... and here's the one that ran on the front page.
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By BRYCE PETERSEN JR.
Standard-Examiner staff
[url "mailto:bpetersen@standard.net"]bpetersen@standard.net[/url]
It's easier than ever to ice fish at Lost Creek. But the improvements are "interim," and the future is unknown.
For the first time, the road is being plowed to the spillway all winter long. Good parking, a good road and a short hike have replaced last year's four-wheel-drive adventure and half-mile slog to some of the fastest through-the-ice trout action around.
Lost Creek holds some of the cleanest still water in the northern region, said Craig Schaugaard, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resource's northern region aquatics manager. The drought has reduced the lake's size, but stocking has continued at its normal rate. Fishing has been fast, although the fish have remained small. It is a favorite spot to introduce children to fishing.
It's also among the last of its kind. Trout are all but gone from Pineview Reservoir and dwindling at Hyrum Reservoir. Even East Canyon's trout population has been hit -- by parasites and, with Park City booming, scarce water and declining quality, Schaugaard said.
Short of a drive to Porcupine Reservoir in Cache County, or Birch Creek or Woodruff reservoirs in Rich County, Lost Creek is the last, best hope for local trout anglers looking to toss a worm and bubble onto flat water.
For 30 years, anglers have encountered mixed messages at Lost Creek. The reservoir, built by the federal Bureau of Reclamation, was managed by the state Division of Parks and Recreation mainly as a summer destination. A "No Trespassing" sign was posted at the closed gate in the winter, although the DWR listed it as open to fishing.
So anglers had to decide whether to brave the unplowed roads, cross a closed gate and hike down a steep embankment to fish.
This year, it's unanimous: The reservoir is open to ice fishing. It's part of a memorandum of understanding, which took effect in May between the Bureau of Reclamation, Morgan County, the DWR and the Utah Division of Parks and Recreation. The agreement runs through October 2007, but since funding is approved yearly by each agency, there is no guarantee it will be this way next year.
"If no one can cover what needs to be done, we may have to close the reservoir or reduce services," said Jim Jensen, recreation manager at the bureau's Provo office.
Closure, at least in the near term, is an outside possibility. All of the agencies support recreational access. And it is unlikely that a budget crunch from one entity would cause the gates to lock, Jensen said. Another partner would have to step up or services would be reduced.
The Bureau of Reclamation, which completed the dam in 1966, cut back its annual contribution to law enforcement and maintenance from about $43,000 in 2003 to about $15,000 this year.
"We about had to choose to either close it or try to seek help from some of those partners," Jensen said.
The Division of Wildlife Resources kicked in $15,000 for recreation access, along with continuing to manage the fishery. Morgan County contributed $10,000 and committed to plow the road that extra mile between the last bus stop and the spillway. Parks and Recreation will continue to be responsible for day-to-day management.
The distant future is a bit murkier. The four agencies have yet to come up with a long-term solution.
Morgan County Councilman Daniel Hancock considers the county's contribution "seed money" to encourage state and federal investment in improvements -- such as campgrounds, boat ramps and "some amenities that people can really enjoy," and which could spur the local economy.
Without improvements, Hancock said, an ongoing annual contribution of $10,000 just to maintain the status quo would be like "continuing to flog a dead horse."
"There's nothing there," agreed John Sullivan, manager of Lost Creek and nearby East Canyon State Park. "It's a great place for fishing and people love going up there, but there's no facility. ... For us to manage Lost Creek (long-term), without a doubt, there is going to need to be a facility."
That would take a one-time infusion of cash on par with a $6 million project that is about to begin at East Canyon, where the bureau plans to split construction costs with the state.
"Full development" at Lost Creek -- ranger station, picnic tables, 105 campsites and more parking, restrooms and boat ramps -- would cost an estimated $4.6 million, Sullivan said.
When East Canyon's improvements are finished in 2007, there could be federal money available for Lost Creek, but only if a nonfederal agency -- Parks and Recreation, for instance -- pays for half of the improvements and commits to long-term management at the site, Jensen said. And that would come without further federal help.
That means the state and the county would have to pick up the bureau's $15,000 contribution, as well as any additional maintenance and personnel costs brought on by the new developments.
For comparison, East Canyon raises about $100,000 a year in user fees and has an annual budget of just more than $300,000, including personnel costs. For a fully developed Lost Creek State Park, revenues and costs would likely be similar or a bit lower.
"There is a great interest in keeping this going," Hancock said. "It just boils down to funding."
Sullivan said a request for money for Lost Creek improvement and management will likely come up in the 2006 legislative session.
"Is there an interest in Lost Creek by the bureau and our agency? Yes, but there are a lot of hurdles to get us there," Sullivan said.
The East Canyon project was on the top of the priority list for more than five years before funding became reality, Sullivan said.
If Lost Creek is similarly delayed, the question is: How long will the "interim" partners continue to flog an unresponsive horse?
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