Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Supply, Demand, And Fiscal Sustainability Of Outdoor Recreation In Utah, Jordan W. Smith, Chris Monz

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Because Utah's outdoor recreation destinations are managed by several different federal and state agencies, there is no comprehensive and consistent information on the amount and types of outdoor recreation resources available within the state. Additionally, there has been no research to date on how state programs whose revenues are dependent on outdoor recreation activity, are likely to fare in the coming years. This report begins to address these limitations by: 1) compiling and synthesizing data that characterize the amount and location of outdoor recreation resources throughout the state; and 2) presenting the results of a suite of econometric forecasting models …

Cambrian Trilobites From The Nounan Dolomite And Lower St. Charles Formation (Upper Marjuman To Lower Sunwaptan; Miaolingian To Furongian Series), Smithfield Canyon, Northern Utah, Frederick A. Sundberg, Hannah R. Cothren, Carol M. Dehler

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The trilobite faunas that occur with the Steptoean Positive Isotope Carbon Excursion (SPICE) at Smithfield Canyon, Utah, have been reported, but not illustrated. Given the importance of the SPICE at this section for international correlations, the trilobites from new collections from the upper Nounan Dolomite to lower St. Charles Formation at Smithfield Canyon are reported herein and integrated with the previously reported taxa. Trilobite assemblages indicate that the upper Cedaria to the Ellipsocephaloides biozones (Miaolingian Series, Guzhangian Stage to Furongian Series, Jiangshanian Stage) are present stratigraphically below or above the SPICE.

Some of the taxa reported herein may represent new …

Upep 2023 Overview, Jessica Schad, Elizabeth Brunner

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Utah's people and environment are currently experiencing significant changes as the population continues to grow, droughts and flooding pose threats to agriculture, air quality leads to health concerns, energy needs rise, and public lands see increased use. Action is needed to address these changes, especially given how rapidly they are occurring. Political leaders, environmental organizations, Tribal Nations, and universities play a critical role in ensuring Utah’s environment, economy, workforce, and underserved communities have a sustainable path forward. Understanding residents’ views, values, and concerns can help better craft the policy, inform infrastructure, and identify the services needed to do so. With …

Future Of Great Salt Lake Survey, Lisa W. Welsh, Joanna Endter-Wada, Karin M. Kettenring, Anna Mcentire

Reports

The Future of Great Salt Lake Survey was conducted in fall 2022 when state and global attention on Great Salt Lake was ramping up, following record lows of the elevation of lake water levels. In the survey, we asked Utahns their opinions on securing water for Great Salt Lake and focused on strategies that individuals, local communities, and the state of Utah could pursue. When it comes to how water is used and managed in Utah, there are multiple actors and institutions who all make decisions and have authority or ability to take different actions. While the state of …

2022 Report To The Governor: Utah's Land, Water, And Air, Janet Quinney Lawson Institute For Land, Water, And Air

Reports

This report serves as a 2022 snapshot of key issues and concerns with Utah's shared resources. It highlights gathered data that is available to provide context to these issues, as well as identifies areas where more study is needed. Addressing these challenges will enable Utah policymakers and other statewide leaders to make informed decisions for the future. Under the authorship of 37 researchers and experts and the general guidance of 38 advisory committee members, the report outlines 26 issues and trends to pay attention to in the coming months and years.

