Author: Jack Greene

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My Fishing River Otter

River Otter, Lontra canadensis Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Tom Koerner, Photographer
River Otter, Lontra canadensis
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge
Courtesy US FWS, Tom Koerner, Photographer
Many years ago on a gorgeous fall day, I was standing on the bank of Green River in the Split Mountain campground in Dinosaur National Monument. I was visiting the site for our upcoming Utah Envirothon competition to assess the lay of the land and all it contained- plants, wildlife, soils, and aquatics. These were the main areas covered in the competition, so I would report back to my Logan high students on what local knowledge they might be tested on.

Humpback Chub Gila Cypha Courtesy US FWS, S Nev. FWO
Humpback Chub
Gila Cypha
Courtesy US FWS, S Nev. FWO

River Otter, Lontra canadensis Blue Lake National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Ted Narveson, Photographer River Otter, Lontra canadensis
Blue Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Courtesy US FWS, Ted Narveson, Photographer

River Otter, Lontra canadensis Malheur National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Barbara Wheeler, Photographer River Otter, Lontra canadensis
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge
Courtesy US FWS, Barbara Wheeler, Photographer

River Otter, Lontra canadensis Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Tom Koerner, Photographer River Otter, Lontra canadensis
Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge
Courtesy US FWS, Tom Koerner, Photographer

River Otter, Lontra canadensis Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Tim Holman, Photographer River Otter, Lontra canadensis
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
Courtesy US FWS, Tim Holman, Photographer

River Otter, Lontra canadensis Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge Courtesy US FWS, Mike Budd, Photographer River Otter, Lontra canadensis
Big Stone National Wildlife Refuge
Courtesy US FWS, Mike Budd, Photographer

I stood mesmerized by the beauty of the tranquil setting and glowing cottonwoods dwarfed by rainbow colored cliffs. The spell was suddenly shattered by a large aquatic mammal swimming nearby. Thinking it was a beaver, I awaited the telltale slap of its tail as it neared my position. Suddenly it began swimming wildly in a river backwater immediately in front of me. A river otter! This was my first sighting of a freshwater otter. I had seen many much larger marine otters on the west coast lying on their backs in kelp forests using rocks to crack open shellfish.

River otters had been nearly extirpated from Utah and recently reintroduced from 1989-1992, all of which doubled my excitement! As the otter accelerated, a fin emerged about a dozen feet in front of the predator. A large fish and strong swimmer, it led the otter on a wild, zigzag chase in the backwater. Finally, the otter captured the exhausted fish- an endangered humpbacked chub! It hauled out with a fish dinner on a flat boulder protruding from the water no more than 20 feet from where I stood. It cradled the large fish in its arms prepared to deliver the death bite through the head when it suddenly realized my statuesque presence.

Startled by my presence, it allowed the humpback to flip loose and return to the water. The otter was immediately on it, but the fish surged from the calm backwater to the main river channel current and disappeared. I was stunned by what happened next. The otter returned to the flat rock where it had held the fish, looked directly at me, and hurled what had to be a stream of otter profanity toward me! Me Me Me Me!!! (repeated several times) I have yet to fully recover from the insults!

River otters are important as indicators of healthy aquatic environments. They have a low tolerance for polluted water and require an abundant prey population. Due to their secretive nature, wide ranges, and low densities, otter populations are difficult to monitor. Currently, there is not a population estimate for Utah. Knowing where they are located is vital to managing this species. Recreationists can help with their management by reporting any sightings.

River otters primarily eat fish, but are also known to prey on small mammals, aquatic birds, crayfish and insects.

Now I must revisit the Disney film “Flash, the Teenage Otter”, to get reacquainted with this playful, highly intelligent and comical relative!

Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I’m forever Wild About Utah’s River Otters & Humpback Chubs!

