Wild About Utah

March 27, 2014March 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.

The History
of our
National Forests

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

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

CCC Camps in Utah, CCClegacy.org https://www.ccclegacy.org/CCC_Camps_Utah.html

March 20, 2014March 1, 2018

Tick Tock

Hi I’m Holly Strand from the Quinney College of Natural Resources at Utah State University.

It’s springtime–bringing warm light-filled days, colorful blooms, chirping birds and bloodthirsty ticks. Ticks are arachnids like spiders and scorpions. They vary in size, shape, and color. But they all have barbed feeding tubes that they use to excavate a hole in your skin so they can bury their heads and suck your blood. Their accordion-like bodies expand as they sip and sip and sip.

Most ticks go through three life stages after hatching: six-legged larva, eight legged nymph and then adult. The ticks need a single blood meal during each of these life stages. To get this meal, ticks wait for their victims–usually a mammal–using a behavior called “questing.” Questing ticks crawl up the stems of grass or perch on the edges of leaves and extend their front legs–like a toddler signaling he wants to be picked up. The presence of carbon dioxide, or heat, or movement let the tick know that a meal may be passing by soon and the tick gets ready. When a passing animal brushes the tick’s extended legs, the tick simply climbs on board. It doesn’t jump. It just feels and attaches. Some ticks will bore in immediately and others will cruise around looking for a spot where the skin is thin and blood vessels closer to the surface.

This head-burying and blood-sucking behavior alone gives ticks an unsavory reputation. But of course ticks are also dangerous in that they transmit disease through their saliva. The Rocky Mountain wood tick and American dog tick have been found to feed on Utahns. Both can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia, also known as rabbit fever.

The Western black-legged tick is another Utah native. It’s a vector for lyme disease. According to the Utah Dept of Public Health, it does appear that a small number of individuals may have acquired the disease in Utah. Human transmission from this tick has definitely occurred in California.

Ticks can be found in grasses, shrublands, forests—basically everywhere. Ticks in hotter, arid parts of the state reach peak activity in April and May while ticks at higher elevations are active from May through July. Ticks in all geographic areas are active in the fall as temperatures cool and moisture increases.

Now that I’ve frightened you, know that the chance of getting a tick born disease in Utah is still small. In spite of its name, the vast majority of Rocky Mountain spotted fever cases are reported in eastern and central states. And in any given year there will probably be less than 10 cases of each disease mentioned. And they are all treatable if caught early. So don’t let fear of ticks keep you inside. Just remember that they are out there and check for them when you’ve been brushing up against vegetation.

To remove a tick, do NOT burn it with a hot match or smother it in petroleum jelly. These methods can make a tick burrow deeper before dying. Instead, remove the tick as quickly as possible using the fine tipped tweezers that you carry in your first aid kit.

For more information including tips on tick avoidance and removal go to www.wildaboututah.org.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Image: Courtesy Bugwood.org, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Text: Holly Strand

Sources & Additional Reading

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pages on Preventing Tick Bites; Life Cycle and Hard Ticks that Spread Disease
https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html [Accessed March 19, 2014]

James, Angela M. 2006. Distribution, Seasonality, and Hosts of the Rocky Mountain Wood Tick in the United States. Journal of Medical Entomology 43(1):17.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/7272126_Distribution_seasonality_and_hosts_of_the_Rocky_Mountain_wood_tick_in_the_United_States

McDade, J E and V F Newhouse. 1986. Natural History of Rickettsia Rickettsii
Annual Review of Microbiology. Vol. 40: 287-309
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.mi.40.100186.001443

USU Extension. 2010. Ticks and Associated Diseases Occurring in Utah. Utah Pests News. Volume IV. Summer 2010.
https://utahpests.usu.edu/htm/utah-pests-news/summer2010&ticks

Utah Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology.
Fact sheets on Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia and lyme disease.
https://health.utah.gov/epi/fact_sheets/Default.htm

Utah Department of Health, Bureau of Epidemiology.
Historical Communicable Disease Reports 1980 to present.
https://health.utah.gov/epi/100yr/100yr.html

Skerrett, Patrick. 2013. Matchless strategy for tick removal; 6 steps to avoid tick bites. Harvard Medical School Health Blog. Posted June 7, 2013.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/matchless-strategy-for-tick-removal-6-steps-to-avoid-tick-bites-201306076360

Zimmer, Carl. 2013. Outside Magazine, June issue.
https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/science/feeding-frenzy.html

March 13, 2014July 9, 2020

Robins in Winter

American Robin
*Turdus migratorius*
Courtesy US FWS, images.fws.gov
Dr. Thomas G. Barnes, Photographer

American Robin
*Turdus migratorius*
Courtesy US FWS, images.fws.gov
Lee Karney, Photographer

Robin with Chicks in Nest
Courtesy US FWS, images.fws.gov
James C. Leopold, Photographer

The American robin with its abundance, red breast, and loud song is one of the most recognizable backyard birds in North America. For many of us the robin – or Turdus migratorius – is also thought of as a herald of spring. So why is it that we still occasionally see them in our wintry Utah backyards?

Seasonal bird migration can be triggered by a number of things, but the two main drivers are food supply and nesting habitat. In spring and summer the birds move northward to take advantage of insect hatches, budding plants, and the plethora of nesting sites. Then, as food sources dwindle in fall, the birds move southward to areas where the necessary resources are still plentiful.

