Broken Hearts and Highways

Wildlife crossing advocate grieves over deceased cow elk during morning commute-Park City, Utah

I live in Utah. It’s the place where I was born. After traveling all over the world and a lot of changes in my life, I ended up right where I started. I never thought that would happen, but here I am.

This time around, I’ve fallen in love with every aspect of nature in this state. I can’t say that about city, county, or even the state government. Bureaucrats and those seeking power and money along with status and fame seem to be “running” things. People that mean well, I’m sure, are in those “ivory towers”, but those that make the decisions affecting wildlife, land, water, and ultimately humans I’m convinced, don’t get out much.

I spend hours and hours all around the state photographing, studying, and at times assisting in research of all aspects of nature. These wonders are the very reasons why so many people are and have moved here in the last couple of years. The value of property, particularly in high elevation locations such as Salt Lake City and the Park City area have gone through the roof. The building literally has just about reached mountain tops. Gorgeous aspen groves, clear running streams and rivers, and the sound of all different species of birds and mammals create value for humans looking to locate here. The peace these areas can bring to those previously stuck in “concrete jungles” is understandable. But! With every new home and every additional human in those areas I just described, there is an affect. One, most pressing issue is an increasingly growing number of auto wildlife accidents particularly to specific areas. SR-224 in Park City is a prime example.

This issue is timely. In July, Park City was awarded the 2034 Winter Olympics. Yay? I wasn’t a resident here the last go around, so I have no experience with living in a state hosting the Olympics. I will tell you though, that if Park City government, Summit County, and Utah state government, particularly Utah Department of Transportation, don’t get real and commit now to seriously alleviating auto wildlife accidents in the Park City area in the next few years, the entire world will see spilt blood and carcasses. And who’s to say the visitors won’t experience something worse? How many people that have hit huge moose, elk, and mule deer particularly in that area have had their insurance rates increased? What about human injuries? You can’t tell me the car parts I’ve seen embedded in carcasses haven’t caused anyone any problems!

Save People Save Wildlife and other organizations raised funds for the Parley’s Canyon I-80 wildlife overpass that was installed in 2018. It’s been done once. OK, let’s keep going! Other cities, LA, and others, as well as countries, such as Canada, have realized and understand the investments are worth saving wildlife and humans. Why for the love of all that is good, can’t we do the same?

Yellowstone in May

Grizzly sow and cubs

Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the United States and is the largest. It has often been characterized as the “Serengeti of North America”. Its vastness and differing terrain, waterfalls, geothermal features, lakes, and wildlife are a “must see” for any human.

I had the privilege of attending a week long course in professional guiding at Yellowstone in the first part of May this year. The weather at this time of year can fluctuate between 60 degrees and clear skies to 20 degrees and falling heavy, wet, spring snow. You really have to be prepared for anything, including rain, sleet, and hail. “Layer, layer, layer”, is what most people in the West explain to those visiting the Rockies for the first time in the spring.

It was that kind of week. I went from wishing I had two layers of heavy winter socks to short sleeves by the time I left. But, isn’t that part of the magic of a region where at this time of year sow (female) bears are emerging from dens with new cubs and baby “red dogs” (bison) dot the horizon? Wolves are prowling around and perhaps caring for their own still in the den. Grizzlies can be seen on bison carcasses that have floated to the surface of ponds and lakes. Ravens and Coyotes wait patiently and sometimes can be seen taking a chance by sneaking around a lumbering grizzly boar (male) and tearing a bite off the carcass because they just can’t wait any longer.

I had a day off to wander and as I was alone I began to contemplate and wonder. The way the wind was blowing the fur of a coyote made me think about how a bear has a sense of smell 2,100 times greater than a human. Can this coyote be smelled downwind? Watching the sunlight touch the top of Soda Butte as the day was ending reminded me of early photographers in the 1800’s and their extensive efforts to lug heavy equipment to landscape sights in the park, and the chemicals, and still be clothed in heavy wool. Did you know the reason people never smiled in those old photos is because it took awhile for slow chemical reactions to take place to create the image and if there was any movement by the subjects it turned out blurry? They had to stay still for the process of creating a photo (which took a while) and it was easier not to smile!

But I digress..

I would recommend to anyone and everyone that they need to venture into this gem of a national park at least once in their life in May. The sagebrush and grass are starting to green. Wildlife is becoming active and moving the cycle of life along in several ways and there are multiple chances to see and photograph the action. And let’s be real-there’s way less people there than during the peak of visitation in the summer and early fall!

Sometimes living relatively close to 7 national parks, I get jaded and wish there was no “peak season” and every time I ventured out it was only me, myself, and the wildlife. But! then I remember the first few times I came. The wonder, the magic, the fascination with wildlife behavior, the explosion of the mud pots, and the beauty of Grand Prismatic from the overlook. And then there was the rainbow over the Yellowstone River after a brief rainstorm and the bison trailing down the road had fur that was glistening! If I’m honest most people when they learn to love something they naturally want to share it. Joy is contagious and sharing joy fulfilling. If I am true to the conservation principles I espouse, I should want more people to go. I should want more people to experience Yellowstone in May. Then they will love it and want to protect it too.

The Rookery

Spring isn’t spring without the wonderful nesting, bonding, and mating behaviors of the beautiful great blue herons! To me, it’s a definite sign spring is here!

Farmington Bay, Utah is surrounded by suburbia, but if you visit the Dolores Eccles Education Center (off the northeast corner of the parking lot) several tall structures tower high into the air. There are support beams criss-crossed to assist the herons in building nests for egg laying and incubation.

Watching with binoculars, a scope, or through the lens of a camera you can see sometimes up to 25 or so nesting pairs busily building nests and other such noteworthy behaviors.

The males search for next material and present sticks and large dried pieces of grass as offerings for the nest. Mating also occurs at the beginning of these activities until the female lays her clutch numbering 2-6 eggs. It usually takes about 27-29 days before hatching begins.

These funny looking chicks impatiently await parents to bring food and can be seen in an occasional scuffle and sometimes act like human siblings. The maturation time before chicks turn into fledglings and fly off on their own is relatively short-just about 3 months.

Watching all of the pairs at the rookery almost gives you a sense of a large apartment building filled with families of different ages and different make ups. Some herons work seamlessly together, some look like they argue often, and some fly into the wrong nest area and are met with great hostility!

Late February and March are the best times to few this fun spectacle of heron behaviors. Make sure you put it on the calendar and definitely make time to visit the rookery!