Mark Larese-Casanova, Author at Wild About Utah

April 26, 2012March 1, 2018

The History of Our National Forests

Click to view larger image of Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees clearing the land for soil conservation, Photo Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library (NLFDR) — Civilian Conservation Corps
enrollees clearing the land
for soil conservation
Photo Courtesy National Archive
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library (NLFDR)

Terraces near Mount Nebo trailhead
Payson Canyon
Photo Courtesy & Copyright © 2011
Lyle W. Bingham, Photographer

Albert Potter
Photo Courtesy USDA Forest Service
The Greatest Good
A Forest Service Centennial Film

Click to view larger image of Terraces near Mount Nebo Trailhead, Photo Courtesy & Copyright © 2011 Lyle W. Bingham, Photographer — Civilian Conservation Corps
enrollees clearing the land
for soil conservation
Photo Courtesy National Archive
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library (NLFDR)

Terraces near Mount Nebo trailhead
Payson Canyon
Photo Courtesy & Copyright © 2011
Lyle W. Bingham, Photographer

Albert Potter
Photo Courtesy USDA Forest Service
The Greatest Good
A Forest Service Centennial Film

Hi, this is Mark Larese-Casanova from the Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.

Warm springtime weather brings clear trails up in the mountains, and hiking through the shade of Douglas-fir on a warm weekend day had me wondering about Utah’s National Forests and how they came to be.

Back in the days of the early pioneers, Utah’s mountains were recognized as resources for survival, providing clean water for drinking and irrigation and lumber for building homes. The high mountain pastures were also valuable summer forage for livestock. In the late 1840’s, Parley Pratt declared, “The supply of pasture for grazing animals is without limit in every direction. Millions of people could live in these countries and raise cattle and sheep to any amount.” Many settlers shared this view, and unmanaged grazing resulted in deteriorated rangelands in just 20 to 30 years. By 1860, some Utah towns were experiencing regular flooding and heavy erosion due to insufficient vegetation to stabilize the soil. Unregulated wholesale timber harvesting during the same period also contributed to these conditions.

In 1881, the US Department of Agriculture’s Division of Forestry (later renamed the Forest Service) was established, and its first job was to gather information about the condition of the nation’s forests. In 1902, Albert F. Potter, who was the inspector of grazing for the General Land Office, conducted a survey of potential Forest Reserves in Utah. Potter stated that “the ranges of the State have suffered from a serious drought for several years past, and this, in addition to the very large number of livestock, especially of sheep, has caused the summer range to be left in a very barren…condition.”

The demand for lumber and wool during the First World War again led to increased timber harvesting and grazing on our forests. During the Great Depression of the 1930’s, Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to help implement conservation projects across the country. The CCC was fundamental in re-foresting much of the Wasatch and Uinta Mountain ranges, planting over three million trees in nine years.

Utah’s Forest Reserves were created in the years soon after Albert Potter’s surveys, and were gradually combined into Utah’s seven National Forests that now cover approximately 10,500,000 acres, or about 20%, of the state. Grazing and timber harvesting still occur on much of Utah’s National Forests, but our practices are supported by scientific research and over a century of experience, ensuring more sustainable multiple use and management of our forests today.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Mark Larese-Casanova.

Credits:
Images: Courtesy National Archives, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
and Courtesy and Copyright © 2011 Lyle W. Bingham
Text: Mark Larese-Casanova, Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.

Additional Reading:

Baldridge, K.W. The Civilian Conservation Corps in Utah. Utah History To Go.
https://historytogo.utah.gov/utah_chapters/from_war_to_war/thecivilianconservationcorps.html

Prevedel, D.A., and C.M. Johnson. 2005. Beginnings of Range Management: Albert F. Potter, First Chief of Grazing, U.S. Forest Service, and a Photographic Comparison of his 1902 Forest Reserve Survey in Utah with Conditions 100 Years Later. United States Department of Agriculture, US Forest Service. R4-VM 2005-01. https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/r4_vm20005_01.pdf

March 22, 2012June 30, 2020

The Call of Springtime- Utah’s frogs and toads

Click to view larger image of Columbia Spotted Frog, Photo Courtesy US FWS — Single Chorus Frog
Photo Courtesy US FWS
Katherine Whittemore, Photographer

Columbia Spotted Frog
Photo Courtesy US FWS

Woodhouse’s toad
Photo Courtesy US FWS
Gary M. Stolz, Photographer

Hi, this is Mark Larese-Casanova from the Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.

