Cisco Sonar

Fish Biologist Lectured

By Bryce Nielson, Cisco Sonar

I have been a Fishead all my life.  For some unknown reason I have always been intrigued with these scaly, uniquely smelling, cold blooded animals.  I have dedicated my life to fisheries science and angling.  Suffice to say, I really know a lot about fish, or so I thought.

I have always had aquariums since I was a kid.  I raised all types of tropical fish and have seen many of them in the wild while diving.  Each species has unique traits and habits.  The Betas and Barbs are showy and active.  Cichlids are aggressive toward other fish, lots like a green sunfish and are better left alone.  Algae eaters clean the glass in the aquarium and Plecostomus clean up the bottom.  I hate to clean aquariums so I rely on the natural approach.  In the summer there is more heat and light effecting the aquarium so I stopped by PetSmart to get a couple fish.

I love to go in pet stores and look at the fish.  The many varieties and colors and was species are popular.  When I had a large green sunfish I used to buy “feeder” goldfish for him to snap up as soon as they hit the water.  I was waited on by a college aged girl with glasses.  I told her I wanted to Plecostomus which were on sale for a buck apiece.  She looked me up and down and asked me how large of aquarium I was going to put them in.  I said 15 gallons and a look of concern crossed her face.  She felt that was too small for the fish.  Now I know Plecostomus can grow fairly large but typically they are restricted by habitat size.  She wanted to know what I was going to do with them and I told her they are good at keeping the bottom clean and look like sea monsters.  

She perked up and lead to to another aquarium that she said contained a much better fish for that task.  They were also five bucks apiece and I again reiterated I wanted the other two fish.  Sternly she asked me what I was going to do with them if they got too large for my aquarium.  I told her I didn’t know and besides they are only a buck apiece.  She then explained to me that fish were animals, treasured pets and PetSmart needs to know that any animal they sell needs to be taken care of properly.  She again persisted, wanting to know if I had plans of buying a larger tank or had a pond (tropical fish don’t do well with Rich County winters) that I could put them in if they grew larger.  At this point, images were appearing in my head of millions of fish, belly up, that I had poisoned over the years.  If this girl only knew. . . . . .

Now, she had wasted 20 minutes of my time telling me that fish were caring and feeling pets that are gaining in popularity with people.  Then, to justify her thinking, she told about the new Disney movie coming out called Dory.  She didn’t know the actual name of the fish (Pacific Regal Blue Tang).  Since these fish apparently can’t be raised by humans, the pet industry has been slowly been capturing many of them in the wild over a time.   This so they won’t affect the natural population when everyone wants one for their aquarium after seeing the movie.

It’s now a half hour and I comment that PetSmart’s attitude is commendable but I don’t have an anthropomorphic view about animals, so get me the fish.  She did, I paid $2.13 and left wondering what the world is coming to.

    

Library Rummage Sale June 10 - 11

The annual library rummage sale will be Friday June 10 and Saturday June 11 at the Garden City Park.  There will be, as always, lots of great bargains.  Bring items you wish to donate to the Garden City Library or to the sale on Friday.  No clothes.  Always lots of fun!

Garden City P&Z Planning Meeting

Randall Knight, Reporter

Rich Civic Times 

GARDEN CITY, Utah. May 1, 2016.  The Planning and Zoning public hearing meeting began at 5:10 PM and had 8 residents in attendance.    The board members present were: Jim DeGroot, Lance Bourne, Joey Stocking and Tom Stevens.

Public comments were requested in regard to updating Parking Ordinance 16-04.  No comments were provided.

The Public Notice meeting began at 5:30 and no additional board members were present.  After roll call and approval of minutes the discussions began in regard to the agenda.

Parking requirements for Short Term rental was clarified in the updated version of 16-04.  Parking space requirements was reviewed and clarified about the usable space and common areas used to calculate the number of stalls.  Oversized parking stalls (9x40 ft) required for hotels was also defined and a requirement for each room to have a parking space (9x20 ft) was added.  There was a discussion on how to resolve concerns about vehicles without a trailer parking in the oversized slots.  The ordinance was approved as written with recommended board changes.

