LOS ANGELES, June 10 (Xinhua) Over half a dozen wildfires were burning in the U.S. state of Utah, local authority said Thursday, warning the state would face
The state’s extreme and exceptional drought conditions are part of the reason Utah’s 2021 fire season is off to such a rough start, officials said in announcing in Salt Lake City a public education campaign, "Fire Sense," aimed to help reduce the alarming number of wildfires that have happened even before the traditional fire season begins.
USDA.gov The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the lesser prairie-chicken as “endangered” in eastern New Mexico and “threatened” in its northern habitat that includes parts of southeastern Colorado. This story and more in the Friday morning news brief.
Friday morning, May 28, 2021
State
State Weighs Incentivizing Vaccines
Gov. Spencer Cox said Thursday that Utah is still waiting to see if it makes sense to offer incentives for people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Cox said he and top lawmakers want to analyze data from other states offering things like cash lotteries or scholarships to see how much they actually convinced people. So far, 57% of Utahns over the age of 12 have gotten at least one vaccine dose. Over the past week, there’s been an average of 245 new cases each day.
KUER
A fire just outside the entrance of Zion National Park burned four and a half acres in late February.
Fire officials are urging people to change their behavior outdoors amid record dry conditions and rising visitation numbers in southwest Utah.
Land and fire managers from throughout the region gathered Thursday at Zion National Park on the site of the park’s first ever February wildfire. It was human-caused and scorched four and a half acres.
Greg Bartin, a fire management officer for the park, stood on the burn scar just outside of the main entrance and turned to look at the lines of cars entering the park.
The number of wildfires and acres burned to date in Utah far exceeds the past five years ahead of Memorial Day and the start of the traditional fire season. A new program aims to educate people about the top causes of fires.