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  11. <title>Wild About Utah</title>
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  14. <description>A Utah Public Radio production featuring contributors who share a love of nature, preservation and education</description>
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  25. <title>Wild About Utah</title>
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  30. <item>
  31. <title>Utah Porcupines</title>
  32. <link>https://wildaboututah.org/utah-porcupines/</link>
  33. <pubDate>Mon, 21 Oct 2019 13:41:53 +0000</pubDate>
  34. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Jack Greene]]></dc:creator>
  35. <category><![CDATA[Mammals]]></category>
  36. <category><![CDATA[porkupine]]></category>
  37. <category><![CDATA[quill pig]]></category>
  38.  
  39. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildaboututah.org/?p=10072</guid>
  40. <description><![CDATA[<p>It was late evening at our 3rd annual Utah Youth Environmental Summit at the Wasatch Mountain Lodge above Brighton Ski Resort. We were winding down the day when someone happened to look out the window which elicited a high volume shriek. “What is it?!” A gnarly looking beast had cozied up to the window. Its &#8230; </p>
  41. <p class="link-more"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/utah-porcupines/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Utah Porcupines"</span></a></p>
  42. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org/utah-porcupines/">Utah Porcupines</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.</p>
  43. ]]></description>
  44. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><figure id="attachment_10077" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10077" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws.koerner-tom.north-american-porcupine.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws.koerner-tom.north-american-porcupine.250x166.jpg" alt="Utah Porcupines: North American Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum Courtesy US FWS Tom Koerner, photographer" title="North American Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum Courtesy US FWS Tom Koerner, photographer" width="250" height="166" class="size-full wp-image-10077" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-10077" class="wp-caption-text">North American Porcupine<br />Erethizon dorsatum<br />Courtesy US FWS<br />Tom Koerner, photographer</figcaption></figure>It was late evening at our 3rd annual Utah Youth Environmental Summit at the Wasatch Mountain Lodge above Brighton Ski Resort. We were winding down the day when someone happened to look out the window which elicited a high volume shriek. </p>
  45. <p>“What is it?!” A gnarly looking beast had cozied up to the window. Its face was a mixture of the grotesque and cuteness. A throng of students rushed to the window. “A porcupine!!” None of the 30 students had seen one in the wild. The questions began. “Can it shoot its quills at you?” “What do they eat?” “Do they bite?” “Do they hibernate”? And so on.</p>
  46. <p><figure id="attachment_10075" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10075" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws.hupp-lisa.north-american-porcupine.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws.hupp-lisa.north-american-porcupine.250x167.jpg" alt="Utah Porcupines: North American Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum Courtesy US FWS Lisa Hupp, photographer" title="North American Porcupine Erethizon dorsatum Courtesy US FWS Lisa Hupp, photographer" width="250" height="167" class="size-full wp-image-10075" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-10075" class="wp-caption-text">North American Porcupine<br />Erethizon dorsatum<br />Courtesy US FWS<br />Lisa Hupp, photographer</figcaption></figure>Having grown up in the north woods of Wisconsin and Michigan, I could answer most of their questions. No, it does not shoot its quills, but beware of its strong tail which it uses to impregnate quills with a quick slap at the assailant. And no, it doesn’t hibernate and yes, they can bite! Further, they are excellent swimmers and tree climbers. Also, their quills, which are similar to our fingernails made of keratin, can regrow once lost.<br />
  47. Unfortunately, most of the porcupines I’ve happened on have been road kills. The others have been in trees where they may spend considerable time eating the bark and stems. A large pile of fecal material may be found at the trees base similar to that of grouse in shape and size.</p>