Rachelle Weaver requested approval of architectural standard and parking at the corner of 595 S. Bear Lake Blvd for a cookie shack called Shell Shack.  The board clarified the 20 ft set back requirement from the property lines on both corner sides.   She would also have to add an ADA bathroom, parking stalls and proper drainage for grey water.   The board approved the request as long as the updates are made.

A request was made for approval for a storage building north of Don Huefner’s home for Water’s Edge.  The board approved the request based upon an agreed fence being constructed first. 

Nate Parry requested permission to start building a swimming pool at Legacy Beach before final approval.    The board did not approve the request.

Mark Smoot requested information on the process to get approval for the plans for a future mixed use development located on both sides of 200 North so he can get authorization to start in August/September time frame.  He had a question of why the City road right-of-way is 100 ft because that impacts his development area and appearance he would like to have.  The proposal will consist of additional commercial buildings and residential buildings.  He wants to build a recreational development building similar to REI along with club house, hostel and event center.  The current Epic building located on the north side would be moved to the south side and a large parking lot would be built on the west side.

   

Summer Rain Clouds

Photo by Becca Hansen

Milford Reed Wamsley 1933 - 2016

Milford Reed Wamsley
October 28, 1933 - June 1, 2016

With his wife by his side, Reed Wamsley, 82, left his mortal struggles behind and returned to his Father in Heaven on June 1, 2016, at Bear Lake Memorial Skilled Nursing Facility in Montpelier, ID.
Reed was born on October 28, 1933, in Logan, Utah, the eldest of four children born to Milford and Edna Allen Wamsley.

He was raised in Garden City, UT and graduated from Fielding High School in Paris, ID, in 1951.
Reed and two of his friends joined the United States Marine Corps in 1954, and he was honorably discharged in 1956 but remained in the reserves until 1962.

Reed married Renee Dimick in 1957 in Paris, ID, and three children, Shane, Paul and Nicole were born to their union. They later divorced.

He went to school in Salt Lake City to become a barber and worked at that profession in Ogden for many years. When Reed returned to Garden City, he farmed and raised some cattle along with working at P & M Mining in Kemmerer, WY and continued to work as a barber as well.

He met the love of his life, Josephine "Jo" Gilson Bentsen, and they were married on July 11, 1981, in Montpelier. They became eternal companions on December 27, 1990, when their marriage was solemnized in the Logan Utah LDS Temple.

Reed retired from P & M Mining in 1997. He and Jo became snowbirds and spent their winters in Saint George and their summers back home in the beautiful Bear Lake valley in Garden City, which would always be home to him. Reed loved people, loved to work and definitely loved to dance. Even after suffering a stroke in 2001 which left him unable to speak and weakened on his right side, he found ways to work and help others. After relocating to Montpelier, Reed was a familiar sight around town on his golf cart digging weeds anywhere he found them, moving water at the cemetery and picking up golf balls around the driving range at the golf course.

Reed was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many callings.

Reed is survived by his wife, Jo; two sons, Shane (Julie) Wamsley and Paul Wamsley; a daughter, Nichole Crosthwait; two step-daughters, Connie (Larry) Hymas and Velvet Rattelade; a brother, Alan (Gaylene) Wamsley; a sister, Karen (Ross) Taylor; 8 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; an infant sister, Patricia; and two step-sons, Douglas Taylor and Jerry Bentsen.

Reed's family received visitors on Sunday, June 5, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Schwab-Matthews Mortuary in Montpelier and again on Monday, June 6, in the Garden City LDS Chapel in Garden City, Utah, prior to the memorial services at 11:00 a.m.

Published in Idaho State Journal on June 4, 2016.

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/idahostatejournal/obituary.aspx?n=milford-reed-wamsley&pid=180213319#sthash.cyIm03g8.dpuf - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/idahostatejournal/obituary.aspx?n=milford-reed-wamsley&pid=180213319#sthash.cyIm03g8.dpuf

Former Rich High Teacher Pleads Guilty Of Sexual Assault Of Student

By Amy Macavinta, Staff Writer

The Herald Journal
A former Rich High School teacher pleaded guilty last week to sexually assaulting a female student more than 20 years ago.

Rich County Sheriff Dale Stacey said the alleged victim came forward last year with numerous allegations against Michael L. Williamson, 60, saying she was assaulted when she attended the rural high school in 1994.