Credits:
Images Courtesy US FWS, photographers marked with each image
Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, and Jack Greene, Author, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Jack Greene’s Postings on Wild About Utah, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/

Flash, the Teenage Otter

Filmed almost entirely at a Wisconsin game preserve, this episode of “”Walt Disney Presents”” was based on a book by Emil Liers. The program chronicles the early life and adventures of two otters, Flash and Fleta, and their close-knit family. Upon reaching their rebellious teen years, Flash strikes out on his own, experiencing all manner of exciting and life-threatening exploits, especially when coming in contact with that predatory species known as Man. But as the “”teaser”” to this episode tipped off a week in advance, Flash is ultimately and happily reunited with his loved ones. “”Flash, the Teenage Otter”” was released theatrically in 1961. –more–

Flash the Teenage Otter, The Wonderful World of Disney, [Review above from] TheTVDB.com, A Whip Media Company, https://thetvdb.com/series/the-wonderful-world-of-disney/episodes/245964
See also:
Liers, Emil, An Otter’s Story, The Viking Press, April 3, 1953, https://www.amazon.com/Otters-Story-Emil-Liers/dp/0670529753

Humpback Chub, , Utah Species, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=gila%20cypha

Northern River Otter, Utah Species, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=lontra%20canadensis

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Chokecherries

Chokecherry Fruit Prunus virginiana Courtesy US National Park Service
Chokecherry Fruit
Prunus virginiana
Courtesy US National Park Service
Chokecherry in Bloom Prunus virginiana Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service
Chokecherry in Bloom
Prunus virginiana
Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service

Chokecherry Flowers Prunus virginiana Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service Chokecherry Flowers
Prunus virginiana
Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service

Certain plants were considered sacred by many native tribes. Chokecherry made the list. This versatile plant was highly prized for food, medicine, implements, and building material. And you could rightfully say it changed the history of our nation.

Legend has it that the young Shoshoni girl Sacajawea was gathering choke cherries when captured by the Hidatsa tribe and later traded to Lewis and Clark on their voyage of discovery. Without this very young mother, it is highly doubtful they would have completed their journey as she saved them from starvation, was a translator/mediator with many potentially hostile tribes and retrieved some of their precious journals from being lost to the Missouri River when their boat capsized in a rapid.

These stories ran through my mind as I gathered massive quantities of the fruit in preparation for the Stokes Nature Center “From Forest to Fork” wild foods banquet on August 24th of this month. It also channeled images of a black bear in the Tetons, gorging on choke cherries in preparation for its winter big sleep. Picking several pounds of these delectables, I decided to take a broader perspective looking for other virtues of this remarkable plant.

In addition to the above, chokecherry’s tough, springy wood was used for fabricating both bow and arrow, digging sticks, and fish spears. Native people across America routinely smashed the fruits, dried them thoroughly in the sun, and added them to rendered fat and dried meat to produce pemmican, which provided all essential nutrients in one’s diet.

Chokecherry makes a very useful natural dye. To make a dye, pulp the fruit and create a mashed mix of juice and berries. Placing fabric in this mixture will take on the beautiful pinkish red color of the dye. For lighter stains, leave the product in for shorter periods.
Due to their quick and abundant growth, chokecherries have been planted in tree rows for wind protection, for wildlife habitat and for erosion control. Today they grow in a variety of climates and regions around the country.

Nutritionally, the dark purple, red, or almost black berries are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They can be used in vinegar, syrups, jams, juice, and make excellent wine. This small yet potent fruit provides an array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which contribute to its health benefits.

Chokecherry has a variety of medicinal uses. Dried berries were used to treat several bowel conditions, from diarrhea to loss of appetite, and those suffering from ulcers and other conditions. The bark is reported to be a remedy for respiratory ailments, such as a bad cough. The fruit’s high antioxidant content, particularly anthocyanins, is linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, and age-related cognitive decline. Additionally, chokecherries have anti-inflammatory properties and are believed to have a positive effect on the immune system.

This is Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I am Wild About Utah’s wild choke cherries!

Credits:

Picture: Courtesy US FWS and US NPS
Audio: Courtesy & © Anderson, Howe and Wakeman.
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, and Jack Greene, Author, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Jack’s Wild About Utah pieces.

