KZMU News

On the latest Regional Roundup, an interview with professor Temple Grandin on her new book about visual thinking. Plus, revisit KZMU's reporting on mountain lion hunting in Utah as Colorado voters seek to ban the practice. Plus, high speed broadband comes to a rural town in our region. Tune in!

A lot happened between the years 1989 and 2000 in Moab. There were near-seismic shifts in the economy, people and the character of this town. And Channel 6 News caught it all on tape. That’s right, Moab’s local television news station captured the people and the politics that shaped the experience of this place at a seminal moment. Now, with the help of the Moab Museum, over 2,000 news broadcasts will be digitized from this period and available for the public to access. Today on KZMU News, we speak with those behind this effort.

// Plus, the Weekly News Reel! Gwen Dillworth of The Times-Independent discusses the county’s final decision on the high density housing overlay ordinance, the botched chip seal job on Mill Creek Drive, and where to get COVID-19 vaccines this year with and without health insurance. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News covers the timed entry program at Arches National Park, Moab’s new plan for city parks, an upcoming charity bike race, and a woman’s climbing club. 

// Show Notes:

https://www.kzmu.org/digitized-channel-6-news-provides-invaluable-record-of-moab-in-transition-plus-the-weekly-news-reel/

The native fish nursery in the Matheson Wetlands Preserve in Moab had a boom in razorback suckers this year — 51 juveniles this fall compared to zero last year. The wetlands are managed by The Nature Conservancy. Plus, we hear from KGNU about a biodynamic farming conference in Boulder County, Colorado.

//Photo: Razorback suckers are native to the Colorado River and need to spawn in protected ponds out of reach from invasive predators. Photo via Flickr.

//Show Notes:

https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/scott-norma-matheson-wetlands-preserve/

The team at the Utah Avalanche Center is back in the Moab office – and the field. As they gear up for the winter recreation season, we check in with avalanche forecaster Eric Trenbeath about our local snowpack and typical conditions. Plus, a rally honoring Great Salt Lake brought Native and youth voices to Utah’s Capitol Hill. And later, the latest National Climate Assessment shows the impact of water shortages in the Colorado River basin.

// Show Notes:

// Photo: October 29th snowfall in the La Sal Mountains, captured by the local team at the Utah Avalanche Center. They are gearing up for the winter recreation season.

// Winter Recreation with the Utah Avalanche Center

https://www.kzmu.org/winter-recreation-with-the-utah-avalanche-center-moab-locals-10k-on-this-week-in-moab/

// Utah Avalanche Center Moab Forecast

https://utahavalanchecenter.org/forecast/moab

// UPR: Great Salt Lake rally brings Native and youth voices to Utah’s Capitol Hill

https://www.upr.org/utah-news/2023-11-13/great-salt-lake-rally-brings-native-and-youth-voices-to-utahs-capitol-hill

Today, we hear from the Utah News Connection about the state's recent decision to allocate more funds for wildlife crossing infrastructure. We also hear from KOTO about the federal government's program to identify rare earth minerals at former mine sites near Telluride via helicopter. Plus, we hear from the Mountain West News Bureau about how algal blooms can be identified using satellite imagery.

Photo: November is the most common time to hit a deer while driving in Utah. Increased funds for wildlife crossings could help reduce animal-related car accidents. Photo by Utah News Connection.

On the latest Regional Roundup from the Rocky Mountain Community Radio Coalition: an interview with a regional senator on the Colorado River compact, a feature on a naturalist who won a book award for writing about the sandhills, and a feature on the Jingle Dress Project.

For two decades, the town of Castle Valley has celebrated the beauty and versatility of the hard shelled gourd. During the 20th year of the Castle Valley Gourds & More Festival, the many gourd-esses of the past joined the festivities for a retrospective of gourd regalia. Plus, the Western megadrought is getting some attention from an unexpected music icon. And later, our radio partners report on managing the buffalo herd on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

// Plus, the Weekly News Reel! Sophia Fisher of The Times-Independent discusses the homicide suspect who was arrested south of Moab following a four hour barricade on Highway 191. She also talks about Lynn Jackson, a Grand County resident, who plans to run for the Utah House of Representatives in District 69 once Phil Lyman vacates his position. Gwen Dillworth of The Times-Independent discusses the hold ups with the Walnut Lane affordable housing project and commercial honey bees in national forests. Alison Harford of the Moab Sun News covers the Moab Police Department’s new data system and the University of Utah’s record-breaking enrollment this year. 

// Show Notes:

https://www.kzmu.org/gourd-esses-grace-castle-valley-festival-in-20th-year-plus-the-weekly-news-reel/

The Forest Service is drafting a new plan for the Manti-La Sal National Forest. One local conservation group proposed alternatives to the plan earlier in the process that would reduce the amount of grazing and mining, and encourage the Forest Service to remove the herd of non-native mountain goats in the La Sals. These alternatives were rejected even though comparable alternatives have been adopted by other National Forest plans recently. The public comment period for the plan ends November 16. We also hear from KSJD about discrepancies in how much federal aid Indigenous people receive as compensation for mining-related black lung disease.

Photo: A herd of non-native mountain goats were transplanted to the La Sal mountains over 10 years ago by the Division of Wildlife Resources for hunting. This photo of mountain goats in the Tushar Mountains in Utah was taken by Bryant Olsen via Flickr.

Show Notes:

//Submit comments on the Manti-La Sal National Forest Plan here:

https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=50121

The Mud Springs Trail System will be a ‘first’ for the Moab area, bringing roughly 10 miles of single-track south of town built with Class 1 e-bikes and adaptive cycles in mind. Today on the news, we speak with a planner from the Bureau of Land Management, who says the trail system will be inclusively designed for mountain bike riders of diverse skills and abilities. Plus, a preliminary report found no sign of mechanical problems with an aircraft that crashed outside Moab, killing the four people on board. And later, our radio partners talk with climate and water management experts about what this winter will bring for the Colorado River.

// Show Notes:

https://www.kzmu.org/first-trail-system-for-class-1-e-bikes-adaptive-cycles-proposed-for-moab-area/

Is human trafficking a problem in Moab? Law enforcement and victim advocates say it's probably happening more often than we think. A recent human trafficking investigation at a Moab hotel drew new attention to the issue.

//Photo: Highway 191 and Interstate 70 are both major corridors for drug and human trafficking, according to the Moab Police Department. Moab is close to the intersection of both thoroughfares. Photo via Flickr.

//Show Notes:

//https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/human-trafficking-data-collection-activities-2023

//https://www.abc4.com/video/how-big-of-an-issue-is-human-trafficking-in-utah/9132264/