STARS AND SNOW IN UTAH'S STATE PARKS

Salt Lake City * Enjoy stars, snow, and snowshoes at Wasatch, Snow Canyon, and Jordanelle state parks. These events are geared for the entire family.

Visit Wasatch Mountain State Park Friday, February 16 for the Stars and Snow program. Bundle up and join park staff in the visitor center at 7 p.m. for an evening learning about the winter night sky. This program includes an indoor discussion, followed by outdoor constellation observation. Registration is required by calling (435) 654-1791.

Enjoy cocoa and constellations at Snow Canyon State Park Friday, February 16 or Saturday, February 17. Have a cup of steaming cocoa as local astronomer Ray Cyr teaches basic winter constellations from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Join the Jordanelle State Park naturalist Saturday, February 17 for Track Me If You Can! From 10 a.m. to noon, learn basic tracking skills necessary to understanding local wildlife. Bring snowshoes or borrow a pair from the park. The day-use fee is $7 per vehicle with up to eight people or free to Utah State Park pass holders. Pre-registration is required. For more information, please call (435) 782-3030 or (435) 649-9540


UTAH STATE PARKS LAUNCH AND ICE REPORT * FEBRUARY 6, 2007

Bear Lake State Park Marina: Closed 35 degrees, 6 inches of ice
Deer Creek State Park: Closed 32 degrees, frozen
East Canyon State Park: Closed 30 degrees, 12-18 inches of ice
Wide Hollow at Escalante State Park: Closed 32 degrees, frozen
Great Salt Lake State Park Marina: OPEN 26 degrees
Gunlock State Park: OPEN 48 degrees
Huntington State Park: Closed 30 degrees, 6-10 inches of ice
Hyrum Lake State Park: Closed 39 degrees, 9 inches of ice on west half of lake
Jordanelle State Park: Closed 33 degrees, mostly ice
Millsite State Park: Closed 30 degrees, 6-10 inches of ice
Otter Creek State Park: Closed 30 degrees, 8-10 inches of ice
Palisade State Park: Closed 35 degrees, 4 inches of ice
Piute State Park: Closed 30 degrees, frozen
Quail Creek State Park: OPEN 36 degrees
Red Fleet State Park: Closed 32 degrees, 13 inches of ice
Rockport State Park: Closed 32 degrees, 5-8 inches of ice
Sand Hollow State Park: OPEN 36 degrees
Scofield State Park: Closed 32 degrees, 12 inches of ice
Starvation State Park: Closed 32 degrees, 6 inches of ice
Steinaker State Park: Closed 32 degrees, 13 inches of ice
Utah Lake State Park: Closed 32 degrees, frozen
Willard Bay State Park: Closed 32 degrees, some ice
Yuba State Park: Closed 32 degrees, 5-8 inches of ice
Strawberry: OPEN 32 degrees, 20 inches of ice
Flaming Gorge: OPEN 32 degrees, 8 inches of ice


UTAH STATE PARKS SNOWMOBILE GROOMING REPORT * FEBRUARY 6, 2007

HARDWARE RANCH
There is no new snow at Hardware Ranch and warmer temperatures are eroding existing snow. Bear Lake State Park is grooming once a week from SR 89 in Logan Canyon to the Strawberry Valley, and if possible, into Elk Valley warming hut.

MONTE CRISTO
As of February 5, 2007 there is 32" of snow at Dry Bread Pond and 40" at Monte Cristo.

Grooming completed:
Saturday, February 3 * SR 39
Friday, February 2 * Wasatch Ridge, Arb's Basin
Thursday, February 1 * Woodruff, Wasatch Ridge, Sheep Creek
Wednesday, January 31 * Red Spur and Baxter's
Sunday, January 28 * Arb's Basin, Wasatch Ridge, Ant Flat to Scare Canyon

Grooming schedule:
Sunday * Cleanup and drift cutting on Hwy 39 and Ant Flat
Monday * Curtis Creek Loop
Tuesday * Snow Cat Maintenance * no grooming
Wednesday * Arb's Basin, Millie's Spring and Ant Flat
Thursday * Curtis Creek Loop
Friday * Arb's Basin and Ant Flat
Saturday * Arb's Basin, Wasatch Ridge and Ant Flat


BEAR LAKE/LOGAN CANYON
Higher elevations have good riding.

Grooming completed:

February 2 - Amazon
February 2 - Beaver Creek
January 31 - Franklin Basin
February 2 - Garden City (Halfway down)
January 31 - Tony Grove
February 2 - Sinks Trail
February 1 - Swan Flat

Grooming Schedule:
February 3 * 5
February 3 * 5 Beaver Creek
February 5 Franklin Basin
Garden City * No grooming, lack of snow
Tony Grove * No grooming, lack of snow
February 4 - Sinks Trail
February 4 - Swan Flat

WASATCH MOUNTAIN
No new report

MIRROR LAKE/MILL HOLLOW
Four to eight inches of new snow, trails are in great shape.