  48. <p>Another thing I learned is they adore outhouses and will greatly enlarge the holes as whey chew away the salty urine flavored wood. They also have a penchant for ax handles and canoe paddles where salt accumulates from ones laboring hands. </p>
  49. <p>They are long lived- up to 30 years in captivity. I later learned that our Wasatch Mountain Lodge beast had become habituated, a regular visitor looking for a bit of garbage or a treat. </p>
  50. <p>A few other tidbits worthy of note. Porcupines tend to be solitary animals except for when they are mating or caring for their young. They can use caves, old trees, and logs to create their dens, in which they may remain for many days in inclement weather. They possess a wide-variety of calls including moans, grunts, coughs, wails, whines, shrieks and tooth clicking.</p>
  51. <p><figure id="attachment_10079" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10079" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws.porcupine-in-tree.public-domain.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws.porcupine-in-tree.public-domain.250x385.jpg" alt="Utah Porcupines: Porcupine in a Tree Erethizon dorsatum Courtesy US FWS Public Domain" title="Utah Porcupines: Porcupine in a Tree Erethizon dorsatum Courtesy US FWS Public Domain" width="250" height="385" class="size-full wp-image-10079" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws.porcupine-in-tree.public-domain.250x385.jpg 250w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/fws.porcupine-in-tree.public-domain.250x385-195x300.jpg 195w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-10079" class="wp-caption-text">Porcupine in a Tree<br />Erethizon dorsatum<br />Courtesy US FWS<br />Public Domain</figcaption></figure>Late summer and early fall are the mating times. They make a great deal of vocalizations to draw a mate to them and to keep other males out of the area. Males become very aggressive, the strongest winning the female for which he will dance and then urinate on her for further affection. What!! Typically only one young is born seven months later. The baby’s quills are very soft for delivery, then harden after an hour. They remain with mother for about 6 months.</p>
  52. <p>Predators are often deterred by the rattling of its hollow quills after which an offensive odor may occur. If the above threats fail, the porcupine will attack by running sideways or backwards while swinging its quilled tail in the direction of the predator.</p>
  53. <p>Their magical quills are being researched by medical scientists to create adhesives, improve needle penetration, and for antibacterial properties. They also had extensive use by Native Americans for exquisite decorative purposes, and their bodies served up a fine meal- with quills removed! </p>
  54. <p>This is Jack Greene and I’m wild about Utah porcupines!  </p>
  55. <p><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #2a7f55; font-weight: bold;">Credits:</span></span></p>
  56. <p>Pictures: Courtesy US FWS, Lisa Hupp and Tom Koerner, photographers<br />
  57. Sound: Courtesy<br />
  58. Text: Jack Greene, Bridgerland Audubon Society</p>
  59. <p><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #2a7f55; font-weight: bold;">Additional Reading:</span></span></p>
  60. <p>Can a Porcupine Shoot its Quills? Smithsonian Channel, youTube, March 2, 2015, <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/37mB2n9Rozw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
  61. <p>Porcupines, Wild Aware Utah, (Utah DWR, Hogle Zoo, USU Cooperative Extension) <a href="https://www.wildawareutah.org/utah-wildlife-information/porcupines/" target="NewWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.wildawareutah.org/utah-wildlife-information/porcupines/</a></p>
  62. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org/utah-porcupines/">Utah Porcupines</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.</p>
  63. ]]></content:encoded>
  64. </item>
  65. <item>
  66. <title>Utah&#8217;s Desert Paradox</title>
  67. <link>https://wildaboututah.org/utahs-desert-paradox/</link>
  68. <pubDate>Mon, 14 Oct 2019 13:41:01 +0000</pubDate>
  69. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Josh Boling]]></dc:creator>
  70. <category><![CDATA[Geology]]></category>
  71. <category><![CDATA[anticlines]]></category>
  72. <category><![CDATA[Salt]]></category>
  73. <category><![CDATA[Salt Domes]]></category>
  74.  
