The latest non-human casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic is the horse-drawn sleigh rides at Hardware Ranch.The decision was made after consulting with the Bear River Health Department due to potential issues with distancing efforts and trying to limit exposure to individuals from different housholds as they came to see the 500-600 elk who winter at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources’s Hardware Ranch in Blacksmith Fork Canyon.
“On a typical Saturday, we can have anywhere between 800 and 1,200 people, and that just wasn't very practical,” said Brad Hunt, who manages the Wildlife Management Area. “We wouldn't be able to offer a very good visitor experience that way. So as difficult as it was, we ultimately decided the best course of action was to not offer the sleigh rides.” Read the rest of the story on HJnews.com.
This story is made possible thanks to a community reporting partnership between The Herald Journal and Utah Public Radio.