For me, nothing rings in the arrival of spring like a chorus of frogs and toads at the nearby wetlands. Male frogs and toads emerge from hibernation in spring to establish territories along the edges of wetlands, and the females return to find mates and lay eggs.

The most common native frog that can be heard in spring is the western, or boreal, chorus frog. It’s our western equivalent of the spring peeper in the east. The call of this tiny frog is unmistakable- just run your fingernail along the teeth of a comb.

The introduction of the American bullfrog west of the Rocky Mountains has contributed to declines in native amphibian populations. Adult bullfrogs are voracious eaters, consuming nearly anything that will fit in their mouths. Other tadpoles, smaller frogs, insects, and even mice make a tasty meal for a bullfrog. Their great ability to outcompete native frogs has contributed to their abundance among Utah’s wetlands statewide. Their low, humming call seems to fill the air in springtime.

Northern leopard frogs were once quite common in Utah, but it’s thought that they are in decline. As one of the largest native frogs, it has perhaps suffered the most from competition with bullfrogs. Still, leopard frogs can be found throughout Utah. Keep an ear out for their low tapping call.

The two most common toads in Utah are Woodhouse’s toad and the Great Basin spadefoot toad. Since toads are usually more terrestrial than frogs, they can often be found further away from water. The call of Woodhouse’s toad is enough to put anyone on edge in the middle of the night!

Spadefoot toads are very common at lower elevations in Utah’s deserts. But, they spend most of their time buried in the soil, emerging to breed only during spring and summer rainstorms.

Less-common species include the boreal toad and Columbia spotted frog among wetlands in the mountains, and southern Utah is home to the canyon treefrog and red-spotted toad.

The best time to listen for frogs and toads is just after sunset in an area close to water. To learn more about Utah’s frogs and toads, and to join a volunteer frog monitoring program, get connected with Utah’s Chapter FrogWatch USA on Facebook, or visit wildaboututah.org.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Mark Larese-Casanova.
Credits:

Images: Courtesy US FWS images.fws.gov

Text: Mark Larese-Casanova, Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.
Additional Reading:

Utah Conservation Data Center https://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/ucdc/

FrogWatch USA. Field Guide for Northern Utah. Utah’s Chapter FrogWatch USA. Suzanne Zgraggen (szgraggen [at] hoglezoo.org)

https://www.aza.org/frogwatch/

https://www.aza.org/frogs-in-utah/

February 23, 2012March 1, 2018

Sleeping the Winter Away

Click to view larger image of male Black Bear, Photo Courtesy US FWS, Mike Bender, Photographer — This Black Bear will retain heat
much better during hibernation
because it has a larger body
compared to the area of its outer
surface and it has thicker fur
compared to smaller animals
Photo Courtesy US FWS
Mike Bender, Photographer

Mountain Chickadee
Even though some small birds, like chickadees, may enter torpor,
they use almost all of their
energy stores each night.
Courtesy & Copyright
Photographer: Stephen Peterson

Click to view the Mountain Chickadee, courtesy and copyright Stephen Peterson — This Black Bear will retain heat
much better during hibernation
because it has a larger body
compared to the area of its outer
surface and it has thicker fur
compared to smaller animals
Photo Courtesy US FWS
Mike Bender, Photographer

Mountain Chickadee
Even though some small birds, like chickadees, may enter torpor,
they use almost all of their
energy stores each night.
Courtesy & Copyright
Photographer: Stephen Peterson

Hi, this is Mark Larese-Casanova from the Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.

While I’ve mentioned how certain animals are well adapted to being active in winter, some choose to save their energy and sleep the winter away. Maintaining a constant body temperature in winter, when air temperature is relatively low, can require consuming great amounts of energy stores, such as fat. This can be especially difficult during a time of year when food is scarce.

Smaller animals especially struggle with heat loss because, relative to their body size, they have much more surface area from which they can lose heat. Compare a mouse to a bear- the bear will retain heat much better because it has a larger body compared to the area of its outer surface. Not to mention, a bear’s fur is much thicker than that of a mouse!

