Cows in Happy Canyon

Jammer

Jammer

❤2Hike
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Feb 23, 2012
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So I just chatted with somebody who just hiked the length of Happy Canyon and said that there were a bunch of cows in there -- including one which had apparently recently died during calving. :( He said the cows had really mucked up the few water holes above the narrows.

Has anyone else seen cows in Happy? I haven't been through there in several years, but don't think I've ever seen any evidence of cows in the canyon at all. That's one thing I loved about the canyon -- it's so pristine. I'm guessing they came in via the old road in South Fork, but that would require going through the GCNRA which I don't think should be allowed.

Any suggestions for a contact in Canyonlands or elsewhere that should be alerted?

Thanks.
 
wow, I definitely haven't seen any signs of cows out there in the past
 
I contacted the Hanksville BLM office several years ago about some cows that were in the upper end of Robbers Roost canyon and they were surprisingly resposive and helpful.

Edit: Just looked through my emails and it was Kyle Jackson (Range Management Specialist) who I spoke to. Not sure he'd still be there (this was from '11) but give them a ring (435-542-3461) and hopefully whoever is in that position can help. When I emailed them he wrote right back wanting my contact and gave me a call wanting to know exactly where they were, etc. Weren't supposed to be there and supposedly they were going to try to get them out that day or the next.
 
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I saw those cows in there a few weeks ago. There were signs of them heading up the South fork as well. They came in via the old mining road that's close to the Dirty. I'm thinking they rotate between all the Dirty Devil canyons and this was the year for Happy. Wouldn't there be a lot more crypto in there if cows were never in it? I've never seen any crypto at the old mining camp above the narrows and that's where a lot of them were standing when we saw them. They must come mess it up every five years or so.
 
Update:

I got through to the BLM and at least the initial contact was surprised by this. She said that Happy is part of an allotment which hasn't been used for many years due to lack of water/foliage. I took that to mean that it technically could be used again in the future if conditions were right. She added that there is a group of cattle up on Big Ridge that they have had a difficult time corralling and wondered if this was that group. She said they would hopefully dispatch rangers soon to check into it more.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Nick/Brenden. It was really quick and easy and they seemed to appreciate the info.
 
There was a temporary Barb wire fence set up a above the narrows so the cows couldn't get to the Dirty following the top of the narrows. So someone put the cows in there.
 
Jammer said:
Update:

I got through to the BLM and at least the initial contact was surprised by this. She said that Happy is part of an allotment which hasn't been used for many years due to lack of water/foliage. I took that to mean that it technically could be used again in the future if conditions were right. She added that there is a group of cattle up on Big Ridge that they have had a difficult time corralling and wondered if this was that group. She said they would hopefully dispatch rangers soon to check into it more.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction Nick/Brenden. It was really quick and easy and they seemed to appreciate the info.
Click to expand...

Well done, sir.
 
Nice reminder (speaking for myself) that sometimes it's surprisingly really easy to actually take effective action rather than grumbling and being bitter at people or agencies that might actually be quite ready and willing to help your cause. Obviously not always the case but always worth a shot. A phone call or email is easy.
 
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