Jack Greene writes: “Legend has it that the young Shoshoni girl Sacajawea was gathering choke cherries when captured by the Hidatsa tribe and later traded to
Lewis and Clark on their voyage of discovery.”
Sacagawea: The Shoshone Woman Who Guided Lewis and Clark
Full History Documentary | History Revealed @History_Revealed01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xssko2bJfNM

 
Chokecherry Prunus virginiana, iNaturalist (Courtesy Wikipedia), https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/54835-Prunus-virginiana

Chokecherry Prunus virginiana, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, The University of Texas at Austin, https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PRVI

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Lakes

USGS scientist Robert Baskin takes a boat out on the Great Salt Lake to conduct research Courtesy USGS, Jennifer LaVista, Photographer
USGS scientist Robert Baskin takes a boat out on the Great Salt Lake to conduct research. Baskin is best known for his innovative research on Great Salt Lake, collaborating with the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and University of Utah to provide information vital for effective lake management.
Courtesy USGS, Jennifer LaVista, Photographer
I’m a lake person born in the Great Lakes region, land of Hiawatha’s “shining big sea waters”. Fishing, hunting, swimming, and boating were at the center of our culture.

Now having lived three fourths of my life in Utah, I’ve found it a well-watered desert with all descriptions of lakes from the intermittent, seasonal, inches deep Sevier Lake to the plunging depths of Bear lake. Utah’s Great Salt Lake has brought us international acclaim, more than any other physical feature, as the Great Lakes have to Michigan. Following the Jordan River a relatively short distance upstream from the Great Salt Lake, freshwater Utah lake glitters in the sun, once thriving with monster Bonneville cutthroat trout, coveted by native peoples and pioneers alike.

Aerial view of Bear Lake, USGS boat, and employees on a water-quality platform, Courtesy USGS, Jake Seawolf,Photographer, (Volunteer for USGS, full-time professional photographer for the US Army.
Aerial view of Bear Lake, USGS boat, and employees on a water-quality platform
Courtesy USGS, Jake Seawolf, Photographer, (Volunteer for USGS, full-time professional photographer for the US Army.

Fish Lake, Courtesy USDA Forest Service Fish Lake
Courtesy USDA Forest Service

Moving to our northern border the turquois Bear Lake beauty startles the senses. A tectonic, earth fractured lake over a quarter millennium old, it is uniquely different from our other naturally occurring lakes, which were created during the last ice age, many formed less than 12,000 years ago.

Heading south, you will find the dazzling Fishlake, our largest high-altitude lake, six miles in length, a mile wide, approaching 9000’ elevation.

Beyond these, our Uintah Mountains are dappled with a head spinning thousand plus glacial lakes, ranging in size from the 1200 acre Mirror Lake to the half acre Boulder tarn lake. (tarn: a small mountain lake) Most occur above 10,000 feet elevation.

“Gods eye” wrote Herny David Thoreau describing Waldon Pond. I often sense the same as I peer into the crystalline depths of our pristine glacial lakes.

Our many artificial reservoir lakes are the most highly visited providing endless pleasure and relief from summer heat. Often their beauty is unmatched for artificial lakes, Flaming Gorge, Lake Powell, Jordanelle, Pineview, Sand Hollow to name a few.

A bit of lake ecology. There are four major categories of lakes from the deep, cold, low productive Oligotrophic like Bear lake, to the highly acidic, dystrophic bog lakes found in the Uintah high country containing little aquatic life. Between are the mesotrophic- Pine View reservoir, Willard Bay, and the eutrophic, highly fertilizer enriched Utah Lake, often suffering from algae blooms, which are becoming more common with a warming climate.

Our deeper lakes enjoy a spring and fall phenomenon called “overturn”. Deeper lakes experience stratification, or stagnation, similar to our atmospheric inversions, with warmer water sitting on top, and colder, heavier water toward the bottom. This causes an oxygen deficit in lower layers, and nutrient deficiency in the upper layers. Once water reaches its highest density of 39.2 degrees Fahrenheit, which occurs during spring warm up and fall cool down, the surface water will sink, forcing nutrients from the depths upward, and bring oxygen from the surface downward. This mixing favors aquatic life from top to bottom of the water column, a joyous occasion!

