Northern RAC: Fall surveys, grebe die-off and outreach highlighted in regional update

Northern Region staff gave a broad update at the Nov. 12 Northern Regional Advisory Council meeting, listing fall fieldwork, personnel moves and public outreach efforts.

Staff described multiple fish and wildlife monitoring efforts: kokanee salmon spawner counts at Rockport, East Canyon and Porcupine reservoirs, gill-netting at Bear Lake and Willard Bay, and tiger muskie tagging at Pineview (staff reported about 20 tagged adults and 75 juveniles). The biologists said telemetry returns produced a large dataset used for movement and population analyses.

On avian disease, staff reported an estimated 5,000 grebe mortalities discovered during Eared Grebe surveys at Graysaw Lake. The presenter described the outbreak as serious but within previously observed local variability and noted avian cholera is commonly implicated in grebe die‑offs in the region.

The division’s Great Salt Lake ecosystem program reported nearly 16,000,000 pounds harvested in this brine shrimp season. Outreach highlights included a beginner pheasant hunt at Ogden Bay WMA that drew 56 of 60 registrants and social‑media posts (one about striped tiger trout stocked in six community ponds) that generated high public interest.

Law‑enforcement staff summarized fall illegal‑harvest investigations: since October they logged cases involving about 20 illegally taken deer, 12 elk, 3 moose and 1 pronghorn. Staff also described personnel changes and new hires in regional wildlife and habitat positions and said a full complement of seasonal chronic‑wasting‑disease (CWD) and turkey trapping technicians will support winter sampling and collaring work.

Staff announced an urban CWD study covering Davis, Weber and Cache counties and said helicopter collars to track deer movement are scheduled to begin in December. The update closed with invitations for RAC members to participate in field work or committee meetings on mule deer and habitat planning.

The update was delivered as an informational agenda item; RAC members asked clarifying questions but took no formal action during the presentation.