Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 29

Reno Kvening Gazette Thursday. June 3. 198 3C 1 1 "'if OUR REGION "Si ft 'V V- TFI 11 I I I I Studying bobcats by radio Mrs lV vvy i a MIT-ZTjJl JUL I MIHVBIfT mi wmA Aim i ii fin wvi i it ru Jt 1 WZH- For more than a year, Howard Golden listened to the comings and goings of northern Washoe County bobcats on the radio. Golden has studied the habits of the cats as a graduate student in the Renewable Natural Resources Division of the College of Agriculture, University of Nevada-Reno. Despite concerns about the effect trapping has had on bobcat populations, it has only been the past few years that much research has been done on them, mainly because they are so difficult to study, Golden said.

They are wary, secretive, live in rugged terrain and generally come out only at night. Golden used radio telemetry to overcome the bobcats' elusiveness, trapping the cats and fitting them with radio transmitter collars in the Selen-ite and Fox ranges of northern Washoe county. Of the 30 bobcats he trapped, 22 were in the Selenites, east of Highway 34 between Pyramid Lake and Gerlach. The Fox range lies west of that, con-taning such landmarks as Rattlesnake and Rodeo Canyons. Golden put radio transmitters on 24 of the cats.

Then he made more than 600 individual "observations," locating the cats through signals sent by the transmitters. Conducted March 1980 to December 1981, the study yielded information on sex and age ratios, movements and population densities, habitat quality and the population of animals the cats prey upon. As for trapping pressures, Golden said he found that population densities near access roads, which trappers could reach easily, have decreased, while more inaccessible areas seem to serve as "refuges." "Trapping is done in the winter, mid-December to mid-February, when access is made just that much more difficult because of snow and other factors," said Golden. In areas that trappers can easily reach, established cats may be removed with transient ones moving in, he said. Bobcats tend to establish a home territory and pretty much stay in it.

Young cats, however, tend to roam while they search for their own territorial area. Golden had records of at least one cat moving more than 30 miles. "Since I felt my sample was not large enough in the Fox Range I only did density estimates in the Selenites where data showed a minimum of one cat for every two square miles of habitat," Golden said; He said that compares favorably with much of the West. He added that he felt the densities were higher in the Selenites because they had more desirable terrain and more prey. Surveys of prey species, which consisted of counting jackrab-bits and cottontails on transect courses, showed higher numbers in the Selenites.

The cats favor rocky outcrops, Golden noted, and the Selenites have almost twice as many of those-features than the Fox Range. Golden caught his bobcats in padded leg-hold traps that protected the cats' legs. When he had one in the traps he quietly worked close enough to inject a tranquilizer, using a syringe on the end of a pole. The injection put the cats out for 20 or 30 minutes so that they could be fitted with the collars and other data taken. It took the cats an hour and a half to two hours to recover.

"There was no problem at all with the tranquilizer," Golden said, "in that what we used is a very safe drug." Golden was advised by Dr. Donald Klebenow, UNR professor of wildlife management, and project coordinators Willie Molini and Sam Stiver of the Nevada Department of Wildlife. 'I 'h 198 Hawthorne truck bypass set for '84 about the economic effect on the town and added that his "livelihood depends on traffic." Commissioner Don Seevers, who operates a service station and clothing store on Hawthorne's main thoroughfare, said his businesses "would hurt like hell" if he loses the touurist trade, but added that human safety must come first. Commissioner Al Conelly said he sympathized with Terry, but agreed with Seevers that human safety must have the first priority. The new route will be posted with "Dangerous Cargo Bypass" signs, which commissioners say will probably discourage tourist travel.

The new design by state highway officials would simplify the previous plans for the intersection of U.S. Highway 93 and the new truck route on the north side of Hawthorne. It also would realign some of Bonanza Road. HAWTHORNE Construction of a "dangerous cargo truck bypass" around Hawthorne will probably begin in April 1984, according to state highway officials. After rejecting two proposed designs last year, Mineral County commissioners have finally accepted a third alternative submitted by the Nevada Department of Transportation.

