Opinion

Looking Back: Wacky wildlife

A recent news story coming from the Pacific Northwest featured an elk, who got too big for his britches, and begged for a ride home from town by jumping in the back wrong pick-up.
Apparently he had been hand fed through a hard winter in his first year of life, and got used to begging for food from local ranchers. He made one wrong pick-up jump too many, and was relocated to the high country far away from his home turf.
His “handlers” worried that he wouldn’t make it through the next winter and felt badly that they had encouraged his friendly forays into their feed troughs.
For many years in the White River valley, some local ranchers have had a habit of helping the wildlife get through a hard winter, but I have never heard of anyone who had an elk riding in the back of their pick-ups in a run to town.
One old-timer told of one deer who guarded the one room schoolhouse near their homestead, and who had pledged his allegiance to the teacher so often, he had a hard time discriminating who allowed in the schoolroom and who wasn’t.
He chased the more rowdy youngsters away before the start of school each morning, and would threaten the others by lowering his head, and faking a charge.
Other valley residents told tales of every varieties of household and yard “pets,” but none of them were of such a warm, fuzzy nature as the pick-up living elk.
Living in town, we have always had a few winter wildlife visitors, but this year our front yard has attracted a crowd of the creatures dining on our shrubbery year round. They spook easily though, and never appear at our front door for hand-outs.
The Rio Blanco Historical Society’s “This is What I Remember” Volume II noted that one pioneer family, The Patiisons, spent a winter in a cabin up by Trappers Lake. (They later moved down river to Fawn Creek).
During one of the hardest winters recorded upriver, the deep snow (reportedly 11 feet deep that year) necessitated building a “water tunnel leading from the cabin to the lake.
The family did well facing the number of challenges presented by the long, hard winter, and the family dog was also remembered for his unusual resourcefulness as well as Fred Riley recalled, “Mr. Pattison would venture out to do some ice fishing most days-but their two dogs also provided for their own daily sustenance by laying close to the water, and soon a fish would get close enough to be tossed up on the snow.
The other dog would not eat any of the fish until they had enough for both. Then they would carry them to their den near the house and eat together.”

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
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Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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