  75. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildaboututah.org/?p=10061</guid>
  76. <description><![CDATA[<p>Have you ever wondered why the redrock landscape of Southeastern Utah ebbs and flows, why the exposed layers of sedimentary rock seem to rise and fall in crests and troughs like so many waves across the surface of the sea? Well, the answer, surprisingly enough, can be found through investigating the ancient seas that once &#8230; </p>
  77. <p class="link-more"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/utahs-desert-paradox/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Utah&#8217;s Desert Paradox"</span></a></p>
  78. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org/utahs-desert-paradox/">Utah&#8217;s Desert Paradox</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.</p>
  79. ]]></description>
  80. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><figure id="attachment_9031" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9031" style="width: 500px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.upheaval.dome_.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.upheaval.dome_.500x135.jpg" alt="Utah's Desert Paradox: Upheaval Dome Courtesy Wikimedia Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license." title="Utah's Desert Paradox: Upheaval Dome Courtesy Wikimedia Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license." width="500" height="135" class="size-full wp-image-9031" srcset="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.upheaval.dome_.500x135.jpg 500w, https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.upheaval.dome_.500x135-250x68.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9031" class="wp-caption-text">Upheaval Dome<br />Courtesy Wikimedia<br />Licensed under the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.</a></figcaption></figure>Have you ever wondered why the redrock landscape of Southeastern Utah ebbs and flows, why the exposed layers of sedimentary rock seem to rise and fall in crests and troughs like so many waves across the surface of the sea? Well, the answer, surprisingly enough, can be found through investigating the ancient seas that once covered vast swathes of Southeast Utah more than 300 million years ago. </p>
  81. <p><figure id="attachment_9035" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9035" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.salt_.diapir.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.salt_.diapir.250x203.jpg" alt="Utah's Desert Paradox: Salt Diapir Courtesy Geology.com" title="Salt Diapir Courtesy Geology.com" width="250" height="203" class="size-full wp-image-9035" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9035" class="wp-caption-text">Salt Diapir<br />Courtesy Geology.com</figcaption></figure>Back then, the allotment of Earth’s crust that would one day become the Beehive State was located along the western edge of a chain of islands that rose above a shallow, equatorial sea. 15 million years of sea level rise, recession, and evaporation left behind layer upon layer of salt deposits that would eventually measure nearly a mile thick. These salt deposits were subsequently covered and crushed by vast layers of sediment, rock, and debris eroded from the flanks of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. Under the tremendous weight of these additional layers, the now lithified layers of salty stone softened and squirted west like toothpaste through a tube until they collided with deep tectonic faults. Here, they erupted upward, forcing the younger, denser rock layers into anticlinal arched domes, called diapirs, resembling the crests of waves. This phenomenon works much like a waterbed across the landscape: heavier rock layers squirting salt into thinner layers of rock that then bulge upward before they are subsequently squashed downward again by even more sediment, rock, and debris. The subterranean movement of salt through rock layers becomes a game of geologic whack-a-mole.  </p>
  82. <p><figure id="attachment_9033" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9033" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.cane_.creek_.anticline.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.cane_.creek_.anticline.250x210.jpg" alt="Utah's Desert Paradox: Cane Creek Anticline Canyonlands National Park Courtesy USGS, Public Domain, Photo id: 249988" title="Cane Creek Anticline Canyonlands National Park Courtesy USGS, Public Domain, Photo id: 249988" width="250" height="210" class="size-full wp-image-9033" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9033" class="wp-caption-text">Cane Creek Anticline<br />Canyonlands National Park<br />Courtesy USGS, Public Domain, Photo id: 249988</figcaption></figure>I recently visited Dead Horse Point State Park between the town of Moab and Canyonlands National Park. On the eastern edge of the rising mesa on which the park is located, one can look out across millions of years’ worth of sedimentary deposits toward the Cane Creek Anticline, an obvious salt diapir that seems to rise straight out of the Colorado River. Perhaps the most famous (and most contested) salt diapir in the area, though, is that of Upheaval Dome, located in Canyonlands National Park. An alternative theory to the creation of Upheaval Dome maintains that an ancient meteor impact created the crater where Upheaval Dome is located. However, the fracturing of the younger Wingate Sandstone that occupies the higher rock layers is indicative of a salt diapir formation. Yet, debate rages on!</p>