Comparing Design Ground Snow Load Prediction In Utah And Idaho, Brennan L. Bean, Marc Maguire, Yan Sun

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Snow loads in the western United States are largely undefined due to complex geography and climates, leaving the individual states to publish detailed studies for their region, usually through the local Structural Engineers Association (SEAs). These associations are typically made up of engineers not formally trained to develop or evaluate spatial statistical methods for their regions and there is little guidance from ASCE 7. Furthermore, little has been written to compare the independently developed design ground snow load prediction methods used by various western states. This paper addresses this topic by comparing the accuracy of a variety of spatial methods …

Wildfire In Utah: The Physical And Economic Consequences Of Wildfire, Paul Mark Jakus, Man-Keun Kim, Randy S. Martin, Ian Hammond, Edd Hammill, Nancy O. Mesner, Jacob Stout

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

PRELUDE

On June 26, 2012 a lightning strike ignited a wildfire in the Manti-La Sal National Forest of central Utah’s Carbon and Emery counties (Figure P.1). By the time the Seeley wildfire was contained three weeks later, some 48,000 acres of federal, state, and private land had been burned and $8.7 million in suppression costs expended (Styler 2012). According to the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS.gov) project, nearly one-third of the acreage was severely burned, damaging vegetation and soils for years to come. Severe burns vastly increase the erosion potential of burnt landscapes, and the steep lands of Huntington …

Systems Modeling To Improve The Hydro-Ecological Performance Of Diked Wetlands, Omar Alminagorta, David E. Rosenberg, Karin M. Kettenring

Publications

Water scarcity and invasive vegetation threaten arid-region wetlands and wetland managers seek ways to enhance wetland ecosystem services with limited water, labor, and financial resources. While prior systems modeling efforts have focused on water management to improve flow-based ecosystem and habitat objectives, here we consider water allocation and invasive vegetation management that jointly target the concurrent hydrologic and vegetation habitat needs of priority wetland bird species. We formulate a composite weighted usable area for wetlands (WU) objective function that represents the wetland surface area that provides suitable water level and vegetation cover conditions for priority bird species. Maximizing …

Catching Mesospheric Gravity Waves Over Bear Lake, Utah, Kelly Osborne

Physics Capstone Projects

The Utah State Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (MTM) is a high resolution CCD imager capable of remote sensing faint optical emissions from the night sky to determine mesospheric temperature and its variability at an altitude of ~87 km (or 50 miles). The MTM was operated at the Bear Lake Observatory (BLO) for a two year period (Jan 2012 – Dec 2013) to investigate the seasonal characteristics of temperature variability at mid-latitudes.

This study was to be done from March 2013 – April 2014 but due to issues with the data in late 2013 it was changed to January 2013 - December …

Reply To Simon And Reed: Independent And Converging Results Rule Out Historic Disturbance And Confirm Age Constraints For Barrier Canyon Rock Art, Joel L. Pederson, Harriet Cornachione, Steven R. Simms, Reza Sohbati, Tammy M. Rittenour, Andrew S. Murray, Gary Cox

Geosciences Faculty Publications

We welcome this further discussion of our results on the age of the Great Gallery rock art in the Canyonlands of Utah. The comment by Simon and Reed (1) focuses on just one of the three components of our study (2), which is presented in greater technical detail in ref. 3 and is surely our best-constrained and least-surprising result: the dating of a rock-fall that removed some of the art and thus provides a minimum age. Simon and Reed (1) point out that the Great Gallery panel is not pristine and relate the sordid human history of visitation and possible …

Age Of Barrier Canyon-Style Rock Art Constrained By Cross-Cutting Relations And Luminescence Dating Techniques, Joel L. Pederson, Harriet Cornachione, Steven R. Simms, Reza Sohbati, Tammy M. Rittenour, Andrew S. Murray, Gary Cox

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Rock art compels interest from both researchers and a broader public, inspiring many hypotheses about its cultural origin and meaning, but it is notoriously difficult to date numerically. Barrier Canyon-style (BCS) pictographs of the Colorado Plateau are among the most debated examples; hypotheses about its age span the entire Holocene epoch and previous attempts at direct radiocarbon dating have failed. We provide multiple age constraints through the use of cross-cutting relations and new and broadly applicable approaches in optically stimulated luminescence dating at the Great Gallery panel, the type section of BCS art in Canyonlands National Park, southeastern Utah. Alluvial …

