Snowy weekend causes over 100 weather-related crashes
This weekend brought snow, crashes and closures across Utah.
This made for dangerous road conditions, and a total 104 weather-related crashes reported by Sunday evening, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
Heavy snow fell in the mountains, with Snowbird Ski Resort getting 14 inches in a single day and other ski resorts across the state seeing similarly high levels of snowfall.
The wintry-weather also forced Lagoon to close on the second day of their opening weekend.
Ravens population control approved for Red Cliffs Desert Reserve
Washington County has approved an agreement to control the population of ravens who prey on juvenile desert tortoises in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve.
The area has seen a dramatic increase in its raven population, which is unsustainable for the survival of desert tortoises, especially juveniles.
To address the issue, the Washington County Commission approved a professional services agreement that includes raven egg-oiling, which was described by Cameron Rognan, Habitat Conservation Plan administrator, as “birth control for ravens.”
This method is considered a more humane and less divisive way to curb the growing raven population. Staff with Habitat Conservation Plan, which oversees the Red Cliff Desert Reserve, will be trained on how to apply the oil, and for hard-to-reach nests, a specialized drone will be utilized at least twice a year.
The Habitat Conservation Plan also hopes to control the raven population with methods such as, making it harder for birds to nest on utility poles and using lasers to drive them away from landfills.
