|
Hardware Ranch gets ready for sleighrides to see the
elk
|
Story and photos by
Sarah West
September 25, 2005 | HARDWARE
RANCH, Cache County -- This winter
get above the inversion at Hardware Ranch, where
people of all ages can experience wildlife firsthand
with exciting and educational activities.
|
CHANGING
SEASONS: Red maples herald the
start of autumn at the Hardware Ranch.
|
Marni Lee, assistant manager of Hardware
Ranch, said their job is to create awareness regarding
wildlife and issues associated with them to the public
as well as giving them an opportunity to experience
wildlife that they wouldn't elsewhere.
"It's unique. The next and
only other place you can do something like this is Jackson
Hole," said Lee. "But we offer a more intimate experience."
The ranch is home to between 400 and 600 elk over their
14,000 acres in the winter months, said Lee. "It's pretty
impressive."
The ranch was set aside in the 1940s for elk, moose
and deer to get enough food to help get them through
the winter, said Lee. "Our goal here first and foremost
is to sustain suitable and healthy habitats for big
game wildlife."
She said the ranch is part of the elks' natural migration
path to Cache Valley and before the ranch was established,
elk would get into backyards in Cache Valley which caused
conflict between humans and the elk. A fence was then
set up to stop the elk and Hardware Ranch established
so on their way to the valley, the elk would stop to
feed and end up staying.
Before winter actually begins, a one-day event on
Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. kicks off the elk viewing
season. Lee said it's a fun, free family activity where
visitors can build birdhouses, paint pumpkins, take
free wagon rides, compete in a bugling and cow-calling
contest and visit a bug station.
Beginning Dec. 15 they start feeding the elk and do
it until about the first weekend in March. During this
time they will be open Thursday through Monday from
12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Lee said the most popular activity is the sleigh rides
taking visitors through the elk herd. She said the sleighs
have nice padded seats and are pulled by draft horses.
"You can get close enough to touch [the elk], but you
can't touch."
Elizabeth Egnew, a Utah State University junior majoring
in psychology and social work, went to Hardware Ranch
last winter. She said her favorite part was the elk,
"because I 'd never seen so many elk in one place before,
and in a place that was their own natural habitat."
Another program Hardware Ranch offers is field trips
for elementary schools in the area, said Lee. December
through March students can learn about the elk, and
in the spring and fall there's a beaver and animal tracks
program. Lee said her favorite part about Hardware Ranch
is the school programs when she gets to "actually see
a child or adult experience something and see them have
that moment of complete understanding.
"It can rain 360 degrees around us [the ranch], and
it's sunny for us," said Lee. She also said the ranch
is always 5 degrees warmer than Logan, they usually
have blue skies and they're always away from the inversion.
Hardware Ranch is in Blacksmith Fork canyon, 15 miles
east of Hyrum. For a map and directions visit http://www.hardwareranch.com.
ALONG THE ROAD: The road
to Hardware Ranch is marked by fiery trees, signs, and
animal life.
NW
MS |
