By Julie Johansen
Chairman Rod Player called the Emery County Public Lands council meeting to order on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Administration Building in Castle Dale. He announced openings on the Land Council for next year. Applications must be received by the county by Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. He reminded all that the county commissioners make these choices.
He also stated that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is looking for nominations for several of their advisory councils. These applications are found online and the deadline is Oct. 18. The BLM agents were not at the meeting, as they are concentrating on the Travel Management Plan comments to be ready to announce the plan by the end of this year. Elijah Waters is the new manager in the Vernal Field office.
Dal Gray from Division of Oil, Gas and Mining (DOGM) announced that information on the Primacy Class VI well permits will be presented to public on Oct. 15 in Price at 6 p.m. at the South Eastern Regional Development Agency (SERDA) building. Recycled water use and pollution control of the oil and gas wells will be discussed at the Carbon Emery Collaboration Meeting on Dec.11.
Chris Wood from the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) announced a youth pheasant hunt on Oct. 26 at the Huntington Game Farm. He also talked about testing for Chronic Wasting Disease in our area. Incidences are very low in our area, but the LaSal Mountains are testing higher. He then reported on the Sand Hill Cranes in the area. He reported that they are a migratory bird and cannot be hunted. They have tried to catch them to collar, but have very little success in tracking their migratory patterns.
If someone has a big problem with them ruining their crops, some help can be received by contacting the Fish and Game office. They will, however, continue to monitor the problem.
Darrin Olsen, Forest Ranger, reminded the group that the logging is in full swing right now by Reeder, Black and Potters Canyons. He also spoke about the controlled burn scheduled this fall on the Ephraim side of the mountain. The Forest Recreation Department has been very busy cleaning up the campgrounds and discouragingly found a lot of garbage as they cleaned Huntington Canyon.
Wood permits are only available until Nov. 30, but Christmas tree permits are now available online. The Forest Service has a new challenge with the hiring freeze caused by the budget crunch. They have been told no seasonal hiring. The upcoming Forest Plan should be ready by next winter, not much change is expected.
State Parks reported the closing of Scofield and Millsite are not to far out. They are beginning to get ready for snow, grooming by cutting hazard trees, signage and checking equipment.
Outdoor recreation reported that, with more water, there has been many more people at Lake Powell this year. He announced a trails conference on April 28 and 29 next year. A new Trail Foreman has been hired in the Moab area and could be available to help in Emery County.