Grooming schedule:
Sunday - North Fork Trail, Soapstone Basin Road, Hwy 35 from Nobletts Trailhead to Hanna Trailhead
Wednesday - North Fork Trail, Soapstone Basin Road, Hwy 35 From Wolf Creek Summit to Nobletts Trailhead, Mill Hollow to Lake Creek Summit
Thursday - North Fork Trail, Hwy 150 to Mirror Lake warming hut
Friday - North Fork Trail, Soapstone Basin Road, Hwy 35 To Nobletts Trailhead, Mill Hollow to Lake Creek Trailhead
Saturday - North Fork Trail, Soapstone Basin Road, Hwy 35 to Nobletts Trailhead, Mill Hollow to Lake Creek Trailhead

BEAR RIVER SERVICE TO WHITNEY
Six inches of new snow over the last 48 hours at the North Slope Trailhead and more at higher elevations.

UINTAH BASIN
February 1 - Red Cloud Loop, Hwy 191 all the way to Dry Fork, Taylor Mt.
February 2 - Don Hatch Trail including trails to Flaming Gorge and Red Canyon lodges.

SCOFIELD / JOE'S VALLEY/ SKYLINE
NO NEW REPORT

MT. NEBO
Snow conditions are not very good with much pavement showing on Nephi side. No grooming until snow conditions improve. Trail is still in good riding shape besides the bare pavement as of February 3.

EPHRAIM / MANTI / 12-MILE
NO NEW REPORT

FISHLAKE
NO NEW REPORT

CEDAR MOUNTAIN / EAST FORK
No new snow has fallen and temperatures have been unusually warm, causing much of our snow base to melt.

STRAWBERRY
NO NEW REPORT

BLM' s Utah Statewide Resource Advisory Council to Meet

The Bureau of Land Managementb s Utah Statewide Resource Advisory Council (RAC) will be meeting February 15, 2007, in Provo, Utah.

The RAC will meet at the Marriott Hotel, Bryce Conference Room, 101 West 100 North, Provo, from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The focus for this meeting will be Recreation RACs. A briefing on the Federal Land Recreation Enhancement Act, the interagency agreement, and data on current recreation sites (both fee and non-fee) will be given. Other topics to be presented are the status on grazing permit renewals, policy for consultation with Native American tribes, and an overview of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail.

A public comment period is scheduled from 3:45 p.m. until 4:15 p.m., where members of the public may address the Council. Written comments may be sent to the Bureau of Land Management, 440 West 200 South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84101.

All meetings are open to the public; however, transportation, lodging, and meals are the responsibility of the participating public. For further information, contact Sherry Foot, Special Programs Coordinator, Utah State Office, Bureau of Land Management, at (801) 539-4195.

Sled Dog Race Winner announced

February 3, 2007--Wendy Davis from Lander, Wyoming, won the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR) with an overall time of 23:41:28. Davis dominated the eight-day race, gaining the lead in Stage Two, and maintaining the lead throughout the race.

Jacques Philip from Nenana, Alaska, placed second with 25:01:02; and Grant Beck from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada was third place with 25:07:32.

Davis, 31, placed 4^th in the 2006 IPSSSDR. She began mushing in 2000 in Oregon. She is employed by the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander, leading climbing expeditions.

"This is the first time in the IPSSSDR that I've been able to relax during the last ten miles of the race," Davis said, referring to her lead going into the final 14 mile stage. "The IPSSSDR is my favorite race; I love running in my home state."

The IPSSSDR is an eight-day race, traveling through 10 Wyoming towns including Jackson, Lander, Pinedale, Big Piney/Marbleton, Alpine, Kemmerer/Diamondville, Evanston, Mountain View before finishing in Park City, Utah.

The final stage took place in Park City as teams competed on a 7-mile course on the Rail Trail. Sam Perrino, from Yellownknife, Northwest Territories, Canada posted the fastest time in Stage Eight with 0:18:52. Beck was second with 0:19:30, and Philip was third with 0:19:39.

With its unique "stage stop" racing format, the IPSSSDR stops in a different community each night, allowing host towns to show their hospitality: Festivities for mushers and spectators alike include pancake feeds, dog parades, banquets, carnivals, and snowshoe softball

Pedigree® Food for Dogs is the title sponsor of the IPSSSDR. The Pedigree® brand actively supports a wide range of programs that promote responsible pet ownership and highlight the contributions dogs make to society.

The International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race was founded in 1996 by Frank Teasley to make sled dog racing more accessible to the public. For complete times from today's race, visit the race Website at http://www.wyomingstagestop.org , contact the race via e-mail at wystagestop@blissnet.com , or telephone at (307) 734-1163.

Overall Times

DeLorme launches new Product

YARMOUTH, Maine -- DeLorme, the innovation leader in mapping and GPS technology, today introduced the Earthmate® GPS PN-20, the only handheld GPS that can display DeLorme maps and aerial imagery.

