What will this cost the tax payer?

[Scott Card]

Let's see. . . . A day with celebrations planned all dedicated to the Utah Prairie Dog. If this doesn't cost anything to the tax payer I'd be ok with this. If not. ARE YOU KIDDING?

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=10311157

BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Utah (AP) -- Southern Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park will honor the Utah prairie dog later this month.
Officials are planning the park's first-ever Utah prairie dog celebration day on April 30.
The prairie dogs are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Bryce Canyon officials reintroduced them to the park between 1974 and 1988. Today, officials say there are around 200 in the park.
The April 30 event will include presentations on the prairie dogs, opportunities to watch them in their natural environment and activities for kids. Local schools are also being invited to participate in an art contest with a Utah prairie dog theme. (Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

(I should not read the news, think of the government or comment on anything dealing with taxes during the month of April. My apologies for my posts today)

[oldno7]

Gee Scott--Let me help you with some huge savings proposed by the Obama admin.:


For those who have never traveled to the great West, cattle guards are
horizontal steel rails placed at fence openings on highways to prevent
cattle from crossing. For some reason the bovines will not step on the
guards, probably because they fear getting their feet caught between the
rails. We need to make that clear in order for everyone to appreciate the
following story.

President Obama received a report that there were over 100,000 cattle guards
in Colorado . Because Colorado ranchers protested his proposed changes in
grazing policies; he ordered Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar to fire half
of the guards immediately.

Before Salazar could respond, and presumably straighten him out, California ’s
congresswoman Nancy Pelosi intervened with a request that before any were
fired they be given six months of retraining.

[DiscGo]

Oldno- That is a joke right?

[oldno7]

Oldno- That is a joke right?

I don't know, why, are you employed as one?jk

Don't get me going on prairie dogs, I own 2 building lots that have prairie dogs on them. I can not build on "my" lots, nor will anyone buy them because they can't build either. I protested my tax value this year and said my lots value was $0. They reduced one of them to $35,000.
Now if I had access to a good attorney, I could sue the feds for a "grazing fee"

[Sombeech]

For those who have never traveled to the great West, cattle guards are
horizontal steel rails placed at fence openings on highways to prevent
cattle from crossing.

I've even heard there are Cattle Guards on the front of Train Locomotives. Those poor guards must be freezing in the winter time.

[Scott Card]

Sombeech said:

I've even heard there are Cattle Guards on the front of Train Locomotives. Those poor guards must be freezing in the winter time.

But a dental plan is coming to remove all the bugs from their teeth.

[accadacca]

[stefan]

Oldno- That is a joke right?

clearly

[Sombeech]

Oldno- That is a joke right?

Yes, back from the Clinton administration

[Scott Card]

Don't get me going on prairie dogs, I own 2 building lots that have prairie dogs on them. I can not build on "my" lots, nor will anyone buy them because they can't build either. I protested my tax value this year and said my lots value was $0. They reduced one of them to $35,000.

When I was in law school, my property teacher taught us that when you buy property it is like owning a bundle of sticks. The sticks are your rights--what you can do with your property. When the government imposes zoning laws, taxes, etc some of those sticks are taken away. Sounds like you own a picture of a stick and no real sticks. You do have the "privilege" of paying property taxes..... Sorry man, that stinks.

Now if I had access to a good attorney, I could sue the feds for a "grazing fee"

Hey, not a bad idea! I don't deal in this sort of law much but what about capturing the varmits and sending them to Bryce Canyon to live out their apparently meaningful little lives on the government dole? Heck, Bryce Canyon seems like the Florida for all senior gophers. Bryce now has a day dedicated to them! Seems you ought to be able to rid the property of the pests without killing them but rather relocating them. I have no idea if that is permited or even possible. I do remember one farmer in Wyoming telling me to give the critters in his garden "lead poisoning" as he handed me a .22, but I would never suggest such a thing. You may end up in federal prison since we have lost our collective mind in this country.

Dang it, I posted again when mad at the government... forgive me.

[oldno7]

You can not personally remove any prairie dogs from your property, you must have a government trapper, trained in such do it. But here's the RUB, you have to apply for a "take" permit to have them removed by said trapper. The permit application can take up to 3 years.(you thought Zion permits were tough to get) The permits cost $1500 per prairie dog, and heres the ENCORE, you can only apply for 6 permits at a time. So after your 3 year application you get the maximum # of permits for your land(6)-- but say you have 30 on your land, you have to re-apply for more permits and the 3 year wait starts again.

[Scott P]

Let's see. . . . A day with celebrations planned all dedicated to the Utah Prairie Dog. If this doesn't cost anything to the tax payer I'd be ok with this. If not. ARE YOU KIDDING?

The Nation Parks have activities/programs based on certain themes that are supposed to educate/entertain tourist/students and encourage visitation.

For example when we were in Guadalupe National Park, there were programs on reptiles and fossils. When we were in Carlsbad, there were programs on bats. In Grand Teton, there was a program on trappers. Most National Parks have them. Bryce Canyon just happened to have theirs themed on prairy dogs this year. Visitation to Bryce Canyon is fairly slow in April, which may be why they are having it then.

State Parks have the programs too. Last Feb. I volunteered to help with my son's 2nd grade class when they went to Yampa River State Park. We put on snowshoes and the theme was animal tracks in the snow, animal habitats and cold weather safety. Here is a photo I took (sorry, embedding photos doesn't work very well):

http://www.summitpost.org/images/medium/601286.JPG

As far as cost I don't know. I'm not sure if most rangers are paid for things like evening talks. I assume they do get paid in the daytime, though many are volunteers.