This week of the #MyPublicLandsSummer, take a trip through the state of Utah! From spectacular red-rock canyons and roaring rivers to high mountain peaks and expansive salt flats, the BLM in Utah is unparalleled in scenic beauty.
The BLM in Utah has an abundance and diversity of recreational opportunities and stunning landscapes that attract visitors from across the state, region, country and world. From mountain biking Moab to canyoneering in the San Rafael Swell; river running Westwater Canyon to OHV riding Little Sahara; driving Nine Mile Canyon to hunting in the Henry Mountains, BLM-Utah provides countless opportunities to explore 23 million acres.
In addition to being a good steward of your public lands, please help others to be respectful and responsible by setting a good example.
Be sure to contact your local BLM office for more information or suggestions. https://www.blm.gov/office/utah-state-office
Presenting the newest BLM-managed National Recreation Trail: Utah’s Corona Arch Trail
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke designated 19 national recreation trails in 17 states, adding more than 370 miles to the national recreation trails system of more than 1,000 trails in all 50 states. The Corona Arch Trail, managed by the Bureau of Land Management Utah, was one of the 19 trails designated.
The trail, located 14 driving miles from Moab, is a moderately strenuous 3-mile round-trip hike provides visitors with striking views of the Colorado River and a large slick-rock canyon.
There are a few sections of the trail with mild exposure to heights. These sections include cables and ladders to assist hikers. At the end of the trail, hikers are welcomed by Corona Arch’s impressive 140-foot by 105-foot opening and the adjacent Bow Tie Arch.
“By designating these new national trails, we acknowledge the efforts of local communities to provide outdoor recreational opportunities that can be enjoyed by everyone,” said Secretary Zinke. “Our network of national trails provides easily accessible places to exercise and connect with nature in both urban and rural areas while boosting tourism and supporting economic opportunities across the country.”
#FindYourWay this summer and celebrate the 50th anniversary of national trails and wild and scenic rivers by visiting a trail like Corona Arch! For more information and to plan your trip, visit blm.gov/visit/corona-arch-trail. Be sure to bring plenty of water and prepare for your hike appropriately.
In May, 25 students from the Salt Lake Center for Science Education, a science technology, energy and mathematics charter school in Salt Lake City, spent four days studying fossils and collecting data in southeastern Utah with BLM geologists and paleontologists. The students road-tripped their way from the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, where geologist Mike Leschin showed them the world's largest concentration of Allosaurus fossils, to sunny Moab, where they toured the Mill Canyon Tracksite.
The students also spent an afternoon at a remote track site uncovering and documenting theropod tracks with paleontologists Dr. Greg McDonald, ReBecca Hunt-Foster and Brent Breithaupt. The data collected by the students will be used by the paleontologists for ongoing monitoring and research activities. Besides discovering dino tracks, the students rappelled down red rock canyons, kayaked and caught crayfish at BLM's Ken's Lake Recreation Area.
Other camp highlights included sunset at Dead Horse Point State Park and camping under the stars at BLM's Lone Mesa campground. The chaperones included BLM staff, volunteers, Salt Lake Center for Science Education teachers and vice-principal.
Next year, BLM Utah and the Salt Lake City School District hope to provide both paleontology and archaeology camps to Utah seventh graders. Many thanks to the awesome kids, teachers and the Price and Moab Field Offices for making the Salt Lake Center for Science Education Paleo Camp 2018 a huge success!
Price Field Office hosts fall break volunteer project
The Price Field Office hosted the University of Utah Identity and Environmental Exploration Alternative Fall Break this October. All of the students that participated in the project are first-generation college students and interested in an opportunity to engage in environmental stewardship, as well as explore and enrich their own educational journeys. The program provides students with an opportunity to engage in volunteerism and experiential learning through their Fall Break.
The day began with a safety talk to prepare the students for the day’s work. After this talk, the PFO staff in attendance –Outdoor Recreation Planner Ben Kraja, Outdoor Recreation Planner Myron Jeffs and Acting Assistant Field Manager Jake Palma – told brief stories about the San Rafael Swell and hiked with the students up to a single dinosaur track embedded in stone. While at the dinosaur track, Ben shared Leave No Trace Principles of how to enjoy the site without disturbing the resource for future visitors.