The Earthmate® GPS PN-20 is a unique all-in-one GPS and mapping solution. Unlike other handheld GPS manufacturer's devices, no additional mapping software purchase or subscription is required. DeLorme Topo USA® 6.0 DVD software is included with the device, with beautifully detailed topographic and road maps of the entire U.S., available aerial imagery, and a broad range of GPS capabilities.

"The quality and detail of our Topo USA software is one thing that truly distinguishes the Earthmate GPS PN-20 from its competition," said DeLorme Director of Marketing Caleb Mason. "Another is the fact that it's included with the receiver. That's an enormous added value."

Topo USA 6.0 works with Microsoft Windows® Vista™ as well as Windows 2000 and XP.

Unique Position in the Handheld GPS Market

DeLorme is the only company in the handheld GPS market with a long-standing reputation for excellence in cartography, software development, and GPS.

"We've been making maps for over 30 years," continued Mason. "But what's truly innovative about the PN-20 is the inclusion of six map types on one color-screen GPS. You get a world base map, U.S. streets and topographic maps from Topo USA, regional routable maps, free downloads of scanned USGS quad maps, black-and-white aerial imagery, and colorized satellite imagery - all included in the base price, no extra map sources required."

High-End Capabilities

Based on features, capabilities, and "under the hood" power, the Earthmate GPS PN-20 is fully-positioned to compete at the high end of the handheld GPS market.

Its high resolution (220 x 176 pixel) transflective color screen delivers exceptional visibility under a wide variety of conditions, including direct glaring sunlight.

The 12-channel, NMEA-compliant receiver includes STMicroelectronics chip technology with SiGE front-end noise reduction, plus DeLorme firmware for fast acquisition times and outstanding signal retention.

The device is WAAS-enabled for accuracy within meters. With its proprietary Kalman filter, the Earthmate GPS PN-20 also addresses the complex problem of reflected GPS signals, which could otherwise greatly decrease positional accuracy.

Included Topo USA 6.0 Software Adds Exceptional Value

The included Topo USA 6.0 DVD software is a powerful pre-trip travel planning and post-trip data management tool. Users can automatically create road and trail routes, with GPS waypoints embedded.

The program's draw tools allow users to create tracks and insert waypoints as well.

Maps can be cut specifically for the area needed and symbols and annotations added. Aerial imagery can also be uploaded for GPS tracking and indispensable birds-eye visual reference. Up-close views reveal hiking and jeep trails, as well as structures, waterways, and other landmarks.

Map files, aerial imagery, routes, waypoints, and tracks can be uploaded to the Earthmate GPS PN-20. The device has exceptional data capacity, holding up to 10 tracks (10,000 points per track), as well as 1,000 user-defined waypoints, and up to 50 routes. A full 75 MB of internal flash memory is available for maps, as well as an SD Card slot within the battery compartment, capable of working with 2 GB or less cards (ideal for large-volume aerial imagery files).

Exclusive DeLorme Features

The software's automatic trail routing is an exclusive DeLorme feature, as is the ability to download and save collected tracks as routable roads and trails within the software for future use. Any collected waypoints, tracks, symbols, comments, and other data can be easily downloaded and managed within the Topo USA software.

In addition to the Topo USA nationwide map coverage, the receiver comes pre-loaded with a worldwide highway/major thoroughfare reference base map. The Earthmate GPS PN-20's intelligent data layering feature allows users to easily toggle between maps and aerial imagery of the same location, ideal for hikers, campers, bikers, and others looking for multiple views of outdoor locations.

When GPS tracking on an uploaded road or trail route, an audible signal warns of upcoming turns, and there is a back-on-track feature should users go off course while driving or hiking along a route. On-device road routing is also available, with back-on-track and turn alerts, so the Earthmate GPS PN-20 is also a reliable in-vehicle navigation device.

With its waterproof rubberized housing, the Earthmate GPS PN-20 is designed for rugged outdoor use. It measures just 2.43" W x 5.25" H x 1.5" D and weighs only 5.12 oz., with an ergonomic design and large, easily accessible function keys.

Competitively priced at $369.95, The Earthmate GPS PN-20 is available exclusively from DeLorme. To purchase, visit www.delorme.com, or call 800-561-5105.

About DeLorme

DeLorme is the longtime leader in innovative mapping and GPS solutions for both consumer and professional markets. The company's trailblazing Street Atlas USA® and Topo USA® consumer software have set the standards for GPS, routing, and travel planning capabilities. DeLorme XMap® software is expanding the GIS market through its advanced capabilities, affordable pricing, and ease of use. The company's Earthmate® receivers pioneered the concept of GPS for laptop PCs and PDAs. Today, the innovation continues with the Earthmate GPS PN-20 handheld receiver, the Earthmate GPS BT-20 with dual Bluetooth and USB connectivity, and the DeLorme GPS2056 Receiver Module for OEM electronic systems. Located in Yarmouth, Maine, DeLorme is home to Eartha™, the world's largest rotating globe.