This is Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I am Wild About Utah’s Great Lakes.

Credits:

Picture: Great Salt Lake and Bear Lake, Courtesy USGS, Fish Lake Courtesy USDA Forest Service
Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/ and Anderson, Howe and Wakeman.
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, and Jack Greene, Author, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Jack’s Wild About Utah pieces.

Judd, Harry Lewis, Utah’s Lakes and Reservoirs, Inventory and Classification of Utah’s Priority Lakes and Reservoirs, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, January 1997, https://lf-public.deq.utah.gov/WebLink/ElectronicFile.aspx?docid=458257

Utah’s Priority Lakes and Reservoirs 1999: Watershed Management Program, Utah Department of Environmental Quality, https://deq.utah.gov/water-quality/watershed-protection/utahs-priority-lakes-and-reservoirs-1999-watershed-management-program

Utah’s 1982 Priority Lakes and Reservoirs List from “Judd” above.
Each lake name is linked to a Google map:

Anderson Meadow Reservoir
Ashley Twin Lakes
Baker Dam Reservoir
Barney Lake
Bear Lake
Beaver Meadow Reservoir
Big East Lake
Big Lake
Big Sand Wash Reservoir
Birch Creek Reservoir #2
Blanding City Reservoir#4
Bridger Lake
Brough Reservoir
Browne Reservoir
Butterfly Lake
[Zelph] Calder Reservoir
Causey Reservoir
China Lake
Cleveland Reservoir
Cook Lake
Currant Creek Reservoir
Dark Canyon Lake
Deer Creek Reservoir
DMAD Reservoir
Donkey Reservoir
Duck Fork Reservoir
East Canyon Reservoir
East Park Reservoir
Echo Reservoir
Electric Lake
Fairview Reservoir #2
Ferron Reservoir
Fish Lake
Flaming Gorge Reservoir
Forsyth Reservoir
Grantsville Reservoir
Gunlock Reservoir
Gunnison Bend Reservoir
Gunnison Reservoir
Hoop Lake
Hoover Lake
Huntington Lake North
Huntington Reservoir
Hyrum Reservoir
Joes Valley Reservoir
Johnson Valley Reservoir
Jordanelle Reservoir
Kens Lake
Kents Lake
Kolob Reservoir
Koosharem Reservoir
Labaron Reservoir
Lake Mary
Lake Powell
Little Creek Reservoir
Little Dell Reservoir
Lloyds Reservoir
Long Park Reservoir
Lost Creek Reservoir
Lower Bowns Reservoir
Lower Box [Creek] Reservoir
Lower Gooseberry Reservoir
Lyman Lake
Manning Meadow Reservoir
Mantua Reservoir
Marsh Lake
Marshall Reservoir
Matt Warner Reservoir
Meeks Cabin Reservoir
Mill Hollow Reservoir
Mill Meadow Reservoir
Miller Flat Reservoir
Millsite Reservoir
Minersville Reservoir
Mirror Lake
Mona Reservoir
Monticello Lake
Moon Lake
Navajo Lake
Newcastle Reservoir
Newton Reservoir
Nine Mile Reservoir
Oak Park Reservoir
Otter Creek Reservoir
Palisades Lake
Panguitch Lake
Paradise Park Reservoir
Pelican Lake
Pine Lake
Pineview Reservoir
Piute Reservoir
Porcupine Reservoir
Posey Lake
Puffer Lake
Pyramid Lake
Quail Creek Reservoir
Recapture Reservoir
Red Creek Reservoir
Red Creek Reservoir (Iron)
Red Fleet Reservoir
Redmond Lake
Rex’s Reservoir
Rockport Reservoir
Rush Lake
Salem Pond
Scofield Reservoir
Scout Lake
Settlement Canyon Reservoir
Sevier Bridge Reservoir [a.k.a. Yuba Reservoir]
Sheep Creek Reservoir
Smith and Morehouse Res
Spirit Lake
Stansbury Lake
Starvation Reservoir
Stateline Reservoir
Steinaker Reservoir
Strawberry Reservoir
Three Creeks Reservoir
Tibbie Fork Reservoir
Tony Grove Reservoir
Trial Lake
Tropic Reservoir
Upper Enterprise Reservoir
Upper Stillwater Reservoir
Utah Lake
Wall Lake
Washington Lake
Whitney Reservoir
Wide Hollow Reservoir
Willard Bay Reservoir
Woodruff Creek Reservoir
Yankee Meadow Reservoir

