SALT LAKE CITY — A unique chance to introduce young people to waterfowl hunting awaits Sept. 25, as Utah holds its annual Youth Hunting Day.

"Holding this day is important to the future of waterfowl hunting and the future of Utah's wetlands," says Tom Aldrich, waterfowl coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources. "The number of young people participating in all types of hunting has declined in recent years. If that trend continues, the funding hunters provide to conserve wetlands will also decline, and that will affect everyone who enjoys visiting these areas.

"Letting young people hunt waterfowl, without all the adult hunters out there and when waterfowl numbers are high, is a great way to get them interested in and excited about waterfowl hunting," Aldrich says. "And, since adults can't hunt that day, it gives them more time to teach young hunters good hunting skills, safety and ethics."

All of the state's waterfowl management areas, and certain areas on the three federal migratory bird refuges in Utah, will be open to youth hunters on Sept. 25. To hunt that day, hunters must be 12- to 15-years-old; a Hunter Education safety course graduate; possess a small game or combination license; and be accompanied by their parent or an adult who's at least 21 years-of-age or older.

The adult may not hunt or possess a firearm and must supervise the young people they take. An adult may take as many young people as they'd like, provided the hunters are the proper age and possess the proper licenses.

Shooting on Sept. 25 begins at 8 a.m. Youth hunters may take ducks, geese, coots and mergansers and must stay within general season limits. The 2004 - 2005 daily duck bag limit is seven ducks, including not more than two hen mallards, one pintail, one canvasback, two redheads and four scaups.

The daily Canada goose bag limit is three.

Snipe and swans may not be taken on Youth Hunting Day.

For more information, contact the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at (801) 538-4700.

11:25:57 AM    

SALT LAKE CITY — Kevin Conway, the director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, passed away Sept. 8 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Kevin Conway

Conway began his career in 1975, when he joined the DWR as a conservation officer. He served in various capacities in the division's Law Enforcement Section for more than 20 years and was promoted to the rank of captain in 1996.

In 1997, he was named one of the DWR's assistant directors. During his tenure as assistant director, he began forging partnerships with key government and private organizations, as well as important constituents, to focus more attention on the critical need to conserve and enhance essential habitat for all of Utah's wildlife, including wildlife in danger of being listed as threatened or endangered.

Conway became director of the DWR in 2002 and immediately launched the most ambitious habitat project ever attempted in Utah. He announced the creation of the Habitat Initiative, a far-reaching plan aimed at restoring and enhancing more than one million acres of essential sagebrush-steppe and riparian habitat throughout the state. His efforts are paying off in the summer of 2004, as plans are nearing completion for an unprecedented array of range restoration and re-seeding projects throughout Utah this fall.

Throughout his career, Conway was also a strong advocate for hunters, anglers and those who enjoy viewing Utah's wildlife.

"Kevin will be sorely missed," said Miles Moretti, acting director of the DWR. "He was a great individual who had an incredible passion for Utah's wildlife. The Habitat Initiative he started will leave a lasting legacy for generations to come."

Funeral services for Conway will be held Sept. 25 after a viewing the evening before. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to several conservation groups. A list of the groups is available online at wildlife.utah.gov/kevinconway/

11:24:57 AM    

(Salt Lake City, UT) -The Utah Department of Health's (UDOH) fourth Annual Report on Tobacco Prevention and Control continues to show significant reductions in Utah's adult and youth smoking rates and exposure to secondhand smoke since 2000. The report highlights the accomplishments of the UDOH's Tobacco Prevention and Control Program (TPCP) and its many partners to fight tobacco use and save lives. Activities are funded through the Tobacco Master Settlement (MSA) and Cigarette Tax Restricted Accounts.

Since MSA-funded programs began, the high school student smoking rate has decreased by 39 percent (from 11.9 in 1999 to 7.3 percent in 2003). This means that 5,000 fewer Utah teens are smoking. Nationally, youth smoking rates have also declined, but Utah's rate of decline exceeds the national average of 37 percent.

Utah has also made great strides in reducing smoking among adults, with a decrease of 15 percent over the same time period. This translates to 15,000 fewer adult smokers. In fact, Utah's adult smoking rate is at its lowest level since the UDOH started to track population-based tobacco use rates in 1985. Utah is the first state in the country to meet the national Healthy People 2010 goal of decreasing adult smoking to less than 12 percent of the population.

The Annual Report shows child and adolescent exposure to secondhand smoke has decreased by 28 percent (from 6.0 percent in 2001 to 4.3 in 2003). As a result, 11,600 fewer children are at risk for secondhand smoke-related health conditions. "These impressive outcomes are the result of sustained, consistent, multi-faceted statewide efforts. Tobacco prevention and control programs benefit everyone in the state because they lead directly to reduced tobacco-related death, disease, and financial costs," said Heather Borski, TPCP Manager, UDOH.

The programs include:

• The innovative TRUTH marketing campaign to prevent children from using tobacco and encourage tobacco users to quit.
• School and community-based efforts that promote tobacco prevention, strengthen and enforce tobacco policies, and link tobacco users to the help they need to quit.
• Free, easily accessible telephone, Internet, and community-based quitting programs such as the Utah Tobacco Quit Line, which help tobacco users quit.
• Enforcement efforts that assist retailers and businesses in complying with laws restricting tobacco sales to minors and the Utah Indoor Clean Air Act.
• Efforts to ensure those at higher risk for tobacco use have access to tailored services.

"We are very proud of the efforts Utahns are making to avoid and reduce tobacco use, but the task is far from finished," adds Scott Williams, Executive Director, UDOH. "More than 190,000 Utahns continue to use tobacco." Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., and kills more than 1,200 Utahns annually. Utah incurs more than $273 million annually in smoking-related medical costs, and smoking-attributable Medicaid expenditures alone amount to $81 million.

While Utah smoking rates have declined overall, surveys show that people with lower incomes and fewer years of formal education have significantly higher rates of tobacco use compare to the general population. This is also true for Hispanic men, African Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. "A long-term commitment to tobacco control is necessary to sustain this decline in tobacco use rates. This will not only improve the health and well-being of those who eliminate their exposure to tobacco, but it will reduce health care costs for all Utahns," said Borski.

The annual report can be found online at www.tobaccofreeutah.org.

11:23:04 AM