This is your daily news rundown for Friday, Aug. 21. In this edition:
- Two new Box Elder County wildfires have burned almost 1,000 acres combined
- Utah bison hunts are changing after a massive die-off from pneumonia
Two wildfires sparked in one day in Box Elder County
Two new wildfires ignited and grew rapidly over the last day in Box Elder County.
The Little Mountain Fire is burning west of Bear River City and Corrine. Utah fire officials say it’s threatening structures, though it’s not known if those are homes or businesses.
As of Friday afternoon, the fire has burned 400 acres. No evacuations have been issued.
Northwest of that fire, the Salt Wells Fire is burning in the Hansel Valley. It was discovered early Friday morning and has already burned almost 600 acres.
Utah Fire Info says the fire was human-caused, but the exact source hasn’t been listed.
Book Cliffs bison were hit hard by pneumonia, so the state is adjusting hunts
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is changing its bison hunts after a herd was hit with pneumonia.
The illness caused a nearly 40% die-off for adult bison in the Book Cliffs, Bitter Creek area, which is east of Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation.
The division said this sort of loss hasn’t happened in the twenty years of GPS collaring bison in the Book Cliffs region.
To help grow the herd, the Utah Wildlife Board voted to cancel 2027’s cow-only, any-legal-weapon bison hunt for that area.
The usual 30-day limit to surrender hunting permits is also waived for some upcoming hunts.
More information on the changes can be found on the division’s website.