Court records say she was under the age of 14 when the assault took place.

“She waited a long time to report it, but when she did, it led to two counts of child sex abuse that he pleaded guilty to,” Stacey said.

No additional victims have come forward since the charges were filed, and Stacey said at this time they believe there is no cause for concern that there might have been more.

Williamson was charged in September 2015 with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony punishable by one to 15 years in prison on each count.

Stacey did not disclose the nature of the assault, but he said it reportedly occurred more than one time and that Williamson was not the only suspect.

However, after the investigation, the two charges filed against Williamson were the ones the Rich County Attorney’s Office felt were appropriate.

Rich School District Superintendent Dale Lamborn said Williamson retired from the district before criminal charges were filed.

According to court records, Williamson pleaded guilty to one count as charged and to the second count, which was amended to an attempted assault, a third-degree felony.

While prosecutors will be speaking at the time of sentencing, they have agreed that they will not ask for a specific jail or prison sentence in this case.

The date of sentencing has not been set at this time.

Bear Lake Craft Fair Vendors Highlighted

Paris Wood and Quilting

By Sandi Gunderson Warner, Contributor

Rich Civic Times

Marsha and Dennis Hansen have been selling their extraordinary crafts at the Bear Lake Valley Craft Fair since it's inception 7 years ago.  Born and raised in the Bear Lake Valley they are true Bear Lakers.  After running a contracting business doing rock work and fireplaces for many years, Dennis and Marsha moved to Wyoming where Dennis worked for the carpenters union and then in the Trona mines.  After 35 years they retired, moved back to Bear Lake, and needed something to keep busy so they started the Paris Wood and Quilting craft business. 

Wood is the Dennis half of the business and his wood crafts are exceptional. Using hard woods and pine and working off his own patterns and imagination he builds furniture, bowls of all shapes and sizes (of which we have 3), knives with various handcrafted handles including antler handles (another Dennis original in my collection).  He crafts awesome pens and assures me there will be some real beauties for sale this year.

Quilting is Marsha's domain although her repertoire is much more extensive than that.  Every year she brings a basket full of her fabulous scrubbies that are a must for every kitchen.  She will also have many homespun kitchen aids such as potholders (I love mine), mirowave accessories (check out the potato cooking bags), towels, and aprons along with some baby items and a whole lot more.  And then there is my favorite – her home grown raspberry hot fudge sauce.  Seriously sinful.

So be sure to stop by and see all the goodies they are currently hard at work creating for the Bear Lake Valley Craft Fair during Raspberry Days, Aug. 4-6.  You'll find them and many other talented local crafters in the Lakeside Bldg north of the library in the Garden City Complex on 300 West.

Adopted Rich School Calendar 2016-2017

Wednesday August 24 School Begins
Monday Sept 5 Labor Day

Tues-Wednesday October 4-5 UEA
Wednesday Nov 23 minimum day
Thurs-Fri Nov 24-25 Thanksgiving
Fri-Sun Dec 23 - Jan 1 Christmas Break
Monday January 2 Back to School
Thursday March 2 No School
Friday May 26 Last Day of School/Graduation

School will not be held on Fridays except for the following day: May 26

The Unmuddled Mathematician

Look at the Boots on that Dude

By Chris Coray, The Unmuddled Mathematician

My dad was raised as a kid during the depression.  The real one.  Nothing was wasted, discarded, or replaced when only partly worn out.  It affected the way he lived his entire life and as near as I can tell it affected the behavior of every person who got through it.  Being frugal, repairing things, doing without frills were the family habits with which I was raised.  Let’s be fair.  Kids like me who were raised after WW II grew up with what a depression kid would only describe as opulence.  I mean, I had a new pair of Levis, a new pair of Converse All Stars, and a couple of new T-Shirts every summer.  It was not a strain on family finances.

