Utah.gov

If you're an archery hunter, you can stay safe during this year's archery hunts by following a few, simple rules.

Utah's general archery buck deer and elk hunts kick off Aug. 15.

As boaters cool off at area lakes and reservoirs, Utah State Parks Boating Education Specialist Chris Haller reminds boaters to follow Utah’s speed and proximity law.
This law requires boat operators to remain at a slow wakeless speed whenever they are within 150 feet of another boat, person floating on the water, towed waterskier, shore anglers, launch ramp, dock, or designated swimming area. Personal watercraft are considered boats.

Here are some basic guidelines.

The Division of Wildlife Resources will host its annual Tushar Mountain Goat Watch in the Tushar Mountains east of Beaver.

The event is free. The DWR will provide all the equipment you'll need to view the goats.

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) needs your help in locating fissures in the Cedar Valley area of Iron County. The Central Iron Water Conservancy District has asked the UGS to study earth fissures in the Enoch area and adjoining parts of Cedar Valley in Iron County.

"Our hope is that by putting out the information on fissures and what they are, people might recognize them and direct us to where they are," said Mike Lowe, UGS Ground-Water and Paleontology Program Manager.

More than 5,700 acres of critical big game and sage-grouse habitat now belongs to the state of Utah. 

The land, located in the foothills of Tabby Mountain north of Fruitland, is a critical piece of winter and transition range for elk, deer, sage-grouse and other wildlife.

Each year beginning at Donner Trail Park near the mouth of Emigration Canyon the First Encampment Hike (five mile trek) on city streets to the First Encampment Park is held to commemorate the entry of the Mormon pioneers into the valley.

This year's trek will be held on SATURDAY, July 18, 2009, at 7:00 a.m. at Donner Trail Park, located east of Hogle Zoo and the Bonneville Golf Course at the corner of Wasatch Drive and Kennedy Drive.

If you plan on visiting Lake Powell during the July 4 holiday, or anytime this summer, plan your visit so you don't arrive at a major launch ramp between 10 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

If you arrive during those hours, you won't be able to launch your boat.

The National Park Service has closed the ramps from 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Utah time (9 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. in Arizona).

 

Recent surveys indicate that over 80 percent of Utah's registered boat owners have not completed an education course. Utah's Boating Course is a simple and easy course to complete.

In Utah, some fireworks are illegal. Generally, if they are sold in Utah, the are legal to use in Utah. If you could not purchase the firework in Utah, it is not legal to light that firework in Utah at any time.

It's not unusual to find a deer fawn or an elk calf in the woods—or even in town—this time of the year.  If you find a deer fawn or an elk calf, the best thing to do is keep your distance and leave the animal right where you found it.

The well known Mountain and Lake courses at Wasatch Mountain State Park are consistently ranked among the most popular, affordable and scenic in Utah. Nationally, Golf Digest rated Wasatch Mountain as one of Utah's Best Places to Play, giving the facility 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Permits to hunt buck deer in Utah this fall sold out on June 13.  All of the state's deer permits are gone, but plenty of general bull elk permits are still available.  This should be a great year to hunt elk.

During your visit to Fremont Indian State Park, kids can play in the Kid's Discovery Zone. Kids can pretend to be a Fremont Indian and play in the pithouse, weave on a loom, and make their own rock art on the rock art wall. Kids can also pretend to be an archeologist, put on a lab coat, study real artifacts, and learn about Native American culture in the Archeology Lab.

Many golfers agree that Palisade State Park Golf Course is one of Utah's best-kept golf secrets. Hidden in the geographic center of Utah, Palisade is a beautiful 18-hole mountain course with towering trees, stunning vistas of the surrounding Sanpete County, and breathtaking views of Palisade Reservoir.

Anglers are spreading the word: tiger trout are a beautiful fish that put up a big fight. And they taste great on the table! If you want to hook one of these fighters, you need to toss aside some of the techniques you've used to catch rainbow trout.

June 20 is the day the Division of Wildlife Resources will host its annual Osprey Watch. The free wildlife viewing event will be held on the peninsula that's opposite the Flaming Gorge Dam visitor center in northeastern Utah.

Camp under the night sky in your favorite state park (June 27). We have more than 1,000 campsites throughout Utah - tell stories and toast marshmallows around a cozy campfire. For reservations, call 800-322-3770.

The Mountain Spirit Heritage Festival is Summit County's annual celebration of its history. Come celebrate with dancing, live music, and food vendors. Friday's events take place at the Coalville, Utah fairgrounds. Music starts at 4:00 PM and free "Pig" dinner starts at 6:30 PM.

Two men plead guilty to charges stemming from search warrants served over the Memorial Day weekend. During the search of a home and shed in Panguitch, officers from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Garfield County Sheriffs office found evidence that implicated the two Panguitch residents in the illegal killing of nine buck deer, two doe deer, and two buck pronghorn.

If you're looking for a fun activity that's close to home and doesn't cost much, mark June 6 on your calendar.  June 6 is Free Fishing Day in Utah. You won't need a fishing license to fish in the state that day.

Whether you venture to streams in the High Uintas or just toss a line into the community pond, be sure you know the rules for the water you plan to visit.
Regulations and limits have changed at a few popular fisheries.

Also, be sure to read about the latest assessment of Utah's wind, solar, and geothermal renewable energy resources.

Downtown Salt Lake City's famous pair of peregrine falcons is back.

You can watch their antics by logging onto the Division of Wildlife Resources' Web site. Right now, the falcons are caring for three eggs the female has laid in a nest box on the northeast corner of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

What could be the first population of greenback cutthroat trout ever found in Utah will get some added protection through a change to the state's fishing rules.

Division of Wildlife Resources Director Jim Karpowitz signed the emergency change this week. The change takes effect May 1.