Jeff Foxworthy Named Honorary Chairman, National Hunting and Fishing Day

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.?No joke: Comedian Jeff Foxworthy has been named honorary chairman for this year's National Hunting and Fishing Day, set for Sept. 22.

In his new volunteer position, Foxworthy will spend coming months communicating the annual celebration's message that hunting and fishing are vital conservation tools, important economic engines and, most of all, just plain fun.

"I'm flattered to be asked to serve as the 2007 honorary chairman of National Hunting and Fishing Day. Without question, sharing hunting and fishing trips with my family had a profound impact on my life, and undoubtedly shaped and molded the person I am today," said Foxworthy.

Although his "you-might-be-a-redneck" jokes are his signature material, Foxworthy is a decidedly sophisticated entertainer. He is the best-selling comedy recording artist in history, star of the popular Blue Collar comedy tours, television series and movies, a multiple Grammy award nominee, host of a weekly country music radio show airing in 220 markets nationwide, and a best-selling author.

"We're very excited to have Jeff as our official ambassador for 2007. He's an especially passionate hunter who grew up in the outdoors and has never forgotten that legacy. He's now teaching his daughters to hunt and fish, but he's also clearly devoted to those sports in a much more public way," said Tony Schoonen, executive director of Wonders of Wildlife, home of National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Wonders of Wildlife, a fish and wildlife museum and aquarium based in Springfield, Mo., is the only hunting- and fishing-focused facility that's both affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution and accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

National Hunting and Fishing Day, celebrated annually on the fourth Saturday of September, was founded by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and formalized by Congress in 1971. Every U.S. President from Richard M. Nixon to George W. Bush has recognized the day via formal proclamations.

Honorary chairs have included Hank Williams Jr., Tom Seaver, Arnold Palmer, Terry Bradshaw, George Brett, Robert Urich, Ward Burton, Louise Mandrell, Travis Tritt, Wade Boggs, Tracy Byrd and many other sports and entertainment personalities.

Official partners in commemorating the 36th annual National Hunting and Fishing Day include Wonders of Wildlife, NSSF, The Outdoor Channel, Take Me Fishing, Bass Pro Shops, Woolrich, National Wild Turkey Federation, Field & Stream and Outdoor Life magazines, Realtree, Gunbroker.com and Smith & Wesson. More are expected to come aboard to help build the day into an ever more important national rally for hunters and anglers who are proud of their outdoor heritage.

Last year, more than 100 public celebrations of National Hunting and Fishing Day were held around the country. Even more are anticipated for 2007. Each event showcases the accomplishments of hunters and anglers, such as providing more than $1.7 billion a year for fish and wildlife conservation, habitat protection and resource management programs.

For more information about National Hunting and Fishing Day, including a hunting-and-angling profile of Jeff Foxworthy, go to http://www.nhfday.org .

UTAH BOARD OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT MEETING AGENDA

February 9, 2007

10 a.m.

Canyon C Room

Hilton Salt Lake City Center

255 S. West Temple

1. Welcome, Introductions, Approval of Minutes

2. Cooperative Marketing Application from Tuachan

3. Visitor Profile Summary Presentation Sindy Koehler

4. Budget Recap Mike Deaver

5. Marketing Committee Report Shelleice Stokes

6. Legislative Session Update - Leigh von der Esch

7. Director s Report

8. Public Comment

UTAH "ICE" TO DEBUT ON HISTORY CHANNEL'S MODERN MARVELS

The Utah Olympic Oval ice sheet and the Utah Olympic Park bobsled track will be featured Sunday, Feb. 11 during History Channels "Modern Marvels" show. The segment, called ICE will focus on the ice resurfacing machine, the Zamboni and how ice is made and maintained on an Olympic bobsled, luge and skeleton course. The segment will also take a look at Colorado's National Ice Core Repository and how ice drilled from Antarctica and Greenland is an invaluable archive of past climates.

Check local listings for times. For more information on the Utah Olympic Oval and the Utah Olympic Park, visit the web at www.olyparks.com. To find out more about the History Channel's "Modern Marvels: Ice," check out http://www.history.com/schedule.do?action=daily&date=20070211&time=2000&timeZone=PST&x=12&y=8

OVAL WELCOMES WORLD'S BEST FOR ISU WORLD SINGLE DISTANCES SPEED SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS

Utah welcomes back international competition for the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships. The Fastest Ice on Earth is pleased to welcome back international competition. This year the eyes of the world will be focused on the Olympic Oval March 8-11, 2007. The championships will include over 100 international athletes from 15 different countries.

