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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources reports increased populations in formerly endangered June sucker fish
SALT LAKE CITY () — A formerly endangered Utah native fish, the June sucker has been downlisted to threatened status, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR). The June sucker is a fish species native to Utah, inhabiting Utah Lake and using tributaries in the Provo River and Hobble creek among others to spawn. It is an omnivore that can live for 40 years and grows several feet in size. In an interview with Native Aquatics Project Leader at DWR Keith Lawrence said, 'A few decades ago, it was believed that the population [of June suckers] was down to only a few hundred individuals, maybe as many as a thousand.' Now, however, through conservation efforts, the June Sucker population has recovered, to numbers 'estimated today to be in the tens of thousands, probably somewhere between 30 and 50,000 fish,' according to Lawrence. 'It's important to understand that Utah Lake has undergone many changes over the decades since Western settlers arrived. And many of them have not necessarily been good for the June sucker, at least, and other native fishes that lived there previously. The June sucker is one of the few that remain.' Keith Lawrence, Native Aquatics Project Leader at DWS Lawrence explained that the June sucker is not a predator, but as an omnivore it feeds on invertebrates and zooplankton, so it plays a role in the ecosystem as a mid-level omnivore. Cat who survived 400-foot Bryce Canyon fall adopted by rescuing pilot The recovery program for the June sucker has been a large undertaking that began shortly after the species was listed as endangered, Lawrence said. Alongside partners, DWR has taken a myriad of measures to protect the species, including non-native management, water conservation especially in the Provo River, public information and outreach, habitat improvement, and a 'very aggressive' stocking program. As part of the stocking program, conservationists took some of the remaining individuals and propagated them, mostly at the Logan Hatchery in northern Utah, Lawrence said. They are raised in these hatcheries and then they are stocked into the lake. Lawrence told that there have been 'hundreds of thousands' of June suckers stocked into the lake over the years. Lawrence stated that while the recovery has been very successful, there are still threats to the June sucker population, including 'all the non-native potential predators and competitors that we have in the system.' Additionally, water flow continues to be a major threat. The Supreme Court reinstates federal approval in Uinta Basin Railway project 'At one time, the Provo River ran completely dry, you know, during the summer,' Lawrence said. 'Memory of the summers that that did happen, and so obviously that's not good for the fish, and so the program has spent tens of millions of dollars to try to purchase money and provide those flows when the fish need them.' Lawrence stated that they are monitoring the spawning run into the Provo Delta and Oville Creek, using PIT tag antennas, which passively detect tags put into some of the fish. June suckers are most vulnerable after spawning. 'They're very vulnerable, as you might imagine, when they're small,' Lawrence said, and he described getting them from the larval stage to 'age one' fish as a 'bottleneck.' The research to figure out how to get over that bottleneck is key, he said. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources reports increased populations in formerly endangered June sucker fish Car crosses median, causing multiple vehicle crash in Kaysville/Farmington One of two water wells in Hildale City back online after repairs Pride flag raising ceremony kicks of 2025 Utah Pride festivities Intermountain Health first in nation to expand stem cell collection for CAR-T Cell Therapy bringing innovative cancer procedure to Southern Utah Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
Low water levels lead to increased fishing limits at Crouse Reservoir
DIAMOND MOUNTAIN, Utah () — Due to low water levels, an emergency change issued by the (DWR) on Tuesday has increased the daily fishing limit at Crouse Reservoir, effective immediately. The change, issued by DWR Deputy Director Michael Canning to the Utah Fishing Guidebook, now allows anglers to keep up to eight trout of any species, doubling the previous limit of four. Utah's reservoir outlook: Why conserving water is key 'This emergency change will allow the public to harvest more fish from the reservoir so they can be used and not wasted as water levels continue to decline this summer,' Canning said in a press release. 'Increased harvest will hopefully improve the survival of any remaining fish, as well.' The low water levels in Crause Reservoir can be attributed to the lack of snow Diamond Mountain received during the 2024-25 winter season. 'Pot Creek, the creek that feeds all of them, doesn't run year-round anymore and it's mostly fed by snow melt runoff,' Trina Hedrick, Coldwater Sportfish Coordinator at DWR told Gov. Cox signs executive order to establish new council focused on Utah's future and 'quality of life' 'We hold water at Matt Warner and Calder Reservoirs up above Crause, so it often stays low,' Hedrick added. 'It's simply a matter of not getting enough snow, and it's hard to maintain three reservoirs because of it.' Hedrick also noted that DWR highly encourages anglers to take advantage of this opportunity, as the oxygen levels within the reservoir will suffer if the current fish population isn't reduced. She said the fish are 'really big and a lot of fun,' and that they feel 'it's best to encourage fishing there,' and for Utahns to 'harvest and enjoy the fishing while it's still there.' The change is currently in effect and will expire on December 31st, 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Lt. Gov. Henderson gets more death threats over Primary signature gathering issues — How will they be handled?