However good things were becoming in America in the 50’s and later, my dad never got comfortable buying anything for himself that wasn’t absolutely needed.  He would get things for others but not for himself.  But that doesn’t mean he didn’t dream.  In that era dreams were not seen on TV as that was just in its infancy.  Radio didn’t have any pictures.  All of us got our first glimpse of the new things we absolutely had to have through catalogs.  I should note the big exception, namely cigarettes, which were advertised everywhere and always.  They were represented on TV and billboards as cool, necessary, healthy, in fact just about essential for life.  But for the rest of the stuff we had catalogs.  Big ones, like Sears, J C Penney, and Herters.  Most of you have never heard of Herters, and the software with which I wrote this red flagged the letters as a non-word.  But ask us old timers and we will all smile as we bore you with our time buried in the Herters catalog.  I mean, where else can you find such fine reading and pictures of a guy holding a duck decoy which he is pounding on a fence post to convince you of the indestructibility of the decoy.

Back to the story.  My dad just wouldn’t buy stuff for himself.  In my entire life I heard him utter a personal desire for only two things that were not really essential.  One was a 12 gauge Winchester Modell 21 shotgun, a double barrel firearm with quality like the famous English shotguns used in driven grouse hunts.  It had two sets of barrels, one for skeet and one for ducks/geese.  We pretty much had used Winchester Model 12, pump action, which were just fine but in the minor leagues compared to the 21.  When I was about 16 my dad had a chance to buy a used Model 21 from a friend.  The whole family worked on him (we were avid hunters) for about a year before he finally bought it, used it for 10 years, and sold it for a lot more than he had paid.  Even so, I think he felt guilty about the whole deal.  The depression effect was very long lasting.

The other item on his bucket list was way different and strange.   In a catalog someplace he had seen an ad for a special pair of boots.  They were made by a company called Gokey and the name of the style was “Botte Sauvage”.  These were high boots, at least 16 inches, had no laces and were meant to be pulled on with some effort.  Go ahead, look them up on Google.  My dad was not a hiker, hunted waterfowl wearing hip boots or waders, and had no need for this item.  But he wanted a pair.  On this issue he did not get the constant urging of the family to buy them (they were expensive), not because we didn’t want him to have them but none of us saw any way they could be used.  Once in a while dad would pull out a catalog and point to a picture of the late herpetologist Raymond L. Ditmars (look him up), with his testimonial that these boots were completely snake proof.  The picture showed a snake bouncing off the boots as it tried to bite.  Somehow dad was hooked.

He didn’t buy the boots while I lived at home.  But when my brother and I grew up, got jobs and had families and moved away he used that catalog and the boots occupied a special place in his closet.  Unused. 

The conclusion of this story was related to me by a contemporary of my dad, so this is second hand.  It was verified by me in later conversations with dad.  There was a group of about 5 close friends who continued to hunt sage hens in Wyoming in early September (the same guys with whom he hunted ducks).  On one trip my dad finally unboxed the Gokeys and set out to use them hunting sage chickens.  He was proud of those boots, although they were stiff and difficult to get on and off.  On the first morning of the hunt things went pretty well, both with the hunting and the boots.  At lunchtime the group drove the short distance to Farson, Wyoming.  This is not a metropolis.  They all walked into a bar/restaurant (the only one in Farson), dimly lit.  Back in the corner was a small table of regulars, real cowboys and ranchers, worn and dirty clothes, but experienced veterans of the country. 

One of the cowboys glanced at the newly arrived visitors and scanned my dad in particular.  His eyes got wide and in a voice audible to all in the room said these words, “Look at the boots on that dude”. 

The rest is history.  Besides his own feelings about the boots my dad knew that his group of close friends would tell and retell this story as long as they lived.  I never saw the boots on my dad but did see them once, many years later, in his closet.  They were never worn again after the fashion show in Farson.   I wonder where they are now?

It's Here! Happy Memorial Day Weekend

Photo by Jill Jacobsen Peterson

Bear Lake Valley Craft Fair - Raspberry Days

Sandi Gunderson Warner, Contributor
Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah. May 2016. Seven years ago Mayor John Spuhler had, what I like to call, an epiphany. He recognized that so many talented artists and crafters in the Bear Lake area are not represented at the Raspberry Days Craft Fair due, mostly, to the fee charged for a booth. So he decided we needed an affordable venue to showcase the talents of our local residents. Thus was born the Bear lake Valley Craft Fair (BLVCF).

The BLVCF had a slow start but we persevered and every year we see more and more patrons as fair goers come to realize who and where we are and happy customers spread the word. And where we are is in the Lakeside Bldg north of the library and city offices in the Garden City Complex on 300 West.