  83. <p><figure id="attachment_9037" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9037" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.paradox.basin_.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.paradox.basin_.250x286.jpg" alt="Utah's Desert Paradox: Paradox Basin Overview Courtesy &amp; Copyright Buffalo Royalties" title="Utah's Desert Paradox: Paradox Basin Overview Courtesy &amp; Copyright Buffalo Royalties" width="250" height="286" class="size-full wp-image-9037" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9037" class="wp-caption-text">Paradox Basin Overview<br />Courtesy &#038; Copyright Buffalo Royalties</figcaption></figure>Funnily enough, the discovery of this layer of ancient salt deposits that wreaks so much havoc below the Earth’s surface was made in the collapsed center of an ancient salt diapir. In 1875, geologist and surveyor Albert Charles Peale, at the time yet unaware of the salt tectonics at work beneath the Colorado Plateau, noted the paradoxical course of the Delores River. As Peale and his colleagues would find out, the geography of the collapsed salt diapir caused the river to chart a perpendicular course through its valley as opposed to a parallel course as is most often taken by rivers. This paradox of fluvial geomorphology gave the place its name, Paradox Valley. Likewise, the subsequent discovery of an entire basin of ancient salt deposits borrowed the name “Paradox.” Now, we know the salty layer as the Paradox Formation of rocks found throughout the Paradox Basin of the Colorado Plateau. </p>
  84. <p><figure id="attachment_9040" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9040" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.paradox.valley.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/boling.paradox.valley.250x167.jpg" alt="Paradox Valley Courtesy &amp; Copyright GJhikes.com" width="250" height="167" class="size-full wp-image-9040" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-9040" class="wp-caption-text">Paradox Valley<br />Courtesy &#038; Copyright GJhikes.com</figcaption></figure>This paradox of fluvial geomorphology can also be found where the Colorado River cuts a perpendicular course across the Spanish Valley of Moab and is indicative of a vast layer of ancient salts below the surface, waiting to further morph the landscape into crests and troughs of rocky waves that ebb and flow across the landscape. The next time you venture into this part of our great state, stop and consider the remnants of ancient seas below your feet that project their image into the surface of the redrock above.  </p>
  85. <p>I’m Josh Boling, and I’m Wild About Utah.</p>
  86. <p><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #2a7f55; font-weight: bold;">Credits:</span></span></p>
  87. <p>Photos: Paradox Basin Overview, Courtesy and Copyright Buffalo Royalties<br />
  88. Upheaval Dome Courtesy Wikimedia, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UpheavalDomePanorama.jpg<br />
  89. Salt Diapir Courtesy Geology.com, https://geology.com/stories/13/salt-domes/<br />
  90. Paradox Valley Courtesy GJhikes.com, https://www.gjhikes.com/2017/10/long-park.html<br />
  91. Cane Creek Anticline Courtesy USGS (Photo id: 249988 &#8211; Canyonlands National Park, Utah. Cane Creek anticline, looking northeast toward the La Sal Mountains from Dead Horse Point. The Colorado River cuts across the crest at the middle right, above which is Anticline Overlook. A jeep trail and part of Shafer dome lie below. Figure 13, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1327. &#8211; ID. Lohman, S.W. 10cp &#8211; lswc0010 &#8211; U.S. Geological Survey &#8211; Public domain image)<br />
  92. Text: Josh Boling, 2018</p>
  93. <p><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #2a7f55; font-weight: bold;">Sources &amp; Additional Reading</span></span></p>
  94. <p>Davis, Jim, Glad You Asked: Why Does A River Run Through It?, Glad You Asked, Utah Geological Survey, <a href="https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/glad-you-asked/why-does-a-river-run-through-it/">https://geology.utah.gov/map-pub/survey-notes/glad-you-asked/why-does-a-river-run-through-it/</a></p>
  95. <p>What is a Salt Dome?. Geology.com, <a href="https://geology.com/stories/13/salt-domes/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://geology.com/stories/13/salt-domes/</a></p>
  96. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org/utahs-desert-paradox/">Utah&#8217;s Desert Paradox</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.</p>
  97. ]]></content:encoded>
  98. </item>
  99. <item>
  100. <title>Cougars in Utah</title>
  101. <link>https://wildaboututah.org/cougars-in-utah/</link>
  102. <pubDate>Mon, 07 Oct 2019 13:41:57 +0000</pubDate>
  103. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Shauna Leavitt]]></dc:creator>
  104. <category><![CDATA[Mammals]]></category>
  105.  
  106. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildaboututah.org/?p=10031</guid>
  107. <description><![CDATA[<p>Cougars are more widely distributed in Utah than many residents realize. These shy cats are found across the state. They roam from the high Uinta Mountains to the dry southern deserts. David Stoner, assistant professor in the Department of Wildland Resources in the Quinney College of Natural Resources who has studied cougars for the past &#8230; </p>
