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RICHFIELD — Guided tours of the Hanksville- Burpee Dinosaur Quarry will be offered to the public starting in June.
Guides from the Burpee Museum in Illinois will give information about the excavation and answer questions for visitors concerning the paleontological site.
Public tours are scheduled for groups of up to 20 people, on June 7, 9-14, and 16-20. Tours will start on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will last approximately 40 minutes.
Paleontologists from the Burpee Museum in Rockford, Ill. started preliminary excavations at the site last summer, which after only three weeks of excavation, yielded at least four long-necked sauropods, two carnivorous dinosaurs and a possible herbivorous Stegosaurus in the 145,000,000 to 150,000,000-year-old quarry.
These tours are outside, include walking unassisted over uneven, rocky terrain, and can potentially take place in temperatures in the high 90s. Guests are asked to plan accordingly with appropriate shoes, water and anything else required to make your tour enjoyable. If the weather prevents the paleontological field crew from working, the tours will be cancelled.
The Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur Quarry is located approximately 10 miles northwest of Hanksville. The road to the site is native surface and is recommended for high- clearance vehicles only and not suitable for passenger cars. For specific directions to the site, please call or visit the BLM-Utah Hanksville Field Station at 380 South 100 West, Hanksville, or call 435-542-3461.
New Predator-Control Incentive program wants to save the Mule Deer population
The new Predator-Control Incentive program is attempting to reduce and control the numbers of coyotes in areas of Utah that also host their prey, the mule deer.
The incentive program is part of the Mule Deer Protection Act. According to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources website, "Participants in this new program will receive $50 for each properly documented coyote that they kill in Utah." The program registration begins on June 1, 2012.
John Shivik, Mammals Coordinator for the Division of Wildlife Resources says they have been working closely with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food to craft the program.
Coyotes primarily kill fawns, but they still serve as a threat to other local species, making timing pertinent, seeing as that mule deer fawns are born in the spring.
Anyone who wishes to seek more information about the program and how they can help to save the Mule Deer population, please view the fact sheet here www.wildlife.utah.gov/predators.
There will also be three open houses to provide more information: May 29, Cedar City, 6:30-8 p.m., Crystal Inn, 1575 W. 200 North; May 30, Price, 6:30-8 p.m., DWR office, 319 N. Carbonville Road, Suite A; May 31, Salt Lake City, 6:30-8 p.m., DWR office, 1594 W. North Temple.
New splash pad at Highland's Town Center Plaza
The Highland Town Center Plaza has prepared for summer in the "coolest" way possible, by installing a brand new splash pad, opening up for the memorial day weekend.
Guaranteed to attract neighbors wanting to cool down for the summer, the splash pad will be open to the public Monday through Saturday, but has a few reasonable weather restrictions to mind.
The splash pad will operate only on days when the weather reaches temperatures above 75 degrees, when winds are low, and when no storms are foreseen.
Highland Town Center Plaza is located north of City Hall, on 5400 West Civic Center Drive, and is free to use. The splash pad cannot be reserved for events.
For additional information regarding the splash pad, please contact the Public Works and Events coordinator at 801-772-4523.
Two Utah teens earn award, trip to D.C. for volunteering
Two outstanding teens are being recognized in Washington D.C. for their selfless volunteer work.
Morgan Barron, a young advocate for providing food for the Utah Food Bank, and Eric Babb, gardener extraordinaire, have both received Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for their volunteer work, earning them the title of Utah's top volunteers for 2012.
The Utah teens joined 100 other winners — two from each state and Washington, D.C. — at an awards ceremony and gala dinner reception at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
"That really bugged me," 13-year-old Barron said, about the fact that one in six Utah children under age five go hungry. "I decided I would start a community garden that would help feed Utah's hungry." The Girl Scout more than delivered, by starting her own garden and soliciting help from other local gardeners, which resulted in half a ton of produce for the food bank.
Babb, a member of the 4-H youth development organization and a sophomore at the Utah County Academy of Science, has taken on the seemingly never ending task of ridding Highland Glen Park of the invasive weed Dalmatian toadflax for the past five years. "I started out removing the invasive plants all by myself," he said, "and I realized it was going to take a really long time if I didn't get help. So I started recruiting others."
As a result of his hard work, hundreds of volunteers have spent more than 3,500 hours helping Babb remove invasive weeds, and the Dalmatian toadflax infestation has been lessening at Highland Glen Park.
"Meeting with people who care about the environment and service has been an awesome thing," Babb said. These two teens have made a big impact in Utah, and there is hope that others will follow suit.
Last Hurrah for Midvale Elementary School
On May 31, a party will be held to say Goodbye to Midvale Elementary School, as the 61-year-old building retires.
The carnival will take place at the school, located at 362 W. Center St. (7720 South) in Midvale from 3 p.m. until 7:30 p.m., featuring attractions such as inflatables, games, food, and a Silly String Showdown. Most activities cost $1.
The farewell party will also include a special ceremony at 6 p.m. to honor staff and show old and current PTA boards.
Just because the building is retiring, doesn't mean the school will be gone for good. The Canyons School District will open a new Midvale Elementary School, to be located at 7852 S. Pioneer St. (310 West) this fall, with major updates, like state-of-the-art classrooms, and plans for an additional gymnasium, playground and parking spaces.
The new school will sit adjacent from the Midvale Middle School.
Contributing: Jared Page
