Happy 2026 and the signing of the Constitution

 

Cisco Sonar

Cisco Sonar             

Warm Winter

As I sit here watching it drizzle rain outside, I wonder what it would be like if this was a typical December day. On the shortest day of the year the temperature would have been below freezing, and it would have been snowing.  If the rain we received last week had been snow, there would at least two feet on the ground. Couple that with the wild winds we had, and the drifts would be huge.  I would be trying to figure out how to get it all pushed out of the way so we could get out and go to my daughters for Christmas.

But the temperature is 42° and the snow is mostly gone. People are panicking about drought and of course the skiers are beside themselves.  Lots of vacations ruined and money lost.  I've gone through periods of extreme drought and extreme wet in Bear Lake and we made it through all of them. One thing for sure is we cannot control the weather. Will this lack of snow result in a drought for us? In the Bear Lake valley, I don’t think so.  We don't rely on reservoir water for culinary use like most of the people in Utah.  Most of our water comes from the ground aquifers and springs, which have all been recharging with the recent precipitation.  I prefer the water going into the soil as opposed to having it sit frozen on dry ground waiting to run off next spring.

 We still have a lot of winter left ahead of us. The snow will come and who knows what it is going to be like. Hopefully we don’t have another winter like 2022-23.  But for now, I'm just going to enjoy it.  Everyday that I don't have to shovel or blow snow is a plus for me.

 

Beaver Mountain Ski Update

 

Much to their disappointment "The Beav" will open as soon as there is enough snow. They are sorry to disappoint all of their friends.

Merry Christmas to all

                                       The REASON for the season

Bear Lake State Park

             Water temperatures:

Low 35 degrees              High 58 degrees

Water Temperature          Water Level

43.2 degrees                    5915.25'

Garden City Water Portal

 

Bear Lake Watch

 

Why it Matters–and Why it's Urgent These invasive species are already in Idaho waterways – and if they reach Bear Lake, the consequences would be devastating; a multi-million dollar task to control. Quagga mussels: Detected in the Snake River (Twin Falls reach) in 2023; containment is ongoing. Zebra mussels: Intercepted in Idaho via aquarium plants and imports. Hydrilla: A fast-spreading aquatic weed, already listed as a noxious species in Idaho. New Zealand mudsnails & Asian clams: Present in Idaho waterways, with nothing stopping them from entering the north side of Bear Lake without active inspection or decontamination.  Once these invasive species reach Bear Lake, they can’t be undone – affecting water quality, clogging irrigation systems, devastating fisheries, and destroying the ecosystem we depend on. This is our chance to stop it. Real Action–No Red Tape This isn’t a typical government project – It’s neighbors protecting neighbors: farmers, anglers, ranchers, and families working together to defend the heart of our valley. Using private funds, community ingenuity, and common sense, we’re taking action to protect Bear Lake and everything it sustains. We need to raise $65,000+ by January 1st, 2026 – enough to purchase the decontamination unit and begin operations before next season. If 130 friends give $500, or 650 give $100, we’ll reach our goal together. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us closer to keeping Bear Lake Clean, Deep, and Blue — for generations to come.   Let’s be the generation that didn’t wait – the one that made a lasting difference for Bear Lake. With gratitude and resolve, Brady Long Executive Director, Bear Lake Watch brady@bearlakewatch.com (435)535-1538  Make a Donation Today Visit Our Website for More Information about the AIS Unit Bear Lake Watch | P.O. Box 205 | St Charles, ID 83272 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice

Garden City Fire District

 

Reporter:  Randall Knight 

The Public Hearing meeting started on time with all board members present by phone or in person.

Tiffany Wahlberg and Chief Mike Wahlberg were also present.

After approving the agenda and minutes the 2025 & 2026 Budget Public Hearing meeting was opened with no public attendance.  We waited a few minutes for someone from the public to show up. 

When No one from the public showed up the meeting was closed.

The Dec 15^th meeting was opened and the agenda was followed.  The main news to report was Randall Knight reported a possible culvert clog to UDOT where a ditch goes under Hwy 30 just east of Bear Lake Rental.  They reported back they are not responsible for clogged culverts. So he needs to find out who owns that property and let them know about the clogging.

Chief Wahlberg reported the volunteer firefighters had a good time at the Christmas Party and appreciated the recognition by the board members.  After several years of support Andy Stokes was awarded the Fireman of the Year award for his dedicated support, training attendance record and passing that knowledge onto the new volunteers.

           

Randall attended the County Commissioners Meeting and submitted Samantha Coontz as well as renewing Michael Lasswell for acceptance to the board.  The commissioners accepted all three members. 

Jayne Davis resigned her position because of too many conflicts with other responsibilities she has in the community in junction with planned trips.  Samantha, Michael and Randall were all sworn in as board members.  Samantha for the 2 years left for Jayne’s term while the Michael and Randall’s term is 4 years.  Jayne was then released from the board.

The 2025 Amended Budget was accepted with no changes.  The 2026 Budget was accepted with a few minor adjustments.         