  108. <p class="link-more"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/cougars-in-utah/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "Cougars in Utah"</span></a></p>
  109. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org/cougars-in-utah/">Cougars in Utah</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.</p>
  110. ]]></description>
  111. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><figure id="attachment_10034" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10034" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/David.Stoner.F43_oquirrhs.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/David.Stoner.F43_oquirrhs.250x188.jpg" alt="Cougars in Utah: FemaleF43, Butterfield Canyon, 2009 Courtesy and Copyright David Stoner" title="FemaleF43, Butterfield Canyon, 2009 Courtesy and Copyright David Stoner" title="FemaleF43, Butterfield Canyon, 2009 Courtesy and Copyright David Stoner" title="FemaleF43, Butterfield Canyon, 2009 Courtesy and Copyright David Stoner" width="250" height="188" class="size-full wp-image-10034" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-10034" class="wp-caption-text">Female F43, Butterfield Canyon, 2009<br />Courtesy and Copyright David Stoner</figcaption></figure>Cougars are more widely distributed in Utah than many residents realize.  These shy cats are found across the state.  They roam from the high Uinta Mountains to the dry southern deserts.</p>
  112. <p>David Stoner, assistant professor in the Department of Wildland Resources in the Quinney College of Natural Resources who has studied cougars for the past two decades said, “[Cougars] are common in terms of their distribution, but are rare in terms of their numbers.  They live in many places but there are never a lot of them, typically occurring at densities of 1 adult per 20 square miles. </p>
  113. <p>Stoner continues, “They’re just a big cat.  Most of us are familiar with a house cats, and know how they behave, their movements, and idiosyncrasies.  The main difference is their size.  Cougars can be as large as humans [males usually range between 110 to 180 lbs.]  They have evolved to take prey larger than themselves.  You see this in the size of their muzzle – the mouth, nose and jaw. All of that is much larger in a cougar relative to its own body than a house cat.  This becomes even more dramatic in the really big cats like tigers and lions with very large muzzles.</p>
  114. <p>Stoner partnered with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to study cougars in two Utah areas, one of which was Monroe Mountain in Fishlake National Forest. </p>
  115. <p><figure id="attachment_10036" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10036" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/McLain.Mecham.F58.F61_march_2011.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/McLain.Mecham.F58.F61_march_2011.250x160.jpg" alt="Mother named F61 (face showing), daughter (F58c) (facing away) Approx 1.5 yrs old in January 2011. Location: Kennecott mine, Bingham Canyon in the Oquirrh Mountains, Utah Courtesy and Copyright McLain Mecham, Photographer" title="Mother named F61 (face showing), daughter (F58c) (facing away) Approx 1.5 yrs old in January 2011. Location: Kennecott mine, Bingham Canyon in the Oquirrh Mountains, Utah Courtesy and Copyright McLain Mecham, Photographer" width="250" height="160" class="size-full wp-image-10036" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-10036" class="wp-caption-text">Mother named F61 (face showing), daughter (F58c) (facing away) Approx 1.5 yrs old in January 2011. Location: Kennecott mine, Bingham Canyon in the Oquirrh Mountains, Utah<br />Courtesy and Copyright McLain Mecham, Photographer</figcaption></figure>The researchers noticed an unusual movement pattern of juveniles on the mountain.  When the young were ready to leave their mothers they could have migrated in any direction to find good habitat but they disproportionately chose to go either NE or SE. This perplexed the researchers.</p>
  116. <p>At about the same time the cougar research was winding down, DWR was starting a mule deer monitoring program.    </p>
  117. <p>Stoner said, “We were very fortunate.  What DWR found was the Monroe Mountain deer herd were mostly migrating NE and SE.  I looked back at our data and found the cougars who were leaving Monroe were going in the same direction as the deer migrations, the young cougars were tracking the deer herds.  </p>
  118. <p>Due to their hunting methods and nutritional needs, cougars require large home ranges.  Researchers gathered data from NV, UT and AZ to represent a wide range of environmental conditions from very dry systems close to Las Vegas to relatively wet systems along Wasatch front.  </p>
  119. <p>Stoner explains, “We found the size of the home ranges…varied with precipitation.  The wettest areas the cougars had the smallest home ranges, because of the abundance of prey in these highly productive systems.  Females tend to have ranges strictly based on the food they need.  The male’s range is much larger because they are looking for breeding opportunities, so they overlap numerous females.  These ranges can be quite large. One collared male had a home range of over 2,500 square miles, which was visible on maps at the scale of the entire western United States.”</p>