March's race is expected to bring back several U.S. medalists from the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and from February's Games in Torino, Italy, including Chad Hedrick, who won Gold, Silver and Bronze in Torino and Shani Davis who became the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal in Olympic Winter Games history. The event will also showcase Elli Ochowicz and Catherine Raney both 2002 and 2006 Olympians. Kip Carpenter, 2002 Olympian and Tucker Fedricks, 2006 Olympian will also be competing.

"We are thankful for the Utah Sports Commission and our other sponsors for the support they have provided us and we look forward to putting on a world class, Olympic sized event here in Utah," said Marc Norman, Utah Olympic Oval director.

You won't want to miss the action! The Championships will feature the fastest speed skaters on the planet; so get your tickets now, because they'll go fast too! Tickets are $7 per day for adults, $5 for children 12 and under (5 and under are free) and seniors 65 and older. All tickets are general admission.

Tickets can be purchased in the following four ways:

1) Going to: http://www.olyparks.com/

2) Calling the Oval at: (801) 968-OVAL (6825)

3) Going to: http://www.smithstix.com

4) Going directly to the Ticket Office at the Oval

Competitions will be held on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Start times are 12 p.m. on all four days.

Don't miss your chance to be part of this exciting Olympic preview at the Utah Olympic Oval in November. For more information contact the Utah Olympic Oval at (801) 968-OVAL or visit our website at http://www.olyparks.com .

Are you a local company looking to get involved in the community? Or are you a company that is looking for a way to give back to those who have supported you? US Speedskating still has corporate sponsorships available. Sponsoring the ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships will be a rewarding and beneficial endeavor for you and your company. Interested companies may contact Thomas Mclean at (801) 417-5374 or tmclean@usspeedskating.org .

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: FREE NIKE JACKET!

Do something good for the community and receive a Nike jacket for your hard work. The Utah Olympic Oval, home to the Fastest Ice on Earth, is hosting the biggest Speed Skating event comparable to an Olympic event in non-Olympic year and they need your help!

In March, the Utah Olympic Oval will host the 2007 ISU World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships from the 8-11^th. Volunteers can sign up online at http://www.olyparks.com/UOO/Events_2007WSD_volunteers.asp or they can contact the Human Resource department at 801.963.7125.

All volunteers that complete their assignments will receive a Nike event jacket!

The Utah Olympic Oval's address is 5662 South Cougar Lane (4800 West), Kearns, Utah 84118. Please call (801)968-OVAL for more public skating information.

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2007 UPCOMING EVENTS AT OLYMPIC PARKS

Feb. 10, 2007, Ice Engineer's Open, Utah Olympic Park

Feb. 8-11, 2007, FIBT Invitational, Utah Olympic Park

Feb. 4-10, 2007, Deaflympic Winter Games, Soldier Hollow

Feb. 6-10, 2007, Freestyle NorAm, Utah Olympic Park

Feb. 6-11, 2007, USBSF Western Championships, Utah Olympic Park

Feb. 13-25, 2007, Luge Youth Nationals, Utah Olympic Park

Feb. 16-17, 2007, Nordic Jumping Junior Olympics Qualifier, Utah Olympic Park

Feb. 20-22, 2007, Freestyle Divisional Championships, Utah Olympic Park

Feb. 23-25, 2007, "Weekend Warrior" Long Track Speed Skating Camp, Utah Olympic Oval

Feb. 27-Mar. 3, 2007, Nordic Jumping Junior Olympics Championships, Utah Olympic Park

Mar. 2-5, 2007, Chevrolet Jumping/Nordic Combined Junior Olympics, Utah Olympic Park

Mar. 5-10, 2007, Chevrolet Cross Country Junior Olympics, Soldier Hollow

Mar. 8-11, 2007, 2007 World Single Distance Championships - Utah Olympic Oval

Mar. 15-17, 2007, Champions Challenge - Utah Olympic Oval

Life Elevated Truck Visits Utah s Capitol Hill

Salt Lake City Visitors to Utah s Capitol Hill on Monday, February 5, 2007, are seeing a CR England truck pulling a trailer wrapped with Utah s Life Elevated brand. The truck is one of 24 in the England fleet traveling freeways in Utah and surrounding states promoting the Utah Office of Tourism s new brand. The truck will be parked in front of Council Hall at the top of State Street throughout the day. The trailer features red rock on one side and a skier on the other side.

The truck wraps allow the Utah Office of Tourism to target out-of-state visitors from surrounding states at a fraction of the cost of traditional outdoor advertising, said Mike Deaver, deputy director of the state s tourism office who oversees the agency s advertising program. Utah s Life Elevated brand is uniquely captured on the trailers 1,100 square feet of visual canvas that is hard to miss by motorists.

More than 1.2 million people are expected to see the truck wraps every day in targeted markets, including California, Nevada, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.

Chrome Media was selected to run the fleet-side campaign. Not only is Chrome Media based in Utah, but CR England and Fusion Media are leaders in their field and long-time contributors to the local economy, said Garrett Lyman, president of Chrome Media. The project is clear evidence of the state s efforts to put tourism funding back to work for Utah companies.

