By Sean P. Means | The Salt Lake Tribune Writer-director Tom Russell takes a long-forgotten piece of Utah history and finds a spiritual drama lurking within. In 1862, French immigrant Jean Baptiste (played here by David H. Stevens) is caught stealing from about 300 graves in the Salt Lake City cemetery where he works [...READ MORE]

Water in the Desert: Knowledge Rules Hidden Water documentary now online Share Media Contacts April 5, 2012 – Turn the tap and water is there—reliable, clean and seemingly abundant. But most users of this vital resource in Salt Lake City don’t know where it comes from. The source of water—and the course it follows to [...READ MORE]

Every day that I spend in the field is always marvelous but it seems especially wonderful during the change of seasons because I feel a heightened sense of anticipation for the first of the year birds, the first spotting of wildflowers blooming or the seasonal changes that wildlife exhibits in behavior or appearance. . . . → Read More: Bison Bull Shedding

Western meadowlark. Courtesy Tom Matheson Bird sightings: Western meadowlark

StandardNetThree concerts coming to Antelope Island this summerStandardNetBy Bryon Saxton ANTELOPE ISLAND — Live music has officially been added to the list of reasons to visit Antelope Island State Park this summer. On Wednesday, Friends of Antelope…

I had a wonderful photographic opportunity yesterday with two Long-billed Curlews (Numenius americanus) on Antelope Island State Park that were exhibiting mating behavior. . . . → Read More: Long-billed Curlew Mating Display

Snow rests atop the terrain east of the Great Salt Lake, located in the northern part of the U.S. state of Utah. The land west of the lake also appears white, although much of this is due to the presence of salt flats rather than snow.

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. Antelope Island was only about 30 miles from where we were parked. I had read a little about it. The island really is an island right smack dab in the middle of the Great Salt Lake. Getting from the mainland to the island was via a causeway [...READ MORE]

'The Big Year' birder to speak at Great Salt Lake Bird FestivalStandardNetBy Contributed FARMINGTON — The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival has announced the keynote speaker May 19 will be "The Big Year" birder, Greg Miller. Miller is po…

OGDEN — Miranda Menzies, of Eden, likes to admire the sunset from a rowboat on Great Salt Lake, and because she’d rather not have an oil derrick blocking her view, she’s interested in how Utah manages the lake. Great Salt Lake is seen near Antelope Island in 2008.(MATTHEW ARDEN HATFIELD/Standard-Examiner) Because of that, she was [...READ MORE]

Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) have thus far been a nemesis bird for me and when I spotted one yesterday I thought I might finally get the shots I have long wanted. . . . → Read More: Almost – Golden Eagle in flight

Stansbury Island for Oolitic Sand; Knolls Area for gypsum sand; Vernon Hills for wonderstone; Dugway for geodes; Topaz Mountain for topaz; Manti-La Sal Forest for birdseye marble; Mt Nebo for onyx marble; Sunstone Knoll … Read more

Found!! Stansbury Island Petroglyphs Site #2 I have a very vague memory of a family exploratory trip out to Stansbury Island as a kid. I was maybe 7 0r 8 years old. I can’t recall much–there was a particularly rocky and steep road that seemed too rough for our truck to climb, and there was [...READ MORE]

Larry Memmott’s Blog » Stansbury Island. Utah must be one of the best places on earth for hiking.  That said, there are not so many good options in the north of the state in the winter.  Looking through the book, “60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City: Including Ogden, Provo, and the Uintas,” I [...READ MORE]

I’ve been seeing more and more Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) pairing up the past week or so which means it won’t be long before they are on their nests. . . . → Read More: Loggerhead Shrike perched on Moth Mullein

Had I not seen that moving, tan blob beyond my viewfinder I could have easily missed being able to create these Chukar images. Sure, I have hundreds (if not thousands) of Chukar images but I am always looking for different poses, light conditions and settings to photograph my subjects in and this worked out very well. . . . → Read More: Lesson Learned – Beyond the Viewfinder

Free film on endangered Great Salt LakeSalt Lake TribuneBy glen warchol Fifteen nonprofit groups have banded together to protect 91000 acres of shorelines, wetlands, and water on the Great Salt Lake from development. As part of the coalition's effo…

You loved Summer of Salt 2011. Now it’s 2012. I think you know where The Salt Sisters are headed with this.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds have begun to show up in large numbers in my area of the country. I’m seeing them perched on cattails, phragmites and in flight. . . . → Read More: Yellow-headed Blackbirds – Friday Photos

StandardNetComment on Great Salt Lake management through April 26StandardNetBy Charles F. Trentelman OGDEN — Miranda Menzies, of Eden, likes to admire the sunset from a rowboat on Great Salt Lake, and because she'd rather not have an oil derrick …

Now's the Time To See Sandhill Cranes at Ogden BayHispanicBusiness.comDo the birds, plants and wetlands around the Great Salt Lake interest you? Would you like to learn more about them and then share what you learn with school kids? If so, the Great Salt Lake Nature Center wants you as a volunteer naturalist.