For two years, state and local officials have debated the proposed truck route, which could divert traffic away from Hawthorne's business district. Several businessmen protested bypass routes at a June 1981 public meeting on the alternatives and in January, B.E. O'Malia, executive vice president of the El Capitan, Hawthorne's largest casino, sent a protest letter to the department, saying a bypass would damage the tourist trade. After commissioners accepted the state's new design, Gene Terry, El Capitan manager, said he is worried 7 3ff Nye County school Fallon Navy dedications scheduled base sets celebration 2-RODEO TICKETS IS to the SATURDAY MATINEE JUNE 26, 1982, 1:30 p.m. WHEN YOU PURCHASE a RESISTOL FELT HAT or ONE FREE RODEO TICKET WHEN YOU PURCHASE A RESISTOL from ANY of the FOLLOWING RESISTOL Nye County School officials will dedicate two new elementary schools this weekend one in Pahrump Saturday and the other in Tonopah Sunday.

The two 11-classroom schools are the last installments in a $5.5 million construction program financed from a bond issue passed by Nye County voters two years ago. District Superintendent Joaquin Johnson said school officials will be accepting five-room additions to Pahrump and Tonopah high schools this month. Elementary schools were occupied at mid-year this year in Beatty, Round Mountain and Armagosa and a new lunchroom has been added to the Gabbs school. The new facilities eliminated the need for 14 portable classrooms that the district had to rent to keep up with booming growth in many of those areas. While the booms have cooled, due to a depressed mining economy, all but one or two of the new classrooms will be filled immediately, Johnson said, and growth is projected to continue in most areas of Nye County.

In fact, he said, school officials might start to study the possibility of another school bond issue soon after classes start next fall. More classrooms will be needed in Tonopah and Pahrump and the Beatty School gymnasium is very cramped, he noted. Both the Pahrump and Tonopah dedications will start at 1 p.m. Miners break rules, BLM says WINNEMUCCA Miners in north central Nevada are increasingly breaking rules by bulldozing roads and doing other heavy equipment work without notifying the Bureau of Land Management, according to Frank Shields, manager of the BLM's Winnemucca District. They are breaking regulations for surface mining and wilderness study areas which have been in force for more than a year by failing to file mining notices or plans of operation before disturbing land with earth-moving equipment or explosives, he said.

The regulations are to prevent undue or unnecessary damage to the public lands and are not difficult to follow, Shields said. Filing a notice or a plan of operation with the BLM can avoid problems in the future, such as non-compliance with federal regulations or failure to post any bond that might be required, Shields noted. Miners are asked to check with the BLM Winnemucca district office at 705 E. 4th St. or call 623-3676 before doing surface work on public lands.

Mono County to get lease funds BRIDGEPORT Mono County officials will receive more than $350,000 from the California Energt Commission as its share in geothermal leasing revenues. Originally, the county had expected only $90,000 from lease revenues for exploration for steam and hot water under its surface. But Supervisor Mike Jencks said many of the energy companies had chosen to pay their bids in one lump sum rather than three installments and original revenue estimates had been overly conservative. The geothermal money can be used for parks, recreation, regional planning and mitigation of the impact of geothermal development in a local area, FALLON The Fallon Naval Air Station will celebrate its 40th anniversary Saturday with an open house featuring the Navy's hot air balloon team and displays of its latest fighter plane, the FA-18 Hornet. Other past and present Navy and Marine aircraft will be on display to the public starting at 10 a.m., offering photographers an unusual opportunity to photograph military aircraft.

The Navy Band from San Francisco will play at 10 a.m. and the Southwest Jazz Ballet from Houston, Texas, will perform at 1 p.m. The station theater will show free films on naval aviation every hour and the base chapel will be open all day to receive visitors. The base also will offer free horseback rides for children and the Naval District Softball tournament. All events and parking will be free.

Visitors are asked to take U.S. Highway 95 south from Fallon three miles to Union Lane and follow the signs to the station gates. Owens Valley Indian Museum opening set BISHOP The Owens Valley Paiute-Shoshone Indian Museum complex in West Bishop will officially reopen Saturday with a barbecue and colorful opening ceremonies. The Cultural Center will be open by appointment for school groups from now until the official opening, however. LEE'S WfW WESTERN WEAH CORNER ODDIE and SULLIVAN SPARKS PHONE 358-0666 2 ACRES FREE PARKING 630 GENTRY WAY RENO, NEVADA PHONE 825-7771 Lecollv Owmi cmon GET YOUR TICKET NOW-THE SUPPLY IS LIMITED HURRY em J' KttTtM STORES CAftftONCCTY 3358 KIETZKE LANE PHONE 827-2668 KIETZKE CORNER PARK LANE MALL RENO PH.

826-3434 CRESCENT CENTER S. LAKE TAHOE PH. 544-3800.