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Climate Data Recording

USU Climate Measurement Instrument Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer
USU Climate Measurement Instrument
Courtesy & Copyright Mary Heers, Photographer
Last week while walking across the Utah State University campus, I rounded the Northeast corner of the University Inn and suddenly found myself face to face with a giant stick figure made of steel tubing. Painted a gleaming white, it looked like an elegant butler standing stiffly at attention. Planted firming on three sturdy legs, its rectangular body soared up 12 feet, and two of its outstretched arms seemed to be holding a bowl in one hand and a ball in the other.

Then I noticed the interactive display pedestal nearby. I discovered my “butler” was actually holding a rain gauge and an air temperature sensor. In fact, there were almost 30 sensors attached to the frame. Tapping on each picture of the sensor, I could see the exact measurement it was making at the moment. More tapping and I could look back as far as 500 days ago.

This magnificent machine was recording data so smoothly that I had to laugh when I remembered how in the early days of climate monitoring it wasn’t so easy.

In the 1980’s, after moving to Cache Valley, I was getting used to the cold temperatures and wondering how cold could it get. The engineers at Campbell Scientific, including my husband Art, had just developed a new temperature and wind sensor that could record its measurements into a box. The box would then send a radio signal to a relay station on top of Mt Logan, and then on to the base computer in Logan. They installed the sensor at Peter Sinks, near the summit overlooking Bear Lake. Then they sat down in front of the base computer to wait. They watched the temp drop, -55, -65. Then a tiny gust of air would blow by and the temperature would rise. Finally, they went to bed. But the datalogger kept working. In the morning, they looked at the data sheet – and there it was in black and white: -69.3 degrees Fahrenheit! In the early morning Feb 1, 1985, a record was set for the coldest temp ever recorded in Utah that still stands today.

But my favorite memory from the early days is the farm kid who bought one of the first Campbell Scientific dataloggers, the CR10. Art and I were on a road trip when he realized we were close by. We rang the doorbell. His mother told us to go upstairs. There was the young kid sitting on his bed. The CR10 was on the floor. He showed us how the datalogger was recording the level of oxygen in the water in his nearby catfish pond. When the Oxygen level dropped to a dangerous low, the CR10 would turn on a giant eggbeater-like machine that would throw the pond water high into the air. When the water fell down, it carried Oxygen with it into the pond. The kid was all smiles. Gone were the days when he had to get up every night at 3 am, march through heavy mud, check his Oxygen sensor, and manually turn on the eggbeater.

The kid pointed to the CR10 on the floor.

“Piece of your brain in there?” he asked Art.

“Yes,” answered Art, “And a piece of my heart.”

This is Mary Heers and I’m Wild About Utah.

Credits:
Photos: Courtesy and Copyright Mary Heers,
Featured Audio: Courtesy & © Anderson, Howe and Wakeman
Text: Mary Heers, https://cca.usu.edu/files/awards/art-and-mary-heers-citation.pdf
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah, Mary Heers’ Wild About Utah Postings

Peter Sinks Temperature Monitoring, Utah Climate Center at Utah State University, https://climate.usu.edu/PeterSinks/

Tonks, Sara, Peter Sinks, UT, Was Over 50 Degrees Below Zero Wednesday Morning. Here’s Why That’s Both Unusual And Normal, Weather News, The Weather Channel, February 13, 2025, https://weather.com/news/weather/news/2025-02-13-temperature-sinks-cold-explained-geography

Campbell Scientific, Inc., https://www.campbellsci.com/
Company History, https://www.campbellsci.com/history

Franchi, John, Man reflects on recording all-time Utah low temperature in 1985, Fox 13 News, Scripps Media, Inc., February 03, 2023, https://www.fox13now.com/news/local-news/man-reflects-on-recording-all-time-utah-low-temperature-in-1985

Davis, Jim, Where is the COOLEST Spot in Utah?, Survey Notes, v. 45 no. 3, September 2013, Utah Geological Service, Utah Department of Natural Resources, https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/glad-you-asked/coolest-spot-in-utah/

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Forests

Forest Courtesy Pixabay, "Tom" a.k.a. Analogicus, Contributor
Forest
Courtesy Pixabay, “Tom” a.k.a. Analogicus, Contributor
Forests are beyond amazing! As a field ecologist for the U.S. Forest Service, and chairing the Smithfield City Tree Committee, their branches and roots have penetrated deep into my heartwood!