University of Utah Alternatives Breaks Program Coordinator Lea Karabegovic enthused, “We are so appreciative for the opportunity we had to work with the Price BLM Field Office. Our group of students had an incredible time participating in service work to help restore the Swinging Bridge Campground. It was truly meaningful to gain a much better understanding of how BLM lands are managed, and all that they have to offer. The group really enjoyed engaging in thoughtful discussions about land management and use, methods of dealing with invasive species, as well as learn more about the rich cultural and geological history of the San Rafael Swell.”
The volunteer project started at the Equestrian Campground, near the San Rafael River and Swinging Bridge. The staff worked with the volunteers to rebuild roughly 200 feet of downed fence. During the rebuild, BLM staff chatted about why the fence is necessary, the benefits of outdoor recreation, and the overall mission of the BLM. Once the fence rebuild was complete, we switched to picking up trash and other maintenance at Equestrian and Swinging Bridge Campgrounds, including raking out overgrown vegetation and clearing brush away from the campsite identification signs.
"Any volunteer project that benefits public lands, includes an educational component and provides youth an opportunity to have a public lands experience is successful. This project was no exception. The students were enjoyable to work with and they did a great job", says Myron.
In addition to providing recreation benefits to the public, the project was a rewarding experience for students and BLM staff. Ben Kraja explains, “This project was special to me because I am also an alum of the University of Utah and a first generation college student. It was great to chat about public land management with these students, because a career path in land management isn’t widely talked about with a lot of first generation students. Having the opportunity to relate to them and answer their questions was an experience I hope to repeat with future University of Utah Alternative Fall Break projects.”
Story and photos by Ben Kraja, Price Field Office Outdoor Recreation Planner.
Story by Beth Wineke, University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics Intern. Photos courtesy of Sierra Hellstrom, US Forest Service.
Nature High Summer Camp is a week-long learning experience for high school youth in Utah. Students are introduced to a day in the life of a natural resource professional by spending time with professionals in the field and learning the ins and outs of land management.
The camp began in 1991, and is now run through a cooperative partnership between Utah State University Extension 4-H, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Geological Survey, US Forest Service and Snow College. This partnership has helped to enrich the experiences of many high school students at Nature High Summer Camp throughout the last few decades.
The goal of the camp is to help high school students learn more about natural resource and public lands management through engagement in hands-on activities and interactions with professionals. Students learn about possible careers and ways they can work with the natural world in everyday life. Another goal of this camp is to encourage women and minorities to pursue careers in the sciences.
Students of all backgrounds gain respect for natural resources through this opportunity so that their unique perspectives may be utilized in order to enhance equitable management and planning. The Land Use Scenario, in particular, is an activity that allows campers to demonstrate what they have learned and use their unique individual skills to develop a land use plan.
This year, 22 students from all over Utah participated in the camp. Each day, campers worked with different natural resource experts and learned about hydrology, soil science, forestry, aquatic and wildlife biology, and rangeland science. Additionally, local land users presented as guest speakers in the evenings. Through team games, artwork, service projects and other leadership activities, youth from all backgrounds learned more about each other and expressed their individuality.
Pre- and post-evaluations showed a positive change in behavior and attitude for the students, with 100% students rating the camp "high" or "very high" in terms of educational experience. Additionally, interest in natural resources and careers and knowledge of these fields increased significantly.
Special thanks to the agencies and organizations who partner with the BLM to sponsor Nature High Summer Camp, and to all those who have participated! BLM Utah is grateful for your support.
#NationalFossilDay: Interagency Team launches new paleo camp
On August 7-11, BLM-UT and Salt Lake Center for Science Education teamed up to teach youth about BLM-Utah's world-class paleontological resources and recreation sites.
When Regional Paleontologist Greg McDonald was hired at the Utah State Office last year, dino-sized projects immediately began to evolve. One of his first ideas was to create a week-long Paleo Camp for middle school students. He reached out to a STEM-based charter school in Salt Lake City that the BLM-Utah youth program was already familiar with: the Salt Lake Center for Science Education (SLCSE). The school’s outdoor exploration instructors, Cavett Eaton and Dr. Sydney Stringham, agreed to help pilot the new camp.
The BLM-Utah program leads and SLCSE teachers collaborated to develop a unique curriculum that emphasized two themes: BLM-Utah’s world-class paleontological resources and recreation sites. The team identified campsites, interpretative sites, age-appropriate challenge and STEM activities and learning goals.