A Tree-Ring Based Reconstruction Of Logan River Streamflow, Northern Utah, Eric B. Allen, Tammy M. Rittenour, R. Justin Derose, Matthew F. Bekker, Roger Kjelgren, Brendan M. Buckley

Geosciences Faculty Publications

We created six new tree‐ring chronologies in northern Utah, which were used with preexisting chronologies from Utah and western Wyoming to reconstruct mean annual flow for the Logan River, the largest tributary of the regionally important Bear River. Two reconstruction models were developed, a “Local” model that incorporated two Rocky Mountain juniper chronologies located within the basin, and a “Regional” model that also included limber pine and pinyon pine chronologies from a larger area. The Local model explained 48.2% of the variability in the instrumental record and the juniper chronologies better captured streamflow variability than Douglas‐fir collected within the Logan …

Observational And Synoptic Analyses Of The Winter Precipitation Regime Change Over Utah, Robert R. Gillies, Shih-Yu Wang, Marty R. Booth

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Previous studies have indicated a widespread decline in snowpack over Utah accompanied by a decline in the snow–precipitation ratio while anecdotal evidence claims have been put forward that measured changes in Utah’s snowpack are spurious and do not reflect actual change. Using two distinct lines of investigation, this paper further analyzes the winter precipitation regime in the state of Utah. First, by means of observation-based, gridded daily temperature, precipitation, and remotely sensed data, as well as utilizing a climatological rain–snow threshold (RST) temperature method, the precipitation regime of Utah was scrutinized. Second, a comprehensive synoptic analysis was conducted as an …

Landscape Assessment Of A Stable Aspen Community In Southern Utah, Usa, Paul C. Rogers, A. Joshua Leffler, R. Ryel

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Recent reports of rapid die-off of aspen (Populus tremuloides), coupled with vigorous debate over longterm reduction of aspen cover in western North America, has prompted considerable research given the importance of this forest type for economic and non-economic interests. Despite this interest, indicators of aspen conditions are poorly understood, and there is a lack of systematic monitoring of stable aspen landscapes. Stable aspen are defined here as being predominantly aspen overstorey (>80% basal area) with little or no conifer regeneration. We examined a putative stable aspen landscape in southern Utah and addressed (1) stand structure and (2) indicators of …

Utah Off-Highway Vehicle Laws And Rules, Utah Dnr State Parks

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Utah Off-Highway Vehicle Laws and Rules taken from The Utah Off-Highway Vehicle Act and The Utah Board of Parks and Recreation Rules Title 41, Chapter 22, Utah Code Annotated 1953. NOTICE: Though the following laws and rules were screened for accuracy prior to publication, errors may still exist. In addition, changes in law and rule may be made at any time. Readers are encouraged to contact the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation for clarification of any law or rule contained herein.

Dendroarchaeology Of The Salt Lake Tabernacle, Utah, Matthew F. Bekker, David M. Heath

Wasatch Dendroclimatology Research

We examined tree rings from Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) timbers in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, constructed from 1863–1867 in Salt Lake City, Utah. A seismic upgrade to the Tabernacle initiated in 2005 required the replacement of wooden timbers with steel beams. Our objectives were to 1) determine cutting dates for the timbers to identify logs that may have been salvaged from previous structures, and consequently would have greater historical significance, 2) identify the species and provenance of the timbers, and 3) develop a chronology that could extend or strengthen the existing tree-ring record for environmental and …

Utah Annual Air Monitoring Network Plan 2007 (Final Draft), Division Of Air Quality, Utah State Department Of Environmental Quality

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The monitoring network has been described in the network reviews from 1982 through 2007. A complete description of each station is located in the station file at the Air Monitoring Center and is available upon request. This network review will focus on the adequacy of the existing network and the changes that are needed. The existing or proposed monitoring stations are reviewed to see if the objectives are being met. The most recent emissions inventories for each pollutant are reviewed along with ambient data gathered in the area and, when available, current computer air pollution dispersion modeling is also reviewed. …