A community of trees has much in common with human communities. Trees nurture and protect one another through an intricate web of roots and mycelium. When one member of the community is suffering, other members will send resources to ward off attacks, and send water and nutrients to help the stressed tree recover.

By third grade you’ve probably learned they produce oxygen and absorb green house gases, cool the earth, filter the air, provide wildlife habitat. By fifth grade add protect watersheds, provide safe drinking water, protect communities from floods and landslides. Additionally, Older trees absorb and store more carbon dioxide than younger trees, helping us fight climate change. Many species of life are found only in mature old growth forests, adding to biodiversity. They provide banks of knowledge for complex ecosystems and blueprints for natural forest processes.

As a Wilderness Ranger and recreationist, I’ve trapsed through many of Utah’s Old Growth Forests. Thanks to our National Parks, Monuments, and other public lands, we have preserved remnants of Old Growth. Magnificent ponderosa pine yet exist in Zion and Bryce Canyon national parks. I’ve found pockets of Engleman spruce in the remote parts of our national forests, along with blue spruce on Cedar Mountain and south slope of the Uintahs along river corridors. Most of old growth Douglas fir was logged off in the late 1800s.

For myself, entering an old growth forest is a spiritual experience. I stand in awe while their majesty, deep history and resilience reach deep into my core. Silence sweeps over me, interrupted by bird song, squirrel chatter, and a whisp of wind in upper branches.

For Native American cultures that developed with, and in many cases shaped the old-growth forests, they harvested medicinal plants, berries, game, or old trees and bark for ceremonial or practical use. They would tend the forest to improve ecosystem services, occasionally burning forests to complementing its utilitarian value.

Thus my alarm sounded when the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation that would fast-track logging projects on federal lands, and the U.S. Forest Service has proposed opening hundreds of thousands of acres of mature (old growth) forests to commercial logging. R oads built through it will take centuries to recover. Our old growth forests are worth far more standing- economically, and for ecosystem services they provide.

Logging is warranted in younger forests, and for fire breaks near human development, while protecting water and airsheds, and sensitive species, but please, please allow Old Growth forests to continue on for the centuries it took to create them!

Jack Greene for Bridgerland Audubon Society, and I’m Wild about Utah’s Old Growth Forests!

Credits:

Picture: Forest, Courtesy Pixabay, "Tom" a.k.a. Analogicus, Contributor
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/

Popkin, Gabriel, How much U.S. forest is old growth? It depends who you ask, Science, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 26 Apr 2023, https://www.science.org/content/article/how-much-u-s-forest-old-growth-it-depends-who-you-ask

Franklin, Marcy, “The benefits of public wildlands, explained,” Vox, October 9, 2017. https://act.environmentamerica.org/go/6644?t=4&akid=6407%2E1385290%2EtS_2YB
Original: https://www.vox.com/ad/16447278/wildlands-benefits-protection
US House of Representatives, “H.R.471 – Fix Our Forests Act,” Congress.gov, March 6, 2025. https://act.environmentamerica.org/go/4036?t=5&akid=6407%2E1385290%2EtS_2YB

Mapes, Lynda V., “Proposed changes would allow more logging on federal land in Northwest,” Seattle Times, December 23, 2024. https://act.environmentamerica.org/go/4787?t=6&akid=6407%2E1385290%2EtS_2YB
Original: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/climate-lab/proposed-changes-would-allow-more-logging-on-federal-land-in-northwest/