In June, BLM-Utah youth program state lead Jeanette Matovich, attended a National Association for Interpretation training course, where she presented on the SLCSE Paleo Camp and recruited three young classmates, who happened to be trained wilderness first responders, to help mentor students and keep the team safe. The Essential Interpretation Skills Course added unexpected, exponential value because camp would not have been camp without enthusiastic BLM interns Ryan Ashcraft, Marissa Sly and Alex Studd-Sojka. The SLCSE teachers recommended that the BLM continue to enhance its youth education programs by recruiting skilled mentors from the National Association for Interpretation’s training programs.
SLCSE Paleo Camp took place August 7-11, 2017. The first stop was Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry (CLDQ). Price Field Office Geologist Mike Leschin led the students on a tour and discussed the "Jurassic Mystery" about why there are so many predators- especially allosaurs- at CLDQ. From there, the group traveled to the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite, where Canyon Country District Paleontologist ReBecca Hunt-Foster showed the group various trace fossils, including theropod, ornithopod and sauropod dinosaur tracks.
The highlight of SLCSE Paleo Camp was working with BLM-WY Regional Paleontologist Brent Breithaupt and Geographer Neffra Matthews at the Mail Station Tracksite south of Moab, UT. The BLM experts showed the students how to clean off dinosaur tracks, and then measure and photograph them using photogrammetric techniques. Neffra entered the data into a program that created 3D images of the tracks, with the help of coworker Christopher Anderson-Tarver, while Brent showed the students how to calculate dinosaur hip height and stride length from their measurements. GIS intern Andy Eaman assisted the groups with cleaning the surface and helping the students.
Because the project was intended to be an applied exercise, the students collected primary data that the BLM will use for management and interpretation purposes. This was some of the first scientific data collected at this Early Jurassic tracksite and will help provide insights into the life and times of the prehistoric animals that once roamed through the ancient Utah.
Between paleo sessions, the kids took advantage of Utah’s awesome recreation opportunities. They hiked, rappelled down red rock cliff faces and went kayaking at Ken's Lake. At the closing awards ceremony, Greg handed out signed "Dinosaur Tracker" certificates and Junior Ranger Paleontology pins.
The team is already gearing up for the next SLCSE Paleo Camp, scheduled for May 16-18, 2018 at Lone Mesa Campground near Moab, UT.
Please enjoy our #SLCSEPaleoCamp Flickr Album and a YouTube video documenting the event!
Story by Jeanette Matovich Shackelford, BLM-Utah Youth Program State Lead. Photos by Jeanette Matovich Shackelford, BLM-Utah Youth Program State Lead; Cavett Eaton and Dr. Sydney Stringham, Outdoor Exploration Instructors, SLCSE; Alexandra Studd-Sojka, Wild and Scenic Rivers Intern, BLM-CA; Neffra Matthews, BLM-National Operations Center.
Earth Connections Camp for Tribal Youth Connects STEM and Cultural Traditions
Story by Jeanette Shackelford, Youth Program State Lead. Photos by BLM Utah and the Bureau of Reclamation.
In June, Utah's Earth Connections Camp welcomed about 45 American Indian youth for 2 full days of fun and learning in Salt Lake City. The day camp for American Indian youth emphasizes STEM and traditional cultural activities taught by tribal and agency experts. BLM-Utah is a founding partner along with the Utah State Board of Education, and has helped direct camp for the past five years.
The students visited outdoor learning stations featuring hydrology, Utah Tribal history, dam engineering, ethnobotany, health and medical sciences, soils, and flute-playing. At Thanksgiving Point Institute, the youth built circuits that powered robots capable of coloring pictures, and even controlling computers.
This year, the BLM-Utah's Associate State Director, Anita Bilbao, was the keynote speaker. In her address, Bilbao encouraged Earth Connections Campers to embrace their culture, never stop asking questions, and say yes to new experiences!
Thanks for joining us during National Photography Month!
This May, we celebrated National Photography Month with photos from #yourpubliclands, tips from the experts, and some travel inspiration for your next trip to BLM-managed lands. Check out our Instagram for a recap of National Photography Month, and follow for more!
Photos courtesy of Jeff Sullivan, Richard Bednarski, John D’Onofrio, and Raymond Lee.