When I photographed Semipalmated Plovers in Florida I found that if I got down to their level and laid still they would approach me very closely. That takes patience but the effort is well worth it. . . . → Read More: Semipalmated Plover on mudflats

New York TimesHistory Carved Out of the HillsNew York TimesAnd there are demonstrations of water and wind erosion, a floor map of the Great Salt Lake, and traditional dioramas with animal specimens in Utah's varied habitats. 1 2 Next Page » The Na…

Weekend Express: Your fun-stuff planning toolSalt Lake TribuneGreat Salt Lake Audubon Bird Survey » 9 am Saturday, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, 2155 W. Forest St., Brigham City. Come help Great Salt Lake Audubon find out what's living at the …

White-faced Ibises (Plegadis chihi) breed and nest in the freshwater marshes around the Great Salt Lake. Generally they migrate south for the winter though this winter there were a few that stayed at Farmington Bay Wildlife Management Area. . . . → Read More: White-faced Ibis in flight

Just an image I took yesterday of this male Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus) flying by. . . . → Read More: Northern Harrier in flight

American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana) are birds that I look forward to seeing in spring, I have already seen some from a distance this year. . . . → Read More: American Avocets at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

More signs of spring…. There is a storm coming in soon that might bring snow to the valley but I don’t think the Chukars on Antelope Island care about that one bit. . . . → Read More: Chukars & Agonistic Behavior

When I lived in Florida I saw Raccoons (Procyon lotor) all over the state. In the wild, the not so wild and in the streets of the cities. But that isn’t how it is in Utah. . . . → Read More: Raccoon on the mudflats

Great Salt Lake Nature Center looking for volunteersDeseret NewsThe center is looking for people to help run field trips and nature tours during the day. It is also looking for volunteers to staff the nature center on the weekends. Those interested in volunteering should contact Diana Vos, Great Salt Lake Nature …

Today I thought I would post a few images taken this past week from Antelope Island State Park and the west desert in Tooele County. Feathers & Fur. . . . → Read More: Feathers & Fur

Salt Lake City WeeklyHikmet Sidney Loe: Land arts and acitivismSalt Lake City WeeklyLoe will discuss the land art of the Spiral Jetty in the Great Salt Lake and the Sun Tunnels in Utah's west desert and how these earthworks brought attention to the environmental issues. Loe has taught art history at Westminister College since 2006 [...READ MORE]

Saturday is Swan Day at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge! From 10 to 3 the Visitor Center will have crafts, games, Jr Ranger Backpacks and swan fun. Plus, at 1:30 join us for a special presentation about the Birds of Bear River by volunteer Mindy Nicholas.

Mesa Exploration Receives $300000 Payment for Holbrook BasinMarketWatch (press release)The Bounty project is surface potash brine deposit located in the Great Salt Lake Desert of western Utah. The project is 15 miles north of Intrepid Potash's Wendover operation, a potash mine which is chemically and physically analogous to the deposit …and more »

Yesterday morning a light snow had covered most of Antelope Island while the normally lovely blue of the Great Salt Lake was instead a grayish brown because gale force winds were churning it up and there were white caps as far I could see. . . . → Read More: California Gull on a Windy Day

StandardNetStaker Parson to repave Antelope Island causewayStandardNetBy Bryon Saxton FARMINGTON — Using a philosophy of spending more now to save costs down the road, the Davis County Commission will pay more than $1.1 million to have a 2-inch asphalt overlay added to the surface of the Antelope Island causeway.

I have had an amazing time photographing Prairie Falcons (Falco mexicanus) since last fall. Since the ducks are no longer near the causeway to Antelope Island I have had a more difficult time locating them because they are now searching for their normal winter diet of Western Meadowlarks and Horned Larks which are found more “inland” on the island. . . . → Read More: Prairie Falcon ~ The Fun Keeps Going

Environmental lecture: Going round and round on Utah's iconic earthworksSalt Lake TribuneAt the Forum for Questioning Minds Sunday, Hikmet Sidney Loe, an art historian and author, will discuss how Utah's iconic earthworks Spiral Jetty in the Gr…

This is the third consecutive year that I have photographed Black-billed Magpies (Pics Hudsonia) working on their nest in this same location. I’m really glad I spotted that first bird disappear into the Sagebrush that morning with something in its bill. . . . → Read More: Black-billed Magpies ~ It is Nesting Time!

Space Ref (press release)NASA MODIS Image of the Day: March 3, 2012 – Dust storm in UtahSpace Ref (press release)The dust arises from the Great Salt Lake Desert, which has sediments that can provide ample material for dust storms. Cloud banks surround the dust, especially in the south and east. The clouds might result from [...READ MORE]

Thursday, March 1st, 2012 Utah is home to many natural wonders. Among these is the Great Salt Lake (GSL), which currently supports millions of migratory birds, features premier wetlands, contains one of the largest populations of brine shrimp on earth, and is home to over 100 billion brine flies. At an average surface area of [...READ MORE]

It snowed last night and the ground here was covered in white but the clouds were disappearing so off I went to photograph whatever I might find on Antelope Island State Park. . . . → Read More: Female Horned Lark and a Long-tailed Duck ~ Friday Photos

Visual art notes: The art of trash, algae and a lecture on Sun Tunnels and …Salt Lake Tribune… for Questioning Minds, Hikmet Sidney Loe, an art historian and author, will discuss Utah's Spiral Jetty in the Great Salt Lake and the Sun Tunnels in Utah's west desert and how these earthworks have brought attention to [...READ MORE]

Bird sightings: BuffleheadSalt Lake TribuneBuffleheads eat aquatic insects, larvae, snails, small fish and aquatic plant seeds. And when they are in the Great Salt Lake, they like the brine shrimp. They are monogamous and a solitary cavity nester. The female incubates 8-10 eggs for 33 days.