Home Range Characteristics Of Mexican Spotted Owls In The Canyonlands Of Utah, D. W. Willey, C. Van Riper

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

We studied home-range characteristics of adult Mexican Spotted Owls (Slyix occidentalis lucida) in southern Utah. Twenty-eight adult owls were radio-tracked using a ground-based telemetry system during 1991-95. Five males arid eight females molted tail feathers and dropped transmitters within 4 wk. We estimated cumulative home ranges for 15 Spotted Owls (12 males, 3 females). The mean estimate of cumulative home-range size was not statistically different between the minimum convex polygon and adaptive kernel (AK) 95% isopleth. Both estimators yielded relatively high SD, and male and fernale range sizes varied widely. For 12 owls tracked during both the breeding and nonbreeding …

Utah Off-Highway Vehicle Laws And Rules, Utah Dnr State Parks

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Utah Off-Highway Vehicle Laws and Rules taken from The Utah Off-Highway Vehicle Act and The Utah Board of Parks and Recreation Rules Title 41, Chapter 22, Utah Code Annotated 1953. NOTICE: Though the following laws and rules were screened for accuracy prior to publication, errors may still exist. In addition, changes in law and rule may be made at any time. Readers are encouraged to contact the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation for clarification of any law or rule contained herein.

Zion National Park Environment Assessment/ Assessment Of Effect, Engineering-Environmental Management, Inc.

Elusive Documents

This environmental assessment I assessment of effect examines in detail two alternatives: no action and the National Park Service preferred alternative. The preferred alternative considers rehabilitation of the roadway and associated structures on either side of Route 10 (Zion-Mt. Carmel Highway) tunnel. The road work would primarily occur on the east side of the tunnel in a 0.25-mile segment beginning at the east tunnel entrance. Modifications on the east side of the tunnel would include slurry sealing the road surface and scaling rock slopes on both sides of the road; re-configuring two parking areas; creating a painted center median with …

Salinity Controls Phytoplankton Response To Nutrient Enrichment In The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Usa, Amy M. Marcarelli, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, O. Griset

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

To examine how salinity and nutrient supply interact to control phytoplankton community composition, nutrient limitation, and dinitrogen (N2) fixation rates in the Great Salt Lake (Utah, USA), we conducted a series of bioassay experiments with plankton from both Gilbert Bay, where salinities are near 160 g·L–1, and Farmington Bay, where salinities range from 10 to 90 g·L–1. Six-day nutrient addition bioassay experiments showed that the extant phyto plankton communities in both bays were limited by nitrogen (N). However, in 28- to 30-day factorial bioassay experiments in which both salinities and nutrient supply were manipulated, phosphorus stimulated chlorophyll a as much …

Southern Utah Support Area Fire Management Plan Environmental Assessment, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Environmental Assessment (EA) documents results of an analysis of proposed changes to the current management of wildland fire and hazardous fuels for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Southern Utah Support Area (SUSA) planning area. Proposed revisions of the SUSA Fire Management Plan (FMP) serve as the Proposed Action for this EA. The revised FMP incorporates current planning requirements associated with fire management on public lands, including wildland fire suppression and fuel treatments. The EA analysis is designed to ensure compliance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It allows determinations to be made as to whether any “significant” impacts, …

Moab Fire District Fire Management Plan: Environmental Assessment, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to document results of an analysis of proposed changes to current management of wildland fire and hazardous fuels for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Division of Fire Management. The Division of Fire Management oversees all fire-related activities for the Moab, Monticello, and Price Field Offices, referred to in this document as the Moab Fire District. Proposed revisions of the Moab Fire District Fire Management Plan (FMP) serve as the Proposed Action for this EA. The revised FMP incorporates current planning requirements associated with fire management on public lands, including wildland fire suppression …