  120. <p>When it comes to human interactions with cougars, Utah has been very fortunate. In the past 100 years, no humans have been killed by a cougar.  In hopes of maintaining this record, DWR keeps safety tips on its website.  The most important tip is to never run from a cougar, this will cause them to instinctively think you are prey and begin the chase. If you have a child with you pick them up.  Stand firm and look intimidating, let it know you’ll fight back.  Your goal is to scare them off.</p>
  121. <p>With the wise actions of humans, Stoner and DWR hope this majestic cat will continue to flourish in Utah.</p>
  122. <p>This is Shauna Leavitt and I&#8217;m Wild About Utah.</p>
  123. <p><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #2a7f55; font-weight: bold;">Credits:</span></span><br />
  124. Photos: Courtesy &amp; Copyright © David Stoner<br />
  125. Audio: Courtesy<br />
  126. Principal Investigator:  David Stoner, https://qcnr.usu.edu/directory_cv/D.Stoner_CV_10-2016.pdf<br />
  127. Text: Shauna Leavitt, <a href="https://qcnr.usu.edu/research/centers/fish_wildlife_research">USGS Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Quinney College of Natural Resources, Utah State University</a></p>
  128. <p><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #2a7f55; font-weight: bold;">Sources &amp; Additional Reading</span></span></p>
  129. <p>Greene, Jack, My Cougar Encounter, Wild About Utah, January 16, 2017, <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/my-cougar-encounter/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://wildaboututah.org/my-cougar-encounter/</a></p>
  130. <p>Strand, Holly, Mountain Lion, Wild About Utah, March 4, 2010, <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/mountain-lion/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://wildaboututah.org/mountain-lion/</a></p>
  131. <p>Boling, Josh, Wild Cats, Wild About Utah, December 10, 2018, <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wild-cats/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://wildaboututah.org/wild-cats/</a></p>
  132. <p>Löe J. and E. Röskaft. 2004. Large Carnivores and Human Safety: A Review. AMBIO: A Journal of the Human Environment Aug 2004 : Vol. 33, Issue 6, pg(s) 283-288  <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8328070_Large_Carnivores_and_Human_Safety_A_Review" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/8328070_Large_Carnivores_and_Human_Safety_A_Review</a></p>
  133. <p>Larese-Casanova, Mark, Mountain Wildlife Field Book, Utah Master Naturalists, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Wildlife-Field-Master-Naturalist/dp/B01H4JHJ58" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://extension.usu.edu/utahmasternaturalist/files/UMNP_Mountains_Wildlife_Book_booklet.pdf</a></p>
  134. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org/cougars-in-utah/">Cougars in Utah</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.</p>
  135. ]]></content:encoded>
  136. </item>
  137. <item>
  138. <title>More From The Hidden Life of Trees</title>
  139. <link>https://wildaboututah.org/more-from-the-hidden-life-of-trees/</link>
  140. <pubDate>Mon, 30 Sep 2019 13:41:36 +0000</pubDate>
  141. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Ron Hellstern]]></dc:creator>
  142. <category><![CDATA[Trees]]></category>
  143.  
  144. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://wildaboututah.org/?p=10039</guid>
  145. <description><![CDATA[<p>In the book, The Hidden Life of Trees, Forester-Scientist Peter Wohlleben reveals some amazing characteristics that are generally unknown by the humans casually walking by the trees in a forest. This is part two highlighting this book and I highly recommend you consider searching for it in bookstores or online. Wohlleben states that trees communicate &#8230; </p>
  146. <p class="link-more"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/more-from-the-hidden-life-of-trees/" class="more-link">Continue reading<span class="screen-reader-text"> "More From The Hidden Life of Trees"</span></a></p>
  147. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org/more-from-the-hidden-life-of-trees/">More From The Hidden Life of Trees</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.</p>
  148. ]]></description>
  149. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><figure id="attachment_10040" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10040" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/hellstern.trees_.IMG_6094.small_.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/hellstern.trees_.IMG_6094.250x167.jpg" alt="More From The Hidden Life of Trees: Urban Trees Courtesy and Copyright Ron Hellstern, Photographer" title="Click for a larger view of Urban Trees, Courtesy and Copyright Ron Hellstern, Photographer" width="250" height="167" class="size-full wp-image-10040" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-10040" class="wp-caption-text">Urban Trees<br />Courtesy and Copyright Ron Hellstern, Photographer</figcaption></figure>In the book, The Hidden Life of Trees, Forester-Scientist Peter Wohlleben reveals some amazing characteristics that are generally unknown by the humans casually walking by the trees in a forest.  This is part two highlighting this book and I highly recommend you consider searching for it in bookstores or online.</p>
  150. <p>Wohlleben states that trees communicate with each other by using scents.  It seems that various trees can release toxins into their leaves when being eaten by herbivores looking for a meal.  But these trees also warned nearby relatives of the same species by releasing gases as a signal they were being invaded.  Those neighboring trees quickly pumped those same toxins into their leaves to prevent an oncoming attack.</p>
