Yet callers to the State Department of Natural Resources wanting to reserve campsites and picnic grounds in state parks were in danger recently of having their credit cards used to pay for telephone time in interstate gay porn chat rooms.

A 23-year-old reservationist for the Natural Resources Department has pleaded guilty to felony credit card fraud after admitting he used someone else's credit card to make three telephone calls to the interstate chat room at a total cost of about $100.

At first, he told a Kaysville police detective that his friend had the credit card and he didn't know it was stolen.

But the victim has always had the credit card in his possession, so the number and expiration date had somehow been obtained without possession of the card.

When the victim said he previously had used his credit card over the phone to reserve a campsite with the Natural Resources Department, the Kaysville police connected the dots and the suspect made his plea.

Happy birthday, Mary: A recent column item told the story of Cort Tanner, who, in his gratitude for finally receiving a military medal he should have gotten 20 years ago, attempted to give an aide to Sen. Bob Bennett a specially designed coin to show his appreciation for her help.

But the aide, Mary Maughn, returned the coin bearing the Military Police insignia, graciously explaining that as a federal employee, she could not receive gifts (unlike Utah legislators).

So Tanner put the coin up for auction on e-Bay, hoping to find a Mary (the name he had engraved on the coin), who had some connection to MPs.

Maughn's cousin, Mary Kammeyer, read the column and began calling all the Tanners in the telephone directory.

She wanted to buy the coin and give it to her cousin for her birthday.

The auction had already begun, however, so Kammeyer kept bidding on the coin until she won.

The surprise for Maughn's birthday in May will be blown with this column, but Kammeyer says that's OK.

Paul Rolly welcomes e-mail at prolly@sltrib.com.