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Whitebark Pines

Whitebark Pine Courtesy US National Park Service Jen Hooke, Photographer
Whitebark Pine
Courtesy US National Park Service
Jen Hooke, Photographer
Five needle pines- I love them! It was the stately eastern white pine that introduced me to these trees of the five needle clan in my early years in Wisconsin & Michigan. I marveled at their majesty, once the dominant pine of north central and north eastern states, until mostly logged off. Now, about 1% of old growth remains in the US and Canada.

Coming west, I was introduced to other members of the five needle clan- limber pine, whitebark pine, bristlecone pine, and the magnificent western white pine. I’ve found with the exception of the western white pine, the others are difficult to differentiate without examining the cone. The sneaky limber pine can be found at both mid and higher elevations which is a lookalike, sharing the same space as the others, making a fun 3- tree ID game.

It is the whitebark pine that has held my interest more than most for various reasons. First, much like the bristlecone pine, it’s found in high elevations which I’m attracted to for stunning alpine meadows and peak bagging. In Utah that means the Uintahs, high plateaus, and Wasatch mountains, generally found above 10,000 feet.

Secondly, whitebark pine has been struggling from a plethora of assaults, and has been placed on the threatened species list by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Populations of whitebark pine are declining throughout most of the species range because of high levels of mortality from an exotic fungal pathogen that causes the disease white pine blister rust in five-needle pines, and periodic upsurges of the endemic mountain pine beetle. The absence of fire in some forests has also led to advanced succession of shade-tolerant spruce/fir species with subsequent reductions in whitebark pine. Finally, increased atmospheric warming and associated effects from altered precipitation patterns further threaten to reduce the geographic distribution of the species.

As a keystone species, precipitous declines in whitebark pine have cascading effects throughout the ecosystem primarily because of the subalpine and treeline positions the species occupies. When forest stands succumb to mortality, few if any other species exist to fill the structural and functional roles of whitebark pine. Notably, whitebark pine presence dampens snow melt, stabilizes soils, provides cover and birthing habitat, and its seeds are highly nutritious and consumed by a wide array of vertebrate species. For over thirty years researchers and managers have sought to understand whitebark pine ecology, and to devise and implement procedures to reduce population decline and restore these valuable high-elevation ecosystems.

Last, many of my favorite critters, including us humans, are dependent on this pine. Grizzlies and black bears feast on the cones, as do Clark’s Nutcrackers, Steller’s Jays, Pine Grosbeaks, and a host of small rodents. Many native tribes would harvest the highly nutritional cones, similar to the pinyon pine in food value.

This is Jack Green for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I’m Wild About Utah and its vanishing Whitebark pines!

Credits:

Picture: Whitebark Pine, Courtesy US National Park Service, Jen Hooke, Photographer
Audio: Courtesy & © Kevin Colver https://wildstore.wildsanctuary.com/
Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/
Additional Reading: Lyle W Bingham, Webmaster, and Jack Greene, Author, Bridgerland Audubon, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading:

Jack Greene’s Postings on Wild About Utah, https://wildaboututah.org/author/jack/

Whitebark Pine, National Park Service, https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/whitebark-pine-klamath-network.htm

Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis), U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, https://www.fws.gov/species/whitebark-pine-pinus-albicaulis

Apodaca, Nicolas, The Future of White Pines in the West, Sustainability Education, University of Utah, March 20, 2019, https://sustainability.utah.edu/the-future-of-white-pines-in-the-west/

Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, https://whitebarkfound.org/