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PROVO -- Some long-lost residents have returned to the Provo River thanks to efforts of Utah Wildlife in Need, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Brigham Young University.
A doctor from BYU and wildlife officials released a couple of river otter into the Provo River between Heber City and the north end of Deer Creek Reservoir.
River otters disappeared from part of the river due to unregulated trapping, water pollution and a flood control method called channelization -- in which the shallow, winding course of the river was cut into straight paths and deepened. This raised the banks higher, allowing the river to hold more water. But in the process, it destroyed the existing wildlife habitat along the banks.
- Member of the weasel family
- Adults can weigh between 12 to 30 pounds
- Eat primarily fish but also consume various amphibians, turtles and crayfish
According to DWR, as habitat and food supply declined, so did the number of otters. The decline eventually led to such a low population that they were unable to reproduce in adequate numbers.
A new foundation called Utah Wildlife in Need saw an opportunity as the river began to be restored.
The foundation's Executive Director Bob Hasemyager said, "The DWR and the Utah Reclamation and Mitigation Commission have been working for years to reestablish this river system. One of the benefits of this renovation is now there are too many fish in this part of the river and as a result they are stunting, they aren't growing to the size the fisherman would like to see them."
"The otter being a dominant predator is going to come in and thin those populations, and in theory, get some better fish," he continued. "So not only are we reestablishing otters but we are using the otter as a management tool for this part of the river."
To bring otters to the Provo River, the DWR partnered with its Idaho counterparts who captured the otters in their area and brought them to Utah.
DWR also took some otters from the Green River, where it rebuilt the otter population starting in 1989 by releasing several otters from Nevada and Alaska.
When (the ecosystem) is able to support an animal like that, it means things overall are going well, we've got healthy clean water, and healthy fish population.
–Kim Hershey
Before an otter is released into its new home, veterinarians at Brigham Young University place a small transmitter just underneath the otter's skin. With the transmitter they can monitor progress.
Hasemyager said, "The project calls for about 30 otters. Doctors are monitoring the success of the otters to see if we are getting young produced in the system. Thirty otters should be a self-sustaining population. Today this is the nineteenth otter released so far."
Kim Hershey, wildlife biologist for DWR, said, "In addition to being an important part of the ecosystem, they are an amazingly fun animal. If you ever get a chance to watch them, they are playful and like to slide around and go in and out of the water and go up and down the banks."
Hershey said these otters represent a sign of many things. "They are a top predator in the ecosystem, and when it's able to support an animal like that, it means things overall are going well, we've got healthy clean water, and healthy fish population."
The Utah Wildlife in Need Foundation says the reintroduction of otters is a win-win situation in many ways. "Putting the fish back in the system, and now putting otters in the system is just the icing on the cake to this multimillion dollar project that's been going on for years."
The foundation estimates the project will cost more than $100,000. It hopes to raise the money through donations.
According to DWR statistics, river otters were never abundant in Utah, but they were found in various parts of the state. Some of the biggest populations were in Northern Utah. River otters were doing fine until Utah was settled and over-trapping became a problem. In 1899, the Utah Legislature closed the state to otter trapping.
E-mail: jcastellano@ksl.com