Montgomery, Ellen, and English, Amelia, “The “Fix Our Forests Act” won’t actually fix our forests,” Environment America, January 22, 2025. https://act.environmentamerica.org/go/1541?email_blast=-10076407&t=7&akid=6407%2E1385290%2EtS_2YB
Original: https://environmentamerica.org/articles/the-fix-our-forests-act-wont-actually-fix-our-forests/

Ehrlich, April, “Northwest Forest Plan update continues, despite termination of national old growth proposal,” Oregon Public Broadcasting, January 8, 2025. https://act.environmentamerica.org/go/4786?t=8&akid=6407%2E1385290%2EtS_2YB
Original: https://www.opb.org/article/2025/01/08/northwest-forest-plan-update-continues-despite-termination-of-national-old-growth-proposal/

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Eye to Eye

Eye to Eye: Lone Peak Wilderness Courtesy and Copyright Eric Newell, Photographer
Lone Peak Wilderness
Courtesy and Copyright Eric Newell, Photographer
If you spend enough time in the wilds you acquire some remarkable stories. I’ve had some noteworthy wildlife encounters over the years, but one stands out from long ago.

In May, 1991, two high school friends and I headed for Thunder Bowl in the Wasatch Range, with skis on our packs. We had a long slog ahead of us.

Lone Peak Wilderness Courtesy and Copyright Eric Newell, Photographer
Lone Peak Wilderness Courtesy and Copyright Eric Newell, Photographer
Two hours and 3,000 vertical feet into our journey we began to encounter spring snow. As we moved through a leafless stand of aspen trees, we spotted a Rocky Mountain goat high on the glacier-polished granite cliffs. What was unusual was the behavior of this particular goat. She crisscrossed her way down the granite wall, leaping and sliding—frantically at times—on the verge of tumbling head-over hooves, with a reckless display of athletic skill.

Then loud and distinct human-like cries halted our stride. The goat stopped, then took one last heart-stopping leap to a narrow ledge.

Trapped from descending further, the goat paced nervously back and forth, peering down 150 feet to the forest floor were we were curiously standing. Another set of eerie cries, amplified by the granite walls, shattered the silence again.

Mountain Goat with Kid, Oreamnos Americanus, Courtesy US FWS, Lawrence S Smith, Photographer
Mountain Goat with Kid
Oreamnos Americanus
Courtesy US FWS, Lawrence S Smith, Photographer
The mountain goat hung her head and slowly, deliberately, began to ascend the canyon wall.

My friends shrugged and started to move again. I dropped my pack in the snow. “Let’s go see what’s making all the racket,” I said.

They wanted to keep moving. I told them I’d catch up soon.

Wearing only a pair of shorts and my hiking boots, 17 year-old me, crept carefully into the aspen grove, making my way towards the base of the cliff in a round-about way, scanning the forest constantly, but I did not see anything. Whatever it was, was gone. So I cut back towards the trail. As I approached two giant boulders resting side by side, I noticed movement on the ground.

I stooped to pick up a tuft of thick white wool and rolled it in my fingers. Mountain Goat wool. Another tuft of wool trundled towards me in the breeze. Goat wool littered the ground ahead of me. I stood up, took a long slow breath, and stepped between the boulders.

A massive cougar crouched over her kill, 20 feet away. Her thick, tan fur could not hide the muscular contours of her shoulders and back. The snow at her feet was red–bright red. The lion looked up. Our eyes locked. Time stopped. I was aware of every single detail of this consummate predator’s yellow eyes.

I was too full of absolute awe and stunned marvel to feel even a remote strand of fear. It remains one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. One or two seconds passed. That is all.
There was a blur of silent movement, a glimpse of hind legs and a long tail flung high in the air, and a thrashing of brush. The cougar was gone.