TEENAGE DEER POACHERS RECEIVE STIFF PENALTIES

MONTICELLO --The 7^th District Court and 7^th District Juvenile Court in Monticello handed down severe penalties to five local teenagers for poaching deer. All were found guilty of wanton destruction of protected wildlife during a two-month killing spree.

In December 2005, Utah Division of Wildlife Officer Chris Rhea received a report about the poaching of a number of deer from a concerned citizen. Critical information received from the caller allowed Officer Rhea to locate a number of deer carcasses and identify five suspects.

During the investigation, Officer Rhea found that five teens from the Monticello area shot and killed at least five deer with the use of a spotlight during November and December. The remains of four bucks and a doe were found. All were left to waste. Other deer were also shot, but didn't die immediately and were not be recovered during the investigation.

Each teen suspect pled guilty to charges filed in the case. The court sentenced the five individuals to 16 class A and 11 class B misdemeanors. Combined restitution and fines amounted to $17, 465 with a combined jail time of 23 months. The court suspended some of the jail time.

During the investigation, the mother of one suspect hid the weapons used in the incident. She was charged with evidence tampering and subsequently pled guilty to a class A misdemeanor. She was fined $925 and sentenced to 36 months probation.

In addition to the monetary penalty and detention, the five teens will be subject to the possibility of many years of hunting privilege revocation.

This case was made possible by a single individual who stepped forward to report the crime to authorities. If you witness a wildlife violation, please call your public safety dispatcher or the "Help Stop Poaching Hotline" at: 1-800-662-DEER.

Rewards are available for information leading to arrests in poaching cases. Wildlife is a heritage, enjoyed by and belonging to us all. Let's not allow ourselves to be victimized by the lawless actions of a very small minority.

FISHING REPORT FOR SOUTHEASTERN UTAH

ABAJO MOUNTAINS No report.

HUNTINGTON CREEK On January 28^th, Tom Ogden fished open water pools below the forks. He reported good success with a #10 maroon-colored San Juan worm or a #12 Montana nymph. His biggest fish was a 14-incher. Most of his catch consisted of brown trout.

HUNTINGTON RESERVOIR (also known as MAMMOTH RESERVOIR)

Depredation Specialist Casey Olsen fished on Sunday and described fishing success as poor to fair. The bite was very light. Casey recommends a white or chartreuse jig tipped with a nightcrawler and fished about 10 feet beneath the ice. The ice is more than 30 inches thick. Tiger trout ranged from 12-15 inches with the majority closer to 12 inches. Five days earlier, Mike Milburn and Alan Green fished the reservoir. They caught a total of 20 fish in the 14-17 inch size range, using jigs tipped with chubs or chub meat. They fished in 8-17 feet of water on the west side near the dam. Closed to the possession of cutthroat trout.

JOES VALLEY RESERVOIR Last Saturday, DWR biologists and friends fished the reservoir. Fishing success had slowed down considerably from a week earlier, when a party of three caught 96 fish. This Saturday, the group averaged only 1-2 fish per angler hour. Small jigs or spoons tipped with chub meat are recommended. Special regulations apply. Please refer to the new fishing guide.

LAKE POWELL Visit http://www.wayneswords.com for the fishing report, provided by Wayne Gustaveson, DWR project leader.

LASAL MOUNTAINS For Ken's Lake, Conservation Officer Casey McVay recommends jigs tipped with nightcrawlers around the inlet. Mornings are best. The ice is about 8-inches thick. Brown trout range from 12-15 inches. Mountain reservoirs are frozen and inaccessible.

LOWER FISH CREEK Tom Ogden fished below Scofield Dam on Saturday. He caught 12 trout in four hours. The majority were brown trout. All fish were less than 13 inches. Tom recommends the following size hooks and patterns: size 12 San Juan Worm, size 14 Prince Nymph, or size 12 green scud.

MILLSITE STATE PARK State Park Manager Dan Richards recommends a chartreuse ice fly tipped with a mealworm or nightcrawler. Most trout fall within a 10-11 inch size class and are spread throughout the water column.

SCOFIELD RESERVOIR Dedicated Hunters John and Mike Hreinson interviewed anglers at various locations throughout the reservoir on Saturday. Fishing success varied between poor and good. Trout ranged from 12-15 inches. The most common end tackle was jigs or ice flies tipped with bait. Most popular baits were worms, waxworms, mealworms or salmon eggs. The trout limit is now 8 fish at Scofield Reservoir.

Off Road Vehicle Updates

Dear Land Use Activist,

We have a VERY important update for you.

H.B. 97 Motor Vehicle Registration Checkoff for Protecting Access to Public Lands and Off-highway Vehicle Education

Passed the House UNANIMOUSLY! On to Senate committee

H.B. 237 Requirements for Off-highway Vehicles

Amendments pending, should see them sometime Tuesday the 6^th of Feb.

