A highlight of the free festival is a chance to see the brilliant red kokanee salmon in the Strawberry River as they head to the state's fish trap and egg-taking facility. Other activities include a fishing simulator, pellet gun shooting range, bird demonstrations from Tracy Aviary (noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday), a lecture on how to catch rainbow trout in the reservoir (4 p.m. Saturday) and informational booths about wildlife and camping in the area.
Free State Parks Day
Utah State Parks and Recreation is holding its annual Free State Parks Day on Sept. 30 as part of National Public Lands Day. Day-use fees will be waived at all state parks, but special-use fees, like golf and camping, will still be collected.
Special events at state parks on National Public Lands Day include the following:
Pleistocene display
The Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum in Vernal has a temporary exhibit on Pleistocene mammals, including two saber-toothed cats and a prehistoric bison with a 7-foot spread of horns.
The exhibit will be at the museum through the end of October. The Utah Field House is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $6 for adults; $3 for Utah seniors 62 and older and children 6 to 12; children under 6 are free. Call 435-789-3799 for more information.
Entry fees waived at
Glen Canyon NRA
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is offering free entry Sept. 30 in conjunction with National Public Lands Day. Entrance passes will be free that day and will be valid for seven days. Camping and boating fees will still be collected.
Volunteers are invited to help remove graffiti from the Glen Canyon Dam Overlook in Page on Saturday from 8 to 11 a.m. For information on the volunteer project, call 928-608-6200.
Zion NP: Four BASE jumpers plead guilty
Four people have been fined for BASE jumping in Zion National Park, according to the National Park Service. Park officials stopped the men May 1 after park dispatch received reports of parachutes in the air near Mount Kinesava. Rangers said the men refused permission to search their backpacks. After obtaining search warrants, officials said they found four parachutes and associated equipment.
All four suspects pleaded guilty to a rule prohibiting "delivering or retrieving a person or object by parachute." They received fines ranging from $2,000 with forfeiture of equipment to $4,000 with a return of the equipment.
The men were also ordered to pay $500 in restitution to the Peregrine Fund. The cliff from which they jumped was closed for peregrine falcon nesting.
Zion seeks comments
Zion National Park officials are seeking comments on a proposal to spray an herbicide on 10,615 acres burned in the Kolob Fire in June. Officials say the aerial applications of the herbicide are needed to help prevent nonnative cheatgrass from taking over.
An informational meeting on the proposal is Sept. 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Virgin Town Hall, 101 Mill St., Virgin.
An environmental assessment for the plan will be available for public review and comment until Oct. 17; it's available online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/ or by calling the park at 435-772-0211.
Comments can also be sent by mail to: Superintendent, Zion National Park, Attn.: Kolob Fire Rehabilitation EA, Springdale, UT 84767 or online at http://parkplanning.nps. gov/.
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