Granted we don't get the crowds the outdoor craft fair does but we like our site because we're indoors out of the heat and wind and, sometimes, rain. And even though we're a small group we are proud to represent the Bear Lake Valley's handcraft tradition. Over the next few weeks I will be introducing you to some of our vendors who will be at this year's Bear lake Valley Craft Fair. So, if you are planning to attend Raspberry Days this year please stop by and see for yourself how talented and friendly we Bear Lakers are.

Rich High Graduating Seniors

Photo by Lonnie Kay

May Rich County School Board Meeting

Chris S. Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

The regular monthly meeting of the Rich School District board was held May 18, 2016, in Randolph.  All members were present.

The first order of business was to recognize and commend Lilia Brown, who received an Associates Degree from USU at the recent graduation.  Then Mitch Jarman and Kristina Peterson were recognized for being awarded Academic All-State designations.

The Special Education faculty opening has been filled by Brandy DeGraw.

 

Following up on the faculty hire in the previous meeting, in a conversation with Superintendent Lamborn, it was learned that the recent hire of a high school teacher was completed with a different set of requirements than initially advertised. 

Briefly, in March, 2016, the district posted an open position for a teacher with the following qualifications: 1)  Certification (endorsement) in Biological Science, 2) Certification (endorsement) in Physical Sciences, and 3) Certification in Spanish.  20 days after posting the opening the superintendent , at the April meeting, told that board that two persons had applied but that neither met the posted qualifications, however he was recommending that the board hire Cooper Cornia.  Superintendent Lamborn indicated that Mr. Cornia would have 3 years to complete the missing courses, which were in the physical science certification requirements.  The board voted to hire Mr. Cornia. 

At the recent May meeting the superintendent indicated that the missing courses now needed by Mr. Cornia were two in number, but the courses were not from the physical sciences, instead they were from the list of classes required for an Environmental Science endorsement.  In other words, between the time of job posting and the offer of a position, the required (and posted) qualifications were changed without posting in that the initially listed requirement of a physical science endorsement was dropped and apparently replaced with an environmental science endorsement.   There will be no course in physics at the high school next year.

In other major action the board voted to switch the insurance group that provides health coverage for all employees from EMI to PEHP.  There will be significant changes beginning September 1.  Meetings had been held with faculty and staff prior to the decision and it was observed that some will benefit from the change while others may be adversely affected. 

On budget items Mr. Clark presented an initial projection which indicated a nearly 5% increase in assessed valuation of property in the county which should produce an increase in available funds in the district.  The vast majority of the increase comes from the property growth in the vicinity of Bear Lake.  While the data is still not completely precise, Mr. Clark did not envision a tax rate increase in his initial presentation.  For the record, the state required public hearing on the budget is scheduled for June 14, 2016, at 6:30 p.m. in the office in Randolph.

The board was in favor of allowing graduating seniors to keep the laptop computers they used during the school experience but noted that the software could not be included, as the district has a license agreement with Microsoft that precludes gifting of the software.

The board voted to spend approximately $40,000 to purchase the used Skid-Steer that is used for snow removal.  Annual leasing appeared to be an economically worse choice.

Finally, Principal Kip Motta expressed a need for an additional Special Education person to meet actual (not projected) increased demands.  The board agreed with this request.

May 2016 Garden City Fire Board Meeting

Chris S. Coray, Reporter

Rich Civic Times

GARDEN CITY, Utah.  May 19, 2016. The governing board of the Garden City Fire District held its regular meeting in Garden City.  All members were present.

Work is continuing on the revision of the policies and procedures manual, section by section.  The first section was reviewed and is nearing completion.  The plan is to gradually work through the entire manual and then adopt a finished product.

Chief Wahlberg announced that Alan Eborn of the Idaho State Parks office had brought a 700 MHz radio, purchased by the State of Idaho, which will be installed in the fire department’s rescue boat.  This will enable instant communication between agencies in Idaho and rescue work done by the department boat on the lake during events like those of last June.  The rescue boat has had engine repairs completed and will soon be in the water.

It is likely that there will be increased revenues this year for the fire department due to increased property values in the county.