New gate at Bear River Refuge

[Betsy_Beneke at fws dot gov]

Hi Everyone:

This isn't a post about birds at the refuge, although I did see two
gorgeous golden eagles soaring over our new building site yesterday...

I wanted to let you all know that a new "gate" has been installed recently
at the refuge.  It's located near the information kiosk on the main refuge
road.  This gate is set to a timer and is supposed to remain open during
daylight hours, and close at dark.  It's primarily meant to help with
vandalism problems the refuge has at night, when staff isn't always
available to be on patrol.

If visitors/birders happen to be on the tour loop, or inside the gate after
dark when it closes, all you have to do is approach the gate slowly - and
when you get within a few feet - it will open and let you out.  Of course,
it will NOT open when vehicles approach after dark, wanting to get IN -
only when vehicles want to get OUT.  Additionally, it will not open for
pedestrians; only vehicles.

We HAVE had a couple of glitches since the gate's installation, which the
refuge staff has taken care of fairly quickly, and we hope there won't be
any more problems.  There was a note left at the refuge office by birders
who were out there on Sunday and couldn't enter the refuge because the gate
was closed.  We're very sorry for your inconvenience!  The problem has been
taken care of, and we hope this won't happen again.  However, If any of you
encounter problems with the gate, please call the office and let us know.
You can also call the Box Elder County Sheriff's office for assistance -
they know how to get ahold of refuge staff when there's a problem.  That
number is 435.734.3800.

If you have any questions, or comments, I'm happy to talk to you, as is our
manager, Al Trout or his assistant, Steve Hicks.  Here are our contact
numbers:

Al Trout, Project Leader
435.723.5887  ext. 11
435.452.8398  cell

Steve Hicks, Deputy Project Leader
435.723.5887  ext. 12
435.452.8867  cell

Betsy Beneke, Outdoor Recreation Planner
435.723.5887  ext. 16
435.452.8468  cell

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