By Ryan Christensen
The great outdoors called, and Harold Haugen has heeded it.
A member of the Draper Trails committee, Haugenwas recognized by REI for his service building and maintaining trails in the Draper area. The project Haugen most recently orchestrated, and for which he was recognized, was the completion of a one-mile trail from the Orson Smith trailhead to the Bonneville Shoreline trail.
“We’ve estimated that project took close to 3,000 man hours and hundreds of people to complete,” Haugen said.
Haugen, fellow members of the trail committee and a team of volunteers that included a total of 41 different Eagle Scout project groups worked on the trail every Saturday and some weeknights last summer.
“We show them how to do it, give them examples of a section of trail that has been done and then let them go to work. And they put in a lot of work,” Haugen said. “
Most of the labor involved clearing brush and shoveling to level the dirt and make a clean trail. Building fences “to help make sure people stay on the trails, and prevent erosion” were also part of the project, said Haugen. “One Eagle Scout project was just carrying the [fencing] materials up the mountain.”
Trail building requires the use of interesting tools such as the ‘Pulaski’ and the ‘McLeod. The Pulaski has a head with a single bit axe one side and a heavy grubbing hoe on the other. The McLeod is a Scottish tool consisting of a large hoe on one side opposite a toothed rake. Both of these pieces also are standard wildland firefighting equipment.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Haugen said. “I find it quite rewarding. It’s fun to get out and it’s one way I can help out a little bit.”
He doesn’t remember if he received a certificate for the REI recognition award, but he appreciates the “very nice jacket” that came with it. “I wear it almost every day. [But] that’s not why you do it, for the recognition. But at the same time, it’s nice that someone sees it and appreciates it.”
Nevertheless, Haugen said he would have rather received “a slap on the back and a kick in the butt and get back to work.”
Haugen, who is on a first-name basis with Forest Service personnel, also has been involved in many other projects to build and maintain trails, most of which have originated from his own ambition.
A previous project included obtaining a blasting permit to clear large boulders from a trail. Another found Haugen “running around to all the antique shops to find old [timber] saws” to clear fallen aspen and pine trees blocking the Big Willow Trail because the Forrest Service does not allow the use of chain saws in wilderness areas.
“It took six months just to get the tools to cut the trees,” says Haugen.
Haugen encourages Draper residents to enjoy the mountains around them. “There’s a lot that can be gained by getting out and getting up in the hills. If we could have more of our youth out and walking around…their lives would be a little bit better.”
If anyone is interested in becoming involved in the works, they can contact the Draper Trails Committee by calling Draper City. “There are a lot of good people involved and they are a wonderful group to work with,” Haugen said.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Ready, set, paint: Draper Visuals Arts Fund brings art education to local students
By Ryan Christensen
For the next two months, more than 90 elementary school kids will be taking after-school classes in beginning art, acrylics, pastels, pottery and drawing. Classes will end in April and the students’ completed masterpieces will be on display at an annual art show on April 21 at Draper City Hall.
Most classes started in the middle of February and will run weekly until April. “We are able to fill classes with children from all over the south end of Salt Lake County,” said Leone Smith of Draper Visuals Arts. Classes are held at Draper and Oak Hollow elementary schools after regular school hours.
“Introduction to Art…is