The distances birds migrate in order to access these resources can range widely. Therefore, birds are generally categorized as being short-, medium-, or long-distance migrants. Robins are considered short-distance migrants. While their range spans all of Canada and the United States extending down into Mexico, most robins do not travel far from their breeding grounds in winter and may not leave at all. Only the populations that breed and reside on the edges of this range will migrate seasonally.

The robin’s varied diet and behavioral adaptability are the primary reasons these short-migratory or non-migratory patterns are possible. Robins are preferably ground foragers, feasting on insects and earthworms in the spring and summer months. Yet, during the fall and winter, robins eat a fruit-based diet. They track this seasonal food source in flocks, abandoning their summer individualistic and territorial behavior. These flocks – or roosting aggregates – also help them survive the cold winter temperatures. As a result, robins are able to cope with the ground freezing, the disappearance of their preferred food source, and the harsh winter weather.

Returning to our original question: is the American robin truly a sign of spring here in Utah? Is it strange to see this bird in our backyards during the winter months? The simple answer is no. Robins can be found year round almost anywhere south of Canada. While they may migrate nomadically, staying or leaving areas as weather and snow cover affect their food supply, there could be some keeping us company in Utah all winter.

For Wild About Utah, I’m Anna Bengtson.

Credits:
Image: Courtesy US FWS, Lee Karney, James C. Leopold, Photographers
Text: Anna Bengston

Sources & Additional Reading:

American Robin Profile, Utah Birds https://utahbirds.org/birdsofutah/BirdIndex.htm

American Robin, Cornell Lab of Ornithology https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_robin/id

American Robin, The Birds of North America Online https://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/462/articles/introduction

Studying Migration, Cornell Lab of Ornithology https://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/studying/migration/

Migration Patterns, Cornell Lab of Ornithology https://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/studying/migration/patterns

Where Have all the Robins Gone?, Migration, Cornell Lab of Ornithology https://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/faq/master_folder/migration/document_view

Snow Depth Survey, The Great Backyard Bird Count https://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/science-stories/past-stories/snow-depth-survey

Winter Robins, The Great Backyard Bird Count https://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/science-stories/past-stories/is-that-winter-flock-of-robins-in-your-yard-unusual

Kelly, Patrick, A Moral Dilemma, Wild About Utah, June 29, 2020, https://wildaboututah.org/a-moral-dilemma/

Bengston, Anna, Robins in Winter, Wild About Utah, February 2, 2015, https://wildaboututah.org/robins-in-winter/

Bengston, Anna, American Robin, Wild About Utah, January 18, 2016, https://wildaboututah.org/american-robin-160118/

Bingham, Lyle, Richard Hurren(voice), The Occupants on Robin Street, Wild About Utah, July 8, 2008, https://wildaboututah.org/the-occupants-on-robin-street/

March 6, 2014December 4, 2023

Golden Eagles

On a recent Christmas Bird Count, my team witnessed an amazing feat of flight. We parked in a subdivision cul-de-sac to walk into the sagebrush foothills. Overhead we saw two Golden Eagles meet in a talon lock and tumble towards earth. They disengaged moments before crashing and flew off in opposite directions. A minute later and we would have missed it all. So what were they up to? I am not quite sure.

Golden Eagles are supreme flyers. In both courtship and territory displays they steeply dive and swoop upward. During a pendulum display, they dive and rise in one direction then turn and retrace their path. Pairs often play with an object in the sky, repeatedly dropping and retrieving it. The talon lock display is rarely seen, but it too is used both for bonding between pairs and in territorial disputes. We saw the display in December and the birds separated immediately, so we probably witnessed a territorial defense. Golden Eagles require a territory anywhere from 20 to 200 square miles depending on prey abundance. As with most wildlife, loss of habitat is a prime threat.

Three quarters of recorded Golden Eagle deaths can be traced to humans. In treeless areas, power poles provide a convenient perch. When their 7 foot wingspan touches two wires, they are electrocuted. New designs and retrofits for power poles eliminate this problem and the resulting range fires, but many of the older designs remain. Wind farms also kill eagles, but again, new designs and more careful siting are helping to alleviate this problem.

The Golden Eagles’ favorite meal in the West is jackrabbit. However, they are opportunistic foragers and will dine on carrion. If the carcass they feed on was shot, they may ingest fragments of bullets or buckshot that contain lead. Lead poisoning is an excruciating way to die. Carcasses with lead fragments are eaten by many carnivorous birds and mammals who are then poisoned. This winter, 8 Bald Eagles died of lead poisoning at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. We must remedy this problem so we can insure that our skies will always be graced by the grandeur of soaring eagles.

Our theme music was written by Don Anderson and is performed by Leaping Lulu.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Image: Courtesy USDA Forest Service, Dave Herr, Photographer
Theme: Courtesy & Copyright Don Anderson as performed by Leaping Lulu
Text & Voice: Linda Kervin, Bridgerland Audubon Society

Additional Reading:

Linda Kervin’s pieces on Wild About Utah

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/golden_eagle/lifehistory

https://www.hawkwatch.org/component/content/127

https://www.peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species/Golden_Eagle#sthash.Gqowt1G0.gFqVfifi.dpbs

https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865596763/Lead-blamed-for-latest-bald-eagle-deaths-in-Utah.html