My attention shifted to the crumpled newborn mountain goat on the ground in front of me. Steam rose from the pooled blood on the miniature ribcage. The little goat’s wool was pure white and contrasted with jet-back hooves and eyes.

The prints in the snow told the story. The cougar circled the newborn prey, slowly decreasing her radius. I imagine her head low, beneath shoulder blades oscillating in slow motion, and eyes laser focused. The two-week-old goat turned in an even tighter circle, letting out a series of cries, as the mother goat paced helplessly, watching from the narrow ledge above. A lethal pounce from the cougar synchronized with the final cries of the little goat—the cries we heard from the trail.

Mountain Lion Courtesy US FWS Larry Moats, Photographer
Mountain Lion (Cougar)
Courtesy US FWS
Larry Moats, Photographer
A pair of giant cat tracks, left behind when the cougar fled, were embedded in the snow bank. I set my outstretched hand and fingers into the paw prints. Then I stood up. High above, through the barren aspen branches, I could see the nanny goat on the gray-granite cliffs, peering down. I scanned the woods for one more glimpse of the big cat. I wondered where she was hiding, knowing she was watching.

At that moment I came to my senses. I realized I needed to leave and not interfere with the cycles that were in motion. I turned and walked back towards my pack on the trail, then hurried to catch my friends—glancing over my shoulder from time to time—all the while thinking about those piercing yellow eyes.

I’m Eric Newell and I am wild about Utah’s wild public lands

Credits:
Images: Lone Peak Wilderness Courtesy and Copyright Eric Newell, Photographer
Mountain Goat with Kid, Courtesy US FWS, Lawrence S Smith, Photographer, https://images.fws.gov/
Mountain Lion, Courtesy US FWS, Larry Moat, Photographer, https://images.fws.gov/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & © Anderson, Wakeman and Howe.
Text: Eric Newell, Edith Bowen Laboratory School, Utah State University
Additional Reading: Eric Newell

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah Pieces by Eric Newell

Shughart, Hilary, Mountain Lions Are Keystone Providers for Birds!, Wild About Utah, May 1, 2023, https://wildaboututah.org/mountain-lions-are-keystone-providers-for-birds/

Leavitt, Shauna, Cougars in Utah, Wild About Utah, October 7, 2019, https://wildaboututah.org/cougars-in-utah/

Greene, Jack, My Cougar Encounter, Wild About Utah, January 16, 2017, https://wildaboututah.org/my-cougar-encounter/

Strand, Holly, Mountain Lion, Wild About Utah, March 4, 2010, https://wildaboututah.org/mountain-lion/

Mountain Lion or Courgar – Puma concolor, Fieldguide, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, https://fieldguide.wildlife.utah.gov/?species=puma%20concolor

What to do if you encounter a mountain lion in Utah, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, May 21, 2024, https://wildlife.utah.gov/news/utah-wildlife-news/1906-what-to-do-if-you-encounter-a-mountain-lion-in-utah.html

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Las luciérnagas encuentran el amor en Utah

Las luciérnagas encuentran el amor en Utah: Las luciérnagas (Firefly), Courtesy Pixabay, Francisco Javier Corado Rivera, Contributor
Las luciérnagas (Firefly),
Courtesy Pixabay, Francisco Javier Corado Rivera, Contributor
Mi nombre es Kate, y me llamo Carlos, y hoy este Wild About Utah está en español e inglés. Esta historia también, se puede escuchar on line en UPR.org

Contra todo pronóstico, las luciérnagas encuentran el amor aquí en Utah. En lugares como el Parque de las Luciérnagas en Nibley, puedes ver estas deslumbrantes linternas bailar y rebotar a partir de principios de junio. Ver estas luciérnagas es mágico, aún más cuando sabes lo que les costó brillar cada noche.

