(Salt Lake City, UT) – The Utah Department of Health (UDOH) has scheduled a public hearing to receive comment on the Department's Fiscal Year 2006 budget and the state’s use of the federal Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant.

The hearing will be held Wednesday, September 1, 2004 from 4-6 p.m. in room #114 of the Martha Hughes Cannon Building, 288 North 1460 West. UDOH invites citizens and organizations to attend and comment on issues and needs they feel should be addressed.

Those who plan to comment should arrive early to sign up to speak for 3-5 minutes. Comments on the UDOH budget will also be accepted in writing through September 10, 2004. Send comments to Utah Department of Health, P.O. Box 141000, SLC, UT 84114-1000. Written comments on the preventive block grant will be accepted through September 30, 2004.

Send comments to LaDene Larsen, Utah Department of Health, Division of Community and Family Health Services, P.O. Box 142107, SLC, UT 84114-2107.

Persons with disabilities requiring help to attend or fully participate in this hearing should call 801-538-6111 to request reasonable accommodations.

4:17:25 PM    

SUMMIT COUNTY — The Fourth Annual Strawberry Valley Wildlife Festival will be held Sept. 10 and 11 at Daniels Summit Lodge, located at the summit of Daniels Canyon along US-40 east of Heber City. The festival is free of charge.

Those who attend will get a close-up look at Strawberry Reservoir's fluorescent red kokanee salmon during their September spawning run and can enjoy food, vendors, a birding hike, educational presentations, bird demonstrations by Tracy Aviary, great prizes and beautiful fall scenery.

Biologists from the Division of Wildlife Resources will also be available at the fish trap and egg-taking facility behind the Strawberry Visitor Center to help people get a closer look at one of nature's most interesting fish. Biologists will be on hand Sept. 10, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Sept. 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The festival is a celebration of the many species of fish and wildlife that inhabit the scenic valley around Strawberry Reservoir, Utah's most popular fishery. The festival is sponsored by the Friends of Strawberry Valley, a nonprofit organization of concerned citizens, special interest groups, and local, state and federal governments who share a common vision of watershed health and balanced resource uses in the valley.

Schedule of events at Daniels Summit Lodge

Sept. 10
(food, vendors and displays throughout the day)

• 1 p.m., Tracy Aviary Bird Demonstration
• 2 p.m., "Sage Grouse of the Valley" by Rick Baxter
• 3 p.m., "History of the Valley" by Charmaine Thompson, U.S. Forest Service Archeologist
• 4 p.m., Recycle Utah Presentation
• 5 p.m., Tracy Aviary Bird Demonstration
• 7 p.m., "Photographing Wildlife" by Lynn Chamberlain, DWR Regional Conservation Outreach Manager

Sept. 11
(food, vendors and displays throughout the day)

• 10 a.m., Bird Walk guided by Jeff Waters (meet at Strawberry Visitor Center)
• 11 a.m., Fly Casting Demonstration by Jim Gunderson, Western States Casting Champion
• 2 p.m., Strawberry Fishery Status by Roger Wilson, DWR Biologist
• 3 p.m., Recycle Utah Presentation
• 4 p.m., Boating Safety presentation by U.S. Coast Guard
• 7 p.m., "How to Fish Strawberry" by Danny Potts

For more information, call Daniels Summit Lodge at 1-800-519-9969 or Scott Root at (801) 491-5656.

4:15:47 PM    

Many fires are burning in the West this year. Continued drought has made Utah extremely vulnerable to wildfire. The prospect can be frightening. The good news is that while fires can be catastrophic in human terms, there are compensating benefits to wildlife.

In Utah, wildlife watchers and sportsmen have been concerned about not seeing the number of deer they've seen in previous decades. Although many factors have contributed to the decline, fire prevention and suppression are partially responsible.

Mule deer depend on young, vigorous shrubby vegetation to meet their dietary requirements. Outside of man's interference, nature accomplishes this by natural fire, which rids the land of dead and dying plant growth, returns nutrients to the soil and sets back plant succession to its youngest and most productive stage.

In the United States, a whole generation has grown up heeding Smokey Bear's warning: "Only you can prevent forest fires!" The message is still true. Human carelessness or deliberate arson are never good for a forest. In today's environment, however, land and resource management agencies are coming to appreciate the role of natural fire in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

In Utah, there's a lot of pinyon-juniper, decadent sagebrush, and beetle-infested coniferous forest, which could be rejuvenated by fire, making them more suitable for wildlife and livestock. Lightning-caused fire or prescribed burns can be good medicine for public lands.

Although fire is an alarming phenomenon, the bright side is that mule deer and many other wildlife species benefit from the occasional cleansing natural fire provides.

4:14:55 PM