mariah16's Journal

Date: 10/21/17

Locality: Wasatch Mountain State Park

Directions:
From Midway UT head west on W Main St toward N 200 W
Turn right at the 1st cross street onto N 200 W
Turn left at the 2nd cross street onto W 200 N
Continue onto State Rte 222/Homestead Dr
Continue to follow State Rte 222
Turn right to stay on State Rte 222
Continue into Wasatch Mountain State Park

Habitat: Gambel oak community with many different grasses

Fellow Observers: Bryce Porter

Time of Day: 11:00 am

Amount: I was in the area for about 1 hour

Wind: 2 on the Beaufort scale light breeze

Temp: 55 F

Sky Condition and Precipitation: Clear

Elevation: ~5,600ft

Species List: Leporidae scat

Comments: No further comments at this time

Date: 10/9/17

Locality: Outside Frontier Homestead State Park, Cedar City Utah.

Directions: Head north on Main street toward the golf course. Frontier homestead state park and museum will be on the left, the address is 635 N Main St, Cedar City, UT 84721. The raccoon was on the street directly in front of the museum.

Habitat: Suburban, roadside and cultivated grass and trees. Across the street are foothills covered in a
moderately dense sagebrush community. The sagebrush is 18-25'

Fellow Observers: Elizabeth Adams

Time of Day: 19:00

Amount: I was in the area for about 20 min

Wind: 2 on the Beaufort scale light breeze

Temp: 40 F

Sky Condition and Precipitation: Overcast night

Elevation: ~5,800

Species List: 1 Raccoon (Genus Procyon)

Comments: No further comments at this time

Date: 9/28/17

Locality: Panguitch Lake South Campground

Directions: Take highway 14 into Cedar Canyon, turn left onto highway 148 toward Cedar Breaks National Monument, turn right onto highway 143 and follow signs for Panguitch Lake South Campground.

Habitat: Mixed conifer forest, mainly composed of douglas fir and ponderosa pine.

Fellow Observers: I was alone during this observation

Time of Day: 15:00

Amount: I was in the area for about 2 hours

Wind: 1

Temp: 40 F

Sky Condition and Precipitation: Overcast, occasional light rainfall

Elevation: ~8,400 feet

Species List: Young Mule Deer fawn remains (Odocoileus hemionus)

Comments: It is unclear whether the bones belonged to a mule deer fawn or a pronghorn fawn. Given the locality, particularly the high elevation, I am inclined to believe it was a deer fawn.

Date: 9/28/17

Locality: Panguitch Lake South Campground

Directions: Take highway 14 into Cedar Canyon, turn left onto highway 148 toward Cedar Breaks National Monument, turn right onto highway 143 and follow signs for Panguitch Lake South Campground.

Habitat: Mixed conifer forest, mainly composed of douglas fir and ponderosa pine.

Fellow Observers: I was alone during this observation

Time of Day: 15:00

Amount: I was in the area for about 2 hours

Wind: 1

Temp: 40 F

Sky Condition and Precipitation: Overcast, occasional light rainfall

Elevation: ~8,400 feet

Species List: 2 Chipmunks (genus Tamias)

Comments: No further comments at this time

Date: 9/15/17

Locality: Beaver Dam Wash near Lytle Ranch

Directions: Navigate to Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area. Take the Lytle Ranch Road to get to the ranch.

Habitat: Tracks were found in a large wash. There was hardly any vegetation. The ground was sandy with large river stones and driftwood dotting the area.

Fellow Observers: The SUU entomology class and professor Bill Heyborne

Time of Day: 21:00

Amount: I was in the area for about 1.5 hours

Wind: 1

Temp: 65 F

Sky Condition and Precipitation: Clear, no precipitation

Elevation: ~2,200 feet

Species List: Mountain Lion

Comments: I could not include a photograph of the habitat for the observation because it was very dark. The class and professor Heyborne believed the track to be a mountain lion however it was dark and difficult to tell. There were large dogs in the area that the track could also belong to.

Date: 9/15/17

Locality: Red Cliffs Nature Preserve

Directions: From Cedar City take I-15 toward Leeds, Ut. Take the Leeds exit and turn left, drive through town onto a dirt road towards the old mine. This will take you to a large parking area near the mine.

Habitat: The ground was predominately flat and sandy. The area was fairly densely vegetated with sagebrush, and more sparsely with joshua trees, cholla and prickly pear cactus. The sagebrush was mostly around 3 feet high.

Fellow Observers: I was alone while making this observation

Time of Day: 15:30

Amount: I was in the area for about 1.5 hours

Wind: 0

Temp: 90 F

Sky Condition and Precipitation: Clear, no precipitation

Elevation: ~3,500 feet

Species List: 1 Jackrabbit

Comments: Small mammal poop was abundant in the area. I recorded an observation of the poop using the iNaturalist app. I was unsure what mammal the poop came from. Shortly after recording the observation I observed a live jackrabbit swiftly hopping away from me, which leads me to believe the poop is jackrabbit poop. I was unable to get a picture of the rabbit. I was unable to identify the species of the jackrabbit because I only saw it for a few seconds.

8/28/17
15:00 - 16:00
Cedar Canyon Nature Park, Cedar City, UT

For my first mammalogy lab we traveled to Cedar Canyon Nature Park. We searched for signs of mammals in the area. I saw 2 chipmunks in a mahogany tree as soon as we entered the park but did not add an observation to the app. Near Coal Creek I observed several tiny tracks, probably made by chipmunks. I also observed larger tracks in two places along the creek bank. I think the larger tracks were made by racoons.