El primer desafío que enfrenta una luciérnaga es encontrar un buen hábitat húmedo aquí en el árido Utah. Encontrar un hábitat oscuro y húmedo puede ser difícil, pero de alguna manera las luciérnagas lo han logrado y lo han hecho en Utah desde posiblemente 1929. Una vez que una luciérnaga encuentra un buen lugar, ahora tienen que encontrarse entre sí. Hacer esto requiere precisión y química. En su linterna abdominal, la enzima luciferasa debe abrazar tanto la luciferina como una molécula de energía estrechamente para ayudar a combinar sus partes.

Luego, la luciferina se combina con oxígeno para formar la energética oxiluciferasa. Al igual que un niño con demasiados dulces, la oxiluciferasa ahora está desesperada por liberar algo de energía antes de que sea demasiada. Esto lo hace liberando un fotón que emite luz y vemos la magia ante nuestros ojos. Como si crear luz dentro del cuerpo no fuera suficiente, ahora deben ajustar su señal a su especie y encontrarse entre sí. Cada especie tiene un código morse único de luz que necesitan parpadear para encontrarse.

Ahora, digamos que una luciérnaga llega a un hábitat pantanoso y conoce al amor de su corta vida de 3 semanas, ahora puede comenzar el romance. Los machos y hembras copulan durante horas, permaneciendo quietos y pegados de extremo a extremo. Durante este tiempo, el macho le da a la hembra lo que se llama un regalo nupcial lleno de proteínas junto con su esperma. ¡Si eso no es romántico, no sé qué lo es!

Las hembras almacenarán este regalo y lo digerirán durante varios días para ayudarla a obtener las proteínas necesarias para poner sus huevos. Una vez puestos, estos huevos tardarán entre unos pocos meses a 2 años en convertirse en adultos, donde iluminarán su corazón para repetir el proceso.

Para mi entender la naturaleza y los pequeños detalles de ella me llena de satisfacción, el saber que es tan perfecta. Esa pequeña luz llena esperanza, nos muestra que el mañana sera mejor.

Mi nombre es Kate y me llamo Carlos y estamos locos por Utah.

Credits:
English Version: Fireflies Find Love in Utah, https://wildaboututah.org/fireflies-find-love-in-utah/
Images: Courtesy Pixabay, Francisco Javier Corado, Rivera, Contributor, https://pixabay.com/photos/insect-nature-yard-firefly-5151913/
Featured Audio: Courtesy & Copyright Anderson, Howe, & Wakeman
Text: Kate Hunter & Carlos Ramos, https://logannature.org/staff
Additional Reading: Lyle Bingham, https://bridgerlandaudubon.org/

Additional Reading

Wild About Utah Pieces by Kate Hunter https://wildaboututah.org/author/kate-hunter/
Wild About Utah Pieces by Carlos Ramos https://wildaboututah.org/author/carlos-ramos/

Strand, Holly, Firefly Light, Wild About Utah, June 20, 2013, https://wildaboututah.org/firefly-light/

Hellstern, Ron, June Fireflies, Wild About Utah, June 19, 2017, https://wildaboututah.org/june-fireflies/

Bills, Christy, Fireflies, Wild About Utah, May 15, 2019, https://wildaboututah.org/fireflies/

Heers, Mary, Fireflies at Nibley Firefly Park, Wild About Utah, May 23, 2022, https://wildaboututah.org/see-fireflies-at-nibley-firefly-park/

Join Stokes Nature Center for their firefly tours, from 9:15-10:15 at Virgil Gibbons Heritage Park/Firefly Park in Nibley, UT!
All nights are offered in English while June 6 and 7th will also have Spanish Tours
Dates and Links to Ticketing are Here:
–   June 3rd-https://givebutter.com/firefly25-june3
–   June 5th-https://givebutter.com/firefly25-june5
–   June 6th-https://givebutter.com/firefly25-june6 (Tours offered in Spanish as well)
–   June 7th-https://givebutter.com/firefly25-june7 (Tours offered in Spanish as well)