Utah Resource Assessment, Utah Association Of Conservation Districts, Utah Department Of Agriculture And Food, Natural Resource Conservation Service

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Located in the Rocky Mountain Region, Utah derives its name from the Native American Ute tribe and means “people of the mountains”. Utah is 84,900 square miles and is ranked the 11th largest state (in terms of square miles) in the US. As hosts of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, Utah boasts the “greatest snow on earth” and is the home of 18 colorful National Parks and monuments. Utah's peaks are, on average, the tallest in the country and create great contrasts that range from the snow covered peaks of the Uinta Range in the east, to the renowned natural …

Cache County, Utah Resource Assessment, Utah Association Of Conservation Districts, Utah Department Of Agriculture And Foods, Natural Resources Conservation Service

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This resource assessment is designed to gather and display information specific to Cache County, Utah. This report will highlight the natural and social resources present in the county, detail specific concerns, and be used to aid in resource planning and target conservation assistance needs. This document is dynamic and will be updated as additional information is available through a multi-agency partnership effort. The general observations and summaries are listed first, followed by the specific resource inventories.

Particle Size, Caco3, Chemical, Magnetic, And Age Data From Surficial Deposits In And Around Canyonlands National Park, Utah, Harland Goldstein, Richard Reynolds, Marith Reheis, James Yount, Paul Lamothe, Helen Roberts, John Mcgeehin

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Floodplain Habitat Restoration At Thunder Ranch, Utah, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Upper Colorado River Endangered Fish Recovery Program (Recovery Program) is proposing to restore endangered fish habitat at 330 acres of Green River bottomlands located on the Thunder Ranch near Jensen, Utah. The Recovery Program acquired a total of 455 acres of easement from Thunder Ranch to protect and improve floodplain habitat for the benefit of endangered Colorado River fishes. The project area is located adjacent to the Green River within an old meander river channel. Several ponds and wetlands exist in the project area, but are isolated from the Green River by an earth-filled levee. By notching the existing …

Long-Range Transportation Planning In Utah: Summary Of Research Results From Interviews And Focus Groups, Joanna Endter-Wada, Judith Kurtzman, Michael Butkus, Dale Blahna, Christina Klien, Steve Burr, Douglas Gibbons, Douglas Reiter

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

This is the final Report from Phase II of the 2003 Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Benchmark Study. The study involved two phases and the USU research team produced two final reports, one for each phase of the research project, and an overarching Executive Summary. The purposes of the 2003 UDOT Benchmark Study conducted by Utah State University (USU) were to provide the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) with information for use in its statewide, long-range transportation plan and to provide benchmark data for tracking trends over time. The study was conducted jointly by the Institute for Outdoor Recreation and …

Long-Range Transportation Planning In Utah: Executive Summary, Dale Blahna, Joanna Endter-Wada, Steve Burr, Michael Butkus, Douglas Gibbons, Christina Klien, Judith Kurtzman, Douglas Reiter

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

This is the Executive Summary of the 2003 Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Benchmark Study. The study involved two phases and the USU research team produced two final reports, one for each phase of the research project, and an overarching Executive Summary. The purposes of the 2003 UDOT Benchmark Study conducted by Utah State University (USU) were to provide the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) with information for use in its statewide, long-range transportation plan and to provide benchmark data for tracking trends over time. The study was conducted jointly by the Institute for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism and the …

Soil Survey Of Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument Area, Parts Of Kane And Garfield Counties, Utah, United States Department Of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This soil survey contains information that affects land use planning in this survey area. It contains predictions of soil behavior for selected land uses. The survey also highlights soil limitations, improvements needed to overcome the limitations and the impact of selected land uses on the environment. This soil survey is designed for many different users. Farmers, ranchers, foresters and agronomists can use it to evaluate the potential of the soil and the management needed for maximum food and fiber production. Planners, community officials, engineers, developers, builders and home buyers can use the survey to plan land use, select sites for …