For certain animals, it makes sense to lower body temperature while being inactive so that they can conserve as much energy stores as possible. This can happen in several different ways. Sleeping for part of a daily cycle can conserve a little energy since body temperatures drop slightly during sleep. If air temperatures are particularly low and food is scarce, some animals will enter torpor, allowing their body temperatures to drop closer to air temperatures in order to save even more energy. An animal can be in torpor for just a night, or perhaps a few days. If it is able to store enough energy reserves and can survive a decrease in body temperature for longer periods, some mammals may enter deep torpor and hibernate for several weeks or months in the winter. During this time, the rate of energy consumption is just a small fraction of what it might normally be when the animal is active.

Body size and energy stores influence just how inactive an animal can be in winter. Some of our smallest mammals, such as shrews and mice, lose heat so readily and can store so little fat that they cannot afford to hibernate. They must always find food in order to survive. Even though some small birds, like the black-capped chickadee, may enter torpor, they use almost all of their energy stores each night. If they fail to replenish their fat reserves each day, they might not survive.

The true hibernators are the mid-sized mammals. While ground squirrels, jumping mice, and bats may hibernate for much of the winter, they occasionally wake up for a day or two of activity. Even larger mammals, including raccoons, skunks, and bears, don’t actually need to hibernate. Their body temperature drops just a little, and they are able to survive on their stored fat simply by sleeping.

So, while I sometimes envy the true hibernators on some of those cold winter days in Utah, I’m still thankful that I can adapt to winter and enjoy our great outdoors year-round.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Mark Larese-Casanova.

Credits:

Images: Courtesy US FWS and Stephen Peterson, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Text: Mark Larese-Casanova, Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.
Additional Reading:

Heinrich, B. (2009). Winter world: The ingenuity of animal survival. Harper Perennial.

Eckert, R., D. Randall, and G. Augustine. Animal physiology: Mechanisms and adaptations. W. H. Freeman and Company.

January 26, 2012April 8, 2021

The Shape of Wildlife in Winter

Hi, this is Mark Larese-Casanova from the Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.

Now that snow is finally accumulating in Utah’s mountains, weekend hiking trips have come to an end. But, that means it’s time to dust off the snowshoes and skis and get back outside. We humans are lucky in that we have countless types of gear to help us adapt to almost all winter conditions.

While a fur coat might help keep mammals warm or camouflaged in winter, there are many other adaptations that also aid in winter survival. Decreased mobility in deep snow can often prevent animals from finding food, possibly causing starvation in winter.

Some animals have feet that are particularly large for their body size, which helps them travel on top of deep snow. One of the best examples of this adaptation can be found in snowshoe hares. Snowshoe hare prints are easy to spot among the spruce and fir trees- the large teardrop-shaped hind feet leave prints that look like the hare was wearing miniature snowshoes, which is how it got its name.

While some animals are adapted to walk on top of deep snow, others do their best to simply walk though it. The long, slender legs of moose help keep the majority of their bodies above the snow, minimizing the energy required to travel in winter.

Instead of walking on top of or through the snow, small mammals such as mice and voles travel under the snow. As snow accumulates, mice and voles create vast networks of tunnels on top of the ground, but under the snow. This subnivean environment is typically warmer than air temperature above the snow, and still provides access to food, such as grasses, seeds, and bark.

Short-tailed weasels, also known in winter as ermine, have a long, slender body shape that allows them to invade subnivean tunnels to prey upon smaller mammals. As long as its head can fit into a tunnel, its narrower body can follow. This adaptation comes with a price, though. Slender bodies lose heat quickly, so weasels must consume around one-third of their body weight in food each day in order to produce enough heat to survive.

So while deep powder might seem like a winter wonderland to those of us who can adapt with the right gear, other mammals continually struggle to stay warm and find food. Some, however, choose to give up the fight and sleep the winter away.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Mark Larese-Casanova.

Credits:

Images: Pending rights approval
Text: Mark Larese-Casanova, Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension.
Additional Reading:

Ellsworth, E. Surviving the winter: The importance of snowshoe hare foraging behavior. BEHAVE: Stories of Applied Animal Behavior. University of Idaho. Available at: https://www.cnr.uidaho.edu/range556/appl_behave/projects/hare_forage.html

Gellhorn, J. (2002). Song of the alpine: The Rocky Mountain tundra through the seasons. Johnson Books.

Lieberg, A. (2009). Charismatic minifauna. Northwest Connections. Available at: https://www.northwestconnections.org/documents/news/EOE_09feb26_Lieberg.pdf