  151. <p><figure id="attachment_10042" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-10042" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/hellstern.trees_.IMG_6095.small_.jpg"><img src="https://wildaboututah.org/wp-content/uploads/hellstern.trees_.IMG_6095.250x167.jpg" alt="Mountain Trees Courtesy and Copyright Ron Hellstern, Photographer" title="Click for a larger view of Mountain Trees Courtesy and Copyright Ron Hellstern, Photographer"  width="250" height="167" class="size-full wp-image-10042" /></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-10042" class="wp-caption-text">Mountain Trees<br />Courtesy and Copyright Ron Hellstern, Photographer</figcaption></figure>It was also learned that sometimes trees can identify the insects that are eating their leaves by tasting the saliva being secreted by those attackers.  The trees can then release scent-based pheromones to warn neighbors that they are being assaulted, but also summon beneficial insects which then prey upon those original assailants.  These new findings imply that trees can determine certain scents, and if they can interpret different insect saliva they must also have a sense of taste.</p>
  152. <p>These warnings to neighboring trees aren’t always carried through the air.  Consider days when there is no wind.  They can also be sent using chemical signals sent through the fungi around their root tips.  Serious problems can occur when trees lose these skills as well as their ability to defend themselves.  This is one important reason to maintain undisturbed sections of old-growth forests.  Wohlleben also cites a study in Australia when it was observed that the roots of grain seedlings oriented their root tips toward the origin of sound frequencies of 220 hertz.  Can trees taste, smell, respond to electrical signals, and hear sounds?  It seems incredible, but how much do we really know about trees?</p>
  153. <p>Consider the many benefits trees provide for humanity and other life forms:  Of course they can be used for building or fuel, but they can raise property values by as much as 15%; they take in Carbon Dioxide for growth and release Oxygen; they help moderate the climate; they purify the air of toxic substances; they produce fruit and nuts; they provide habitat for insect-eating birds; they provide cooling summer shade and reduce heat-islands in urban settings; they reduce noise levels and light pollution for scenic night skies; they provide soil stability to reduce erosion; and they provide scenic green-screens for privacy.  Research has also shown that urban tree areas have lower crime rates, and hospitals report that recovery from physical or mental issues are improved and hastened by having trees in their landscape.</p>
  154. <p>There is much more to learn from the book, The Hidden Life of Trees.  And Fall and Spring are the ideal times to plant these quiet, scenic wonders.</p>
  155. <p>This is Ron Hellstern, and I am Wild About Utah.<br />
  156. &nbsp;<br />
  157. <span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #2a7f55; font-weight: bold;">Credits:</span></span></p>
  158. <p>Images: Courtesy &amp; Copyright Ron Hellstern<br />
  159. Lead Audio: Courtesy and Copyright<br />
  160. Text: Ron Hellstern, <a href="http://cachevalleywildlife.weebly.com/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cache Valley Wildlife Association</a>  </p>
  161. <p><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #2a7f55; font-weight: bold;">Additional Reading</span></span></p>
  162. <p>Hellstern, Ron, The Hidden Life of Trees, Wild About Utah, August 26, 2019, <a href="https://wildaboututah.org/the-hidden-life-of-trees/" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://wildaboututah.org/the-hidden-life-of-trees/</a></p>
  163. <p>Wohlleben, Peter, The Hidden Life of Trees, Jane Billinghurst, Translator, Greystone Books Ltd., 2016, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Life-Trees-Illustrated/dp/177164348X" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Life-Trees-Illustrated/dp/177164348X</a></p>
  164. <p>Wohlleben, Peter, The Hidden Life of Trees – The Illustrated Edition, Jane Billinghurst, Translator, Greystone Books Ltd. 2018, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Life-Trees-Illustrated/dp/177164348X" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Life-Trees-Illustrated/dp/177164348X</a></p>
  165. <p>Noe, Alva, A Web Of Trees And Their &#8216;Hidden&#8217; Lives, National Public Radio, September 23, 2016, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/09/23/494989594/a-web-of-trees-and-their-hidden-lives" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/09/23/494989594/a-web-of-trees-and-their-hidden-lives</a></p>
  166. <p>Kuhns, Michael, <a href="https://upcolorado.com/utah-state-university-press/item/2130-a-guide-to-the-trees-of-utah-and-the-intermountain-west" target="newWindow" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://upcolorado.com/utah-state-university-press/item/2130-a-guide-to-the-trees-of-utah-and-the-intermountain-west</a></p>
  167. <p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org/more-from-the-hidden-life-of-trees/">More From The Hidden Life of Trees</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://wildaboututah.org">Wild About Utah</a>.</p>
  168. ]]></content:encoded>
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