Larsen Apparatus has still not completed the new Brush truck after several months of delays, so Chief Mike will meet with them to discuss the issue. All other equipment is running well.  Due to the warm weather the Fire Department boat is still in the water at the marina.

Call outs were:  1 car fire, 1 search & rescue, 6 medicals, 12 business inspections, 3 fire permits, 200+ short-term rental inspections, 3 fire alarms, 1 possible propane leak

 

Garden City Library

 

Cisco Sonar

 

Cisco Sonar

Whitefish of Bear Lake

A little background on this unique family of fish, Coregonus, “whitefish” is probably needed.  There are many species of whitefish and cisco.  They are primarily found in the northern latitudes including Alaska, Canada, Great Lakes, Scandinavia, Russia and from the Arctic Ocean south to Bear Lake, the furthest south and highest elevation of any population.

If you grew up in the western U.S. and fished cold, clear streams in the mountains you may have heard of whitefish or maybe you called them “herring”.  They had a tiny mouth and were hard to catch, except during spawning.  If you did accidentally catch one on a fly, you may have thrown it back in disgust because they had scales larger than trout and they were “bony”.  What you were catching were mountain whitefish, a stream dwelling form that feed on small, aquatic insects.

Three endemic species are found in Bear Lake.  The Bonneville cisco, Bonneville whitefish and Bear Lake whitefish.  They all evolved from a common ancestor that probably rode the ice sheets down during the ice ages and established in Bear Lake. After thousands of years of isolation, three distinct species have evolved.

The Bonneville whitefish is the largest of the three species. It feeds on bottom for invertebrates, oligochaetes and Bear Lake sculpin. They begin spawning around the early part of December and are being caught by fishermen now.  They are distributed throughout the lake near the bottom in the cold water. They are popular sport fish that are harvested during spawning and when they are feeding on cisco eggs during the winter through the ice.

The Bonneville cisco is a pelagic, open water, schooling fish that feeds on small zooplankton. They usually spawn the last half of January off the east shore of the lake but can be found in various habitats lake wide. They can also be harvested with jigging off the rock pile as they congregate out there to spawn. Dip netting has been the most popular method to catch cisco, but it has been difficult in last few years due to various factors. There is a lot of speculation but no answers for sure.

The Bear Lake whitefish is a dwarf form rarely getting over 10 inches long. They spend most of their time in water over 100 feet deep and feed on ostracods, small crustaceans about the size of a grain rice.  They move into shallower water, although it's very cold, to spawn in February where they attach their eggs to rocks.  They are rarely caught by anglers.

The fate of the millions of whitefish eggs spawned is basically an unknown in Bear Lake. In other lakes they sink to the bottom substrate where they spend up to 100 days before they hatch due to the cold water.  During this time, they are eaten by all types of fish, invertebrates, crustaceans and covered in silt. The few surviving larval fish may be picked up by lake currents and distributed throughout the lake.  Probably less than 1% ever survive to adulthood after this first year of life.  I wish I knew more about what happened to them because we never see any small fish so where they go, how fast grow and many other factors are still a mystery.

 

Bear Lake Whitefish

                                        Bonneville Whitefish

                                    Bonneville Cisco

Bear Lake State Paark

 Mostly Cloudy

Low Temp:25° F

High Temp:52° F

Water Temp:43.5° F

Water Level:5915.25′

Rich School District

                                Picture by Laurann Wakefield
 

Calendar:

Thurs. 18th

    RHS BBB @ No. Summit

             Wrestling @ No. Summit

Board Meeting-watch on zoom

Fri. 19th      Full Day of School for everyone

RHS Wrestling @ Kemmerer

         Career Fair

RMS Band/Choir Christmas Concert

RHS GBB Freshmen with Green Canyon

Sat. 20th

    RHS BBB &GBB @ Wendover

Bring your gingerbread houses to the Garden City Library

 

Rich County School District

 Rich County School District is accepting applications for the following position:

 

Part time Cook position in Laketown.  Employee will work seven

hours per day two days per week.

 

Starting Salary is based on Rich School District Classified Salary Schedule

 

Applications can be found online

www.richschool.org, employment

 

Send applications to: Rich School District

Attn:  Principal Alan Schwab

P.O. Box 129, 54 East 100 South, Laketown, UT 84038

Phone 435-514-1288 x 201

Fax 435-514-1299

Email aschwab@richschool.org

 

This position will remain open and applications accepted until a

qualified candidate is hired.

 

 

Rich County School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer

for the following posion

Woodruff Board Meeting December 16th

           

Date:  December 16, 2025               Time:  5:00 p.m.                                      Location:  Town Hall________
	Items to Be Discussed	
 1	Follow up from previous meetings	
 2	Approval of minutes from October meeting	
 3	Approval of November bills	
 4	Review and initial bank statement/credit card statement/monthly reports	
 5	Other board concerns	
 6		
 7		
 		
	Assignments	
 1		
 2		
 	
					

Notice of Special Accommodations:

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals needing special accommodations (including auxiliary communicative aids and services) during this meeting should notify the town clerk at 435-793-4201.

Notice of Electronic or telephone participation:

NA

Other information:

Location:

195 S Main, Woodruff, 84086