SALT LAKE CITY () — After a meeting of the Utah legislature's Rules Review and General Oversight Committee that discussed the Cox campaign's signature gathering, critics of Lieutenant Governor Deidre M. Henderson have taken to social media to voice their disapproval via comments that included death threats. At the May 22 meeting, the committee discussed changes to Utah's signature verification process. Two supporters of Phil Lyman, including his running mate Natalie Clawson, were each given 10 minutes to present to the committee where they repeated claims that Gov. Spencer Cox's campaign did not gather enough signatures during the 2024 election, and accused Lt. Gov. Henderson's office, which contracts signature verification with the Davis County Clerk's Office, of malfeasance. On May 27, Sophie Anderson, a former plaintiff in a lawsuit seeking access to sensitive election materials that Utah's appellate court ruled are protected, posted a photo of Lt. Gov. Henderson on X/Twitter and mentioned her account, asking, 'What should be the penalty for those who defraud elections?' The post elicited approximately 80 responses in roughly 24 hours, with some users saying Henderson committed treason, others saying she should face time in jail or prison, while others called for harsher punishments, including death. PREVIOUSLY: Illegitimate election claims fly as legislative meeting mulls changes to Utah's signature verification Several users posted GIFs or photos of nooses, another posted a photo of an electric chair, and some responses simply said 'Death' or 'Public executions.' reached out to the lieutenant governor's office, which said the office does not comment on her security. The online threats against the Lt. Governor were posted roughly a week after a man was arrested for allegedly . spoke with the Utah Department of Public Safety about how it responds to online threats. Captain Tanner Jensen, the director of the Statewide Information Analysis Center at the DPS, said each threat posted online is taken 'very seriously.' 'With this situation, it's concerning — very serious — and we don't take these types of threats lightly,' Jensen said of the threats to the Lt. Governor. Utah man arrested for allegedly stalking, harassing Salt Lake mayor over pride-themed city flag designs Jensen said that analysts and agents evaluate online posts to see if what is posted is protected by the First Amendment or if it is a 'true threat.' He also said there is a difference between those 'true threats' and 'political hyperbole.' Each post is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and then it is determined if continued monitoring is needed for the users who made those posts. Jensen said there are ways to monitor and assess threats, and to analyze the behaviors of people to see if there is a 'pathway to violence.' 'We definitely pay close attention to our elected officials in Utah and understand that they are a target of threats,' Jensen said. He said that DPS is often notified by social media companies when the platforms identify potential threats. Another way that the department learns of concerning posts is when members of the public raise concerns. 'If you see something suspicious and concerning, please let law enforcement know, and we'll evaluate it,' Jensen said. Jensen encouraged the community to 'stand up against this type of threatening language and hate.' Abigail Jones and Nick Butts contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Utah family prepares to bury WWII pilot who was MIA for 80 years
PARK CITY, Utah () — A Utah family is getting ready to lay to rest U.S. Army Air Forces 1st Lt. George Frank Wilson on the 81st anniversary of his plane being shot down over France during WWII. Lt. Wilson, the pilot of a B-17G 'Flying Fortress' bomber, was killed when his plane crashed in northern France after being hit by anti-aircraft fire on July 8, 1944. For 80 years, he was considered missing in action. Now, his family has some closure. Brian Frank Wilson, who shares the same middle name as his grandfather, told that even though he never met his grandfather, he feels close to him, especially now that the family knows what happened and is preparing to bury him on the 81st anniversary of his death and disappearance. 'It's like the stars are aligning, you know, it's crazy,' Brian Wilson said. 'I feel his soul. I feel there is a purpose to all of it.' Like the tides of war, a turning point is bringing relief to 1st Lt. George F. Wilson's descendants. Santaquin Police Department remembers Sgt. Bill Hooser's legacy one year later 'When he fell out of formation, and everyone was bailing out, one of his closest friends, the engineer, lost his parachute,' Brian Wilson stated. 'I guess Frank (Lt. Wilson) was still alive and gave him his parachute, the last one, and told him to get out.' Brian Wilson told that this happened on July 8, 1944. His grandfather, a young 22-year-old pilot, saved his crew after taking enemy fire. 'They were certain he went down with the plane. It exploded. It was on fire, and that was the last of it,' he added. Then radio silence. In 1951, Wilson was declared non-recoverable. In 2018, the family would start to get some answers as to what happened to Lt. Wilson. 'Eric Bornemeier, who we owe a ton of gratitude towards, married my cousin years ago,' Brian Wilson stated. 'He's in the military. He thought this was a cool story, and he went out and spearheaded a search to find George in this field in northern France. Lo and behold, they found him.' At least, they hoped it was him. 'In July 2018, a member of Wilson's family provided DPAA with new information about a potential crash site for Wilson's aircraft,' explained the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. 'One of Wilson's family then traveled to Monchy-Cayeux and met three witnesses who remembered the crash.' The DPAA added: 'In 2019, a DPAA investigation team visited Monchy-Cayeux and discovered a concentration of wreckage consistent with a B-17 at the site, which they then recommended for excavation.' It would take a few more years for all the questions to be answered. 