Snowbird summer fun begins
Summer fun officially begins at Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort on Saturday with the 11 a.m. opening of summer activities for all ages. New for 2010 is a ropes course, adjacent to the Chickadee Chairlift, where participants can strap into a harness and test their courage high above the ground.
Father's Day features an all-you-can eat barbecue on the Plaza deck or holiday brunch at the Atrium Restaurant, both with local bands and a free summer tram ride for dining guests.
The Snowbird All-Day Activities Pass is $36 for adults and includes unlimited daily use of the aerial tram, Peruvian Chairlift and tunnel (weather permitting), Alpine Slide, bungee trampoline, ropes course, four-station climbing wall, ZipRider and mechanical bull. A Children's All-Day Activities Pass is $19 for kids under 75 pounds and includes unlimited use of the Alpine Slide (with an adult), bungee trampoline, aerial tram, inflatable castle and slide, climbing wall and mechanical bull.
More information is available at www.snowbird.com.
View California condors
Those who arrive at the right spot in southern Utah early enough might see some of the largest and rarest birds in the world soaring directly over head.
The Division of Wildlife Resources will host its annual California condor viewing event Saturday. Dubbed the Day of the Condor, the free event runs from 8 a.m. to noon at an area 21½ miles north of Virgin in southwestern Utah.
Those who attended the event last year watched 17 condors soar in the sky above them. "To give yourself the best chance to see the greatest number of birds, try to arrive at the site as close to 8 a.m. as you can," says Keith Day, regional sensitive species biologist for the DWR.
See a video of past events at www.youtube.com/user/UDWR.
For more information, call the DWR's Southern Region office at 435-865-6100.
See bighorns in Sunnyside
Those who live in Sunnyside have an advantage no one else in Utah has — they get to share their town with a herd of wild Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. At a free viewing event on Saturday, visitors will also get to enjoy the sheep.
Biologists will be available from 4 to 7 p.m. to help visitors locate the animals and answer questions.
Late afternoon until dusk is usually the best time to see the sheep.
The Sunnyside bighorn sheep herd consists entirely of rams, which number about 25 animals from year to year.
For more information, call 435-613-3707 or e-mail brentstettler@utah.gov.
DEER, ELK PERMITS AVAILABLE
Hunters who don't have a permit to hunt buck deer in Utah this fall have a chance beginning June 17 when Northern Region rifle and muzzleloader permits that were not taken in this year's big-game draw go on sale.
Most of Utah's buck deer permits were taken in the draw, but 5,500 Northern Region rifle and muzzleloader permits are still available.
Permits to hunt bull elk during Utah's general season also go on sale June 17.
Hunters can buy a permit starting at 7 a.m. at www.wildlife.utah.gov or from DWR offices and more than 300 hunting license agents across Utah.
For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or the DWR's Salt Lake City office at 801-538-4700.