DNR Update - Coyotes, Mountain Lion and Sage Grouse

Bobbie Bicknell Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

RANDOLPH, Utah. January 7, 2015. A check for $11,560 for Payment in Lieu of Taxes, (PILT) was given to the County Commission by Justin Dolling, Regional supervisor Division of Natural Resources. They manage thousands of acres in Rich County. Revenue is generated from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. Dolling reported that  John Owen is the new conservation officer in this area. 

County Commissioner Bill Cox asked about the Quagga Mussel Program.  Dolling thought that the new check program improved over the summer and plans are to continue it next summer.  Cox said that there is there some concern that Owen is being used only for the Quagga Mussle Program when there are other needs .  Dolling said that there will be additional people at check points so that Owen could attend to other issues.  Tom Weston said that there were a lot less people stopped at the Laketown check than the other check points which surprised him.  It seems that most of the boats are coming on the Logan Highway.  Dolling said, the DNR doesn’t  want mussels coming from Lake Powell.  There are so many informal launch sites in the lake that it is hard to police and some people think that canoes and small watercraft don’t need to be inspected, but they do.

It took a while to get people educated that it was necessary to have their boats inspected.

Coyotes are being taken to save the mule deer population, but the funding for that program may not be reauthorized.   It was a two year authorization.  There were about 6,800 coyotes killed this year in Utah because of the DNR $50 bounty.  The county also pays $20 per hide if hunters are not on the DNR program.  In Idaho they had a mass harvest of coyotes and wolves.  Wolves are still protected in Utah.  They have tracked wolves from Yellowstone which have travelled as far as Morgan, Utah.  Dolling said “Grizzlies are not far behind the wolves.” The black bear population is growing well.   DNR took a mountain lion on New Years.  It was tranquilized and then fled underneath a nearby deck.  DNR had to take the boards off the deck.  The animal was not completely under the drug so they had to wrestle it.

Turkey vultures in Laketown are making a mess as are the flocks of turkeys  in the area.  They have started fall hunts to curb populations.  The problem said Cox is that the turkeys live in Garden City.  Dolling said that they are planning trap many more and relocate.  Sage grouse are nearly on the endangered species list, but not yet.  The population is stable in Utah, but they are still low.  They cap the number of hunters for sage grouse.