'From Aug. 6-30, 2021, DPAA partner Colorado State University excavated the site and accessioned all recovered evidence into the DPAA laboratory,' DPAA explained. 'They returned to the site for another excavation from July 25 to Aug. 13, 2022, finding additional evidence which was also accessioned into the DPAA laboratory.' Then, in 2024, the government reached out to Brian Wilson requesting a sample of his DNA. 'To identify Wilson's remains, scientists from DPAA used anthropological analysis, as well as material evidence,' DPAA stated. 'Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome DNA, and autosomal DNA analysis.' It was a match. 'They said there's a one in 84 billion chance it's not him,' added Brian Wilson. 'So pretty positive match it's him, they said.' Lt. Wilson was considered accounted for on Nov. 21, 2024. 'Wilson's name is recorded on the Walls of the Missing at Normandy American Cemetery, in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, along with others still missing from WWII,' stated DPAA. 'A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.' The family got a full government briefing about what happened to Lt. Wilson on May 15, 2025. At that time, Brian Wilson accepted medals, including a Purple Heart, on his grandfather's behalf. 'I just feel an immense amount of pride being his grandson,' he said. 'After seeing and receiving those medals and reading the whole accounting, I'm just totally blown away.' On July 8, 2025, George F. Wilson will finally be laid to rest in Bountiful next to family. 'To have this all come around 81 years to the day, there's something, there's a higher source that's in control,' Brian Wilson stated. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Utah man, 41, messaged missing 15-year-old girl days before she disappeared: Documents
Related video: Father of missing Utah girl speaks after 2 out-of-state men charged in connection to her disappearance SALT LAKE CITY () — Utah officials have filed a search warrant after identifying a third man who reportedly had contact with , 15, who was last seen in Utah on April 21. Samuel Mitchell, 41, of Herriman, Utah, was reportedly communicating with Petrov through the Discord app, according to documents obtained by Officials found 'numerous alarming conversations and media' on a device hidden in Petrov's room. According to the conversations stored on the app, Mitchell and Petrov discussed meeting in person, and Petrov reportedly shared personal details with the suspect and asked him to kidnap her, the warrant states. At one point, the suspect shared a phone number with Petrov, and that number was identified as belonging to Mitchell. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 'We love her a lot': Father of missing Utah girl speaks after 2 out-of-state men charged in connection to her disappearance Just after midnight on April 19, the last message from the victim to Mitchell read, 'IM RUNNING AWAY' and 'please don't contact me,' according to documents. Officials with the South Jordan Police Department requested a search warrant for Mitchell's phone, saying, 'There is probable cause that there is evidence of Enticement of a Minor and Exploitation of a Minor on this phone.' While investigating Petrov's device, detectives observed conversations between her and Mitchell that were 'sexual in nature.' It also appeared that certain messages and files had been deleted. No formal charges have yet been filed against Mitchell, and as of May 27, he was not in custody. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Alisa Petrov has been asked to call 801-840-4000 and reference South Jordan Case #SJ25-11568. Alisa Petrov, 15, was dropped off at school in American Fork, Utah, on April 21. Instead of going to school, family members said the teenager boarded a train toward Provo, Utah. Family members said nearby security footage shows the teenager walking away, and she hasn't been found since. She is said to be about 5'3″ tall and weigh about 122 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. She is listed as a runaway juvenile and is said to be endangered. According to the , Alisa was last seen wearing a grey Harvard University shirt, a black hoodie, baggy jeans, and a dark backpack. It was later reported that she may have been trying to get to Las Vegas, and another tip revealed that she may have been communicating with a man in Texas. Officials in Texas City posted on social media on May 9 to ask for the public's help in the search for Alisa. As of May 16, Alisa's family was reporting that she still has not been found. South Jordan police have asked anyone with information on her whereabouts to call 801-840-4000 and reference South Jordan Case #SJ25-11568. On May 20, the South Jordan Police Department confirmed that a Florida man and a Texas man were being charged in connection with Alisa's disappearance. Matthew Nicholas Menard, 35, of Miami, Florida, is , including aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, enticement of a minor, and criminal solicitation. Another man — William Taylor Glines, 37, of Texas City, Texas — is facing 10 charges. According to the South Jordan Police Department, Glines was charged with attempted aggravated exploitation of a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, enticement of a minor, and criminal solicitation. Both men are accused of communicating with Alisa through social media and encouraging her to send inappropriate photos and videos. Even after learning that the girl was underage, both men allegedly continued with the sexual conversations and asked the victim to send them inappropriate photos and videos. Utah prosecutors have requested that no bail arrest warrants be issued for both suspects. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Abigail Jones contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
