170,000 Cutthroats Stocked In Bear Lake

Wildlife Resources is stocking some native cutthroat trout this week.  

Over the course of the next few weeks, they will be stocking nearly 170,000 native cutthroats. Most are in the 6 to 8-inch long range.

Cisco's Sonar

Large Western Lakes

By Bryce Nielson, The Cisco Kid

I have always been fascinated with large, natural, bodies of water.  In North America, the Great Lakes were formed by glacial action along with thousands of other lakes in the Northeast U. S. and Canada.  These lakes are huge due to the impact of millions of years of erosion from the ice ages.

In the western U.S., the largest freshwater lake is Flathead Lake and of course, the salty Great Salt Lake.  Recently, I visited two natural lakes in Nevada that are both slightly larger than Bear Lake.  Lake Tahoe is the largest and deepest.  A scenic lake surrounded by granite peaks and pines.  It was created by faulting.  As the Sierra Mountains were being pushed up, fault lines pulled them apart, creating a depression that through time filled up with water.  The water came from over sixty small mountain streams that cascaded out of the surrounding mountains into the valley.  As I drove around it there were 100’s of permanent docks and no sign of lake fluctuation.  This is because Tahoe is over 1000 feet deep and never freezes.  It doesn’t fluctuate because as the water rises it overflows into the Truckee River. 

This river then flows downward into the Lahontan basin where Pyramid Lake is located.  This terminal lake is dependent on the Truckee River flow for its elevation.  Years ago, most of the river was diverted into the Carson Basin for irrigation.  As a result, Pyramid Lake desiccated to a point where it was becoming too salty to support fish.  No one cared because it was on an Indian reservation in the desert.  Pyramid does not freeze because of depth and salinity.  The Pyramid Lake Tribe went to court and got flows reestablished and now the lake is coming up and fish are thriving.

When comparing these two lakes to Bear Lake, they are similar but not alike, only in size.  Bear Lake was created by faulting, creating a large depression that filled with water, like Tahoe.  Over the past, it has sometimes has shared water with the Bear River, which passes it but does not flow in and out of it.   Like Pyramid, humans thirst for irrigation water has impacted its natural elevation.  Unlike Tahoe and Pyramid, it will continue to fluctuate, bridled by the Bear River Compact.

The value of the large natural, freshwater, lakes cannot be overestimated.  They are ours to use for recreation and other things, but they must be cherished for what they visually provide to the human consciousness.   

Celebration Of Life For Gene Merrick Jr.

George Eugene Merrick Jr., affectionately known as “Moose” peacefully passed away on March 4, 2018, in Salt Lake City, UT after battling Dementia.  

A Celebration of Life will be held in his honor from 12:00pm-2:00pm on Saturday, May 12, 2018, at The Gathering Place in Gardner Village, 1100 West 7800 South West Jordan, UT 84088.

Join The Community Fun

Candidates for County Commission Seat A

Ballots for the primary elections will come out no later than June 5 for citizens of Rich County to fill out and return by mail.  They will be sent to registered Republicans only and since there are no Democratic candidates this will actually determine who will fill the two seats in the County Commission.  If you wish to register or change registration call Becky Peart at 435 793 2415 or go to https://vote.utah.gov/vote/menu/index .

BILL COX, Woodruff

My name is Bill Cox.  I’m running for Commission Seat A.  I have been a lifelong resident of Rich County. I run and operate a small cattle ranch and have provided mail delivery throughout the county for 37 years. I love Rich County and am very committed to maintaining the culture and heritage for the good citizens that reside here and make Rich County their home.

Prior to serving as a County Commissioner, I served on the Woodruff Town Planning and Zoning, Woodruff Town Council and as Assistant Fire Chief for the Woodruff Fire District.  My prior years of service helped prepare me with local government experience as I took office as a County Commissioner.

Rich County is very diverse in lifestyles that range from agriculture to recreation, and from year round residents to seasonal residents. This creates many challenges to balance the growing needs of the citizens throughout the county.  I would like the people of Rich County to know that I understand the issues we face and the opportunities before us.  I travel throughout the county daily and have the chance to talk to many of the residents about concerns and questions they have.  This gives me a great perspective of the challenges we face as individuals and families in our community. I get to see our county services in action, touching individual lives on a daily basis; your tax dollars at work. I am a property owner and a taxpayer as well. Tax dollars are important to me. I am a strong advocate for our rural county lifestyle both on a state and federal level.  I will continue to develop relationships with our state legislators and state agencies to meet the expanding need for services in our county.  I am experienced. I am committed.  I am engaged.

I have appreciated the opportunity to serve the people of Rich County and ask for your support in the upcoming election. 

JONATHAN LEE, Randolph

I’m running for county commissioner out of genuine love of our area and to bring the focus back to the residents of Rich County.

With over 9 years background in growing businesses and technology, I am able to recognize the tremendous assets the county has from the beautiful Bear Lake to our amazing farmlands. 

I will be comfortable and excited to work with the other commissioners and state and federal officers overseeing important legislative and executive decisions recognizing that these decisions impact the life of every citizen. I promise to always be focused on bettering the position of Rich County and the quality of life for its residents. 

I know there are people who have lived in Rich County for generations. Amazing families that have pioneered and settled and to this day live in the valley working the land. I also recognize that are there are new pioneers forming businesses and working hard for the future of our county. 

I believe after elected I can hit the ground running and I hope I can earn your vote. I sincerely hope that I can inspire our residents to be excited about the growth in our county while maintaining our heritage and what makes us special. 

Thank you.

Candidates For Commission Seat B

SIM WESTON, Laketown

My name is Sim Weston, and I am campaigning for your vote to serve as a Rich County Commissioner. As a lifelong resident of this county, I have a desire to give something back. Our county has a long history of protecting and promoting agriculture and recreation as our core industries. We can and should be proud of our past. As I look to the future, I want to make sure that county resources are used in a way that will benefit the most people. I believe that local governments should ensure: public safety, sustainable infrastructure, economic growth, and efficient services. 

Some people run for public office because they have a specific agenda they want to advance. I submit to you that I am running for this office because I genuinely want to serve you--the citizens of this great community. I believe in government for the people and by the people. If elected I promise to listen to your ideas and I commit to serve the office of County Commissioner to 

the best of my ability.

PAT ARGYLE, Garden City

The reason I am running for County Commissioner is because I truly want to help all the people of our county.  We have such diversity in our County, ranging from ranching, farming, small businesses, and recreation.   The towns contained within our County all have different needs and have the right to voice their opinions and to have someone listen to them.  Some of the towns do not want to change, they like the way of life that has been there for generations.  When I go through Randolph and Woodruff my thoughts go back to moving to this County forty-three years ago.  There were more businesses then than there are now.  

It is difficult to support a family let alone hope that your children will be able to stay in the County and find a job as they get married. Garden City and Laketown are growing because of the recreation offered by our beautiful lake and mountains.  While predictions have been made that Utah will double in size in the next ten years some of those people will come our way.  It is our responsibility as stewards of this County to prepare for it and make the transition as smooth as possible.  We have to be proactive in protecting the land as well as designing our roads, waterways, and infrastructure. Change is coming will we be ready?

Spring Lake

Tammy Calder, Calderwood Photography, Garden City, Utah