongoing challenge and older systems are refurbished with new tanks, new lines, and new apron catchments to keep the guzzler systems working efficiently, and to meet the needs of the wildlife in the area. Other animals benefit from guzzlers including Prairie Dogs, Badgers, and Kit Fox. The Moab Field Office has installed and maintained guzzlers for over 40 years in the area. For more information or to volunteer, contact Jon Blanc at jblanc@blm.gov
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Bighorn sheep drink from a guzzler on BLM lands near Moab. |
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Guzzlers on public lands provide water for wildlife during hot summer months. |
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As the weather warms up, you may start to see some local forest neighbors during your camping trip. Recently, a bear was sighted around Maple Canyon. While the temptation may be to give them a big ole bear hug, please give them space. If you see a cub alone, don't approach. Momma bear could be nearby.
If you do encounter a bear, please remember these tips:
-You are responsible for your own safety and for the safety of those around you.
-Keep a clean camp site.
-Do not store food or any scented items in a tent, including clothing with food residues.
-Do not leave food unattended at a campsite or in your vehicle.
-Use bear-resistant food lockers and dumpsters where provided or bring your own
Want to brush up on being #bearaware and #knowbeforeyougo? Check out the Forest Service's https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-you-go/bears
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Discover a landscape of contrasting colors, land forms, and textures unlike any other. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive rock fins, and giant balanced rocks. This red-rock wonderland will amaze you with its formations, refresh you with its trails, and inspire you with its sunsets.
Reservations are required 4/3/22-10/3/22, Click here to find out more.
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Canyonlands Jr. Ranger Pledge Available Online |
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There are a few ways to become a junior ranger at Canyonlands National Park. Free junior ranger booklets are available at park visitor centers, or you can download them below. Filled with fun activities, these books reveal the wonders of Canyonlands to kids and parents alike. After completing certain exercises, you can earn a junior ranger badge and signed certificate.
If you complete your Junior Ranger booklet at home, mail the booklet to the park to receive your Junior Ranger badge!
Mail your completed booklet to:
Canyonlands Interpretive Rangers
Arches & Canyonlands National Parks
2282 Resource Blvd.
Moab, UT 84532
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Canyonlands Natural History Association (CNHA)
Thursday’s @ 5:00 p.m.
June 16 ~ Robert Anderson ~ Founding Fathers: The Creation of Canyonlands National Park ~ The vision of Charlie Steen, Bates Wilson and Stewart Udall paved the way for the creation of Canyonlands National Park. Charlie Steen represents the Atomic Energy Commission who provided access to the White Rim Sandstone via the White Rim Road. Bates Wilson represents the vision of having a National Park that would protect the confluence. Stewart Udall provided the political support needed in order to push the idea of a National Park through Congress. Join Park Ranger, Robert Anderson, as he discusses each of these men and their vision for Canyonlands National Park.
June 23 ~ Mallory Sandoval Lambert ~ Ecological Interactions between Mountain Goats and American Pikas ~ The southern limit of the natural range of mountain goats is in Idaho, whereas American pikas occur naturally as far south as New Mexico. However, the mountain goat range has been extended southwards with the establishment of translocated subpopulations in Utah. These mountain goats now share habitat with pikas, providing an opportunity to study potential ecological interactions between these two alpine specialists. Join Mallory Sandoval Lambert as she talks about how her research is exploring this previously unstudied system through field-based experimentation, with a focus on the La Sal Mountains in southern Utah. (Discovery Pool)
July 7 ~ Joel Tuhy ~ The Old Colorful Land ~ The Colorado Plateau, with Moab at its heart, is a region of great beauty and magnificence that attracts visitors from all over the world. But beauty and magnificence are not its only attributes. The Colorado Plateau is also a region of Oldness and Stability. Oldness means being of great age, and Stability means not being prone to rapid change, at least when left alone. This presentation looks at how Oldness and Stability are expressed on the Colorado Plateau. Can he make that interesting? Come see for yourself!
July 14 ~ Rhodes Smartt ~ Geology of Canyonlands ~ Have you ever wondered how Canyonlands was formed? National Park Ranger/Geologist Rhodes Smartt will take us on a journey through the geologic history of Canyonlands National Park. He will discuss the geology of the greater Colorado Plateau area and the Island in the Sky district of Canyonlands, and how its unique geology led to uranium mining. Join us for an evening of geologic exploration!
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