Will go to House Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee meeting on Feb 7^th that this Wednesday Morning at 8:00 A.M.

Other bills to watch are:

H.B. 321Off-highway Vehicle Amendments

Also will be heard in the same House committee meeting as H.B. 237

H.B. 421 Suspension of Hunting or Fishing Privileges for Illegal Vehicle Use

Waiting for House committee assignment

We really need everyone's involvement on these issues. Here are a couple of things you can do:

1- Participate in our Motorized Users Legislative Voice Day at the Capitol this Friday Feb 9^th starting at 12:30 P.M. It is VERY important that hundreds of you show up. Can you imagine if only a dozen or so show? What that would say about how important these issues are to us? We really need you! This Friday afternoon was the best time to do it. If you can bring your spouse and children, make it a family event. Come dressed in whatever you wear to jeep, ATV, snowmobile, dirt bike, etc. There will be a couple SHORT speeches and then we will give you info on how current bill status and how to contact your legislators, you may be able to pin them down that day and tell them your opinion face to face. This event has the potential of really helping our cause. PLEASE make every effort to be there. Call us with ANY questions.

2- Plan to comment in a committee meeting. WE REALLY need comments for the meeting this Wednesday morning. There are 2 very important bills that will be discussed and you will have a chance to voice your opinions to the committee. You can go to our website and read the bills, see our comments, and in the help section you will find some simple tips on how to testify before a committee, it's not hard and it is a rewarding experience. You need'nt be a "big shot" to testify, in fact the opinions of the general public mean very much to the committee members and WILL affect their decisions. If you can please come and testify! Call our office if you have any questions we would be thrilled to help you with tips, directions or whatever you need.

3- If you can't come to a committee meeting, PLEASE email your comments to the committee members. We are not telling you what your opinions ought to be, we simply want the motorized community actively involved in these issues. We have offered our take on each bill on our website. You can go there and see what USA-ALL's opinion is on each bill. The 2 bills that will go to committee first this week are HB 237 AND HB 321. Please read them and send your comments to the committee members ASAP. They need to see these BEFORE 8:00 A.M. this Wednesday morning. If you would like to discuss these or any other bills or have any questions PLEASE call our office as always we will be happy to help in any way. If you want to send an email to the entire committee you can do so by clicking this link House Resource Committee. This is a special email address on one of our servers that will receive your comments and then distribute them out the committee members email addresses. We absolutely will not alter your emails they are redistributed automatically. You must send it from the same address that has received this alert; this is a safeguard against spammers. We thought this would be helpful so you don't have to type in each members email address. If you would prefer to do it manually here are the email addresses of the individual committee members:

Our bill sponsor (H.B. 237 Rep. Tilton) has asked that we have a lot of emails into committee members supporting the H.B. 237, we hope those of you who support H.B. 237 will take a minute to let the committee members know

USA-ALL has been working hard over the past two years to educate our legislators on motorized access issues. You may not agree with our stance entirely and we respect that please feel free to call us and discuss any thoughts or concerns you may have. We want to hear from you. You may also find there is more rhyme to our reason than you had previously thought. No matter what you position on these issues, it is still important that our community unite, and let our legislators know that these issues are important to us, important enough that we will send an email, write a letter, attend a rally or testify in a committee. It is our right to become involved, if we fail to do so then we are giving up those rights and allowing others to control law and policy. Please join with us and help make a difference. I say it every year and it remains true EVERY voice counts, let yours be heard!

Check out our website http://www.usaall.org for regularly updated info on all bills affecting the motorized community along with helpful info about the legislature and how you can be more involved.

Please forward this email to others

Thank you,

Mike Swenson

UTAH WINTER GAMES BARRELING TO RECORD YEAR

Park City, UT (February 7, 2007) -- The Utah Winter Games have been almost overwhelmed by success. At the end of January, and with over a month's worth of competitions to go, the Games are making a remarkable impact on the lives of Utahns.

Possibly the most impressive numbers come from the webmaster of http://www.UtahWinterGames.org . He reports that there have been over 861-thousand hits this season. The site is averaging 92-hundred hits a day in January, and in the month of November, there were 261-thousand hits total. This also means that the valuable sponsor links on the website are being viewed by these large numbers of users.

At this point, four thousand people have participated in 16 sports, 47 learning clinics, and 30 competitions at 17 venues. Competitors list 66 Utah cities as home. A number of other states have contributed athletes, but those numbers won't be available until the end of the season in March.

Marketing research shows that the average Games participant talks about the experience of competition with five other people, meaning that 20-thousand people have heard directly about Games participation and may be inclined to get in on the fun next year. That number is not out of reach since a summer competition and fitness program in Iowa attracts 33-thousand participants in a state only a little larger than Utah.

Public response has been so great in some areas that extra learning clinics and competitions have been added in February for curling and short track speed skating.

Learning clinics have been sold out, or, more accurately, filled to their feasible limit since the clinics are often free, in snowboarding, Alpine skiing, archery biathlon, biathlon, cross-country skate, cross-country classic, backcountry skills and avalanche training, family skiing, family snowboarding, curling, luge, and skeleton. Utah Winter Games Executive Director Heidi Hughes says next season there will be more clinics and more competitions to keep up with demand because the point of the Games is to give everyone of every ability level a chance to learn about and compete in all sorts of winter sports.

The Utah Winter Games are the oldest and biggest amateur winter sports event in the country. They continue the legacy of 2002 in Utah by making it possible for large numbers of people of all skill levels to have a wonderful time with winter sports.

In the 2005-2006 20th anniversary season, more than three thousand people took part in 20 competitions in 15 sports and 32 instructional clinics.

The Utah Winter Games: All Ages, All Abilities, Always Fun.

For more information on the Utah Winter Games, please contact Christa Graff at 435-640-7921 or christa@graffpr.com or visit the Utah Winter Games web site at http://www.utahwintergames.org .

Two Water Companies Listed as Non-Compliant

February 7, 2007
Salt Lake City, Utah * The Utah Division of Water Resources has identified two water companies as non-compliant with the Water Conservation Plan Act (WCPA). West Corinne Water Company and Woods Cross Municipal Water failed to submit water conservation plans, as required by the WCPA.

The Act requires water conservancy districts and retailers with more than 500 drinking water connections to prepare water conservation plans and submit to the Division of Water Resources. This requirement covers systems that provide water to about 93 percent of Utah's population. The Act also stipulates that water conservation plans are to be updated and resubmitted every five years and non-compliance is to be made public information.

To date, 154 of 156 agencies required to submit water conservation plans have done so. They are compliant with the WCPA and are commended for their efforts in establishing conservation protocol and understanding the demand on their supply systems. The 99 percent rate of compliance is up from 86 percent in 2005 and 72 percent in 2004.

Contact has been made with both non-compliant agencies. West Corinne Water Company has recently begun evaluating their supply system and plans on adding a water conservation component to their evaluation in the near future. Woods Cross Municipal Water is aware of the need to produce a plan.

The WCPA has created an increased emphasis on water conservation and a foundation upon which the state can build a successful water conservation framework. By reaching the statewide goal of reducing the per capita water use by 25 percent through 2050, the state will decrease the water demand by more than 400,000 acre-feet of water per year, or more than 130 billion gallons. This is enough water to fill Jordanelle Reservoir beyond its full storage capacity, or fill EnergySolutions Arena floor to ceiling 11,500 times on a yearly basis. Since 2000, the state's residents have achieved a 14 percent reduction in per capita use.

Pheasants Forever Spends over $33.8 million in 2006 on Mission Projects

Non-Profit Conservation Group is Nation's Most Efficient

Saint Paul, Minn. - February 7, 2007 - Pheasants Forever (PF) has released its 2006 annual report. Last year marked the most successful year in the non-profit conservation organization's 24-year history. During 2006, PF and its quail division, Quail Forever (QF), spent more money on habitat projects and conservation education than any single year prior. It was
also the organization's most successful year in forming new chapters.

Last year, PF/QF spent more than $33.8 million on its mission. Those mission dollars helped PF/QF complete 23,552 habitat projects across the nation in 2006. Those projects are today benefiting wildlife on over 460,000 acres of land. Since the organization's inception in 1982, PF/QF has spent nearly $200 million to complete 4.4 million acres of habitat
work. More than 113,000 of those acres were land acquisition projects. All PF/QF land acquisitions are turned over to the appropriate federal and/or state agency and are now open to public hunting.

In addition to habitat efforts, PF/QF funded 500 youth conservation education events with more than 15,000 participants in 2006. Additionally, PF's Leopold Education Project trained over 1,000 participants in 2006.

The $33.8 million total mission expenditures helped PF/QF raise their efficiency rating to 90.9 percent from 90.3 percent in 2005. In other words, PF/QF spent nearly 91 cents of every dollar it raised directly on the organization's mission in 2006. The remaining 9 cents is spent primarily on administration and fundraising functions. This high level of efficiency is tops among national conservation groups and has led Charity Navigator, America's charity watchdog, to award PF/QF with their highest rating of four stars. In fact, Charity Navigator says that PF/QF outperforms most non-profit organizations in America.

Last year also marked the organization's most successful year in forming new chapters. The PF/QF financial model is unique in the conservation world. PF/QF empowers local chapters with the responsibility to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds will be spent. This local control allows members to see the fruits of their chapter
efforts in their own communities, while belonging to a national organization with a voice on federal conservation policy in Washington D.C.
Last year, 90 communities responded to this model to form new locally-based chapters. QF saw the majority of this growth with 77 chapters formed in 23 different states. In total, there are over 700 PF/QF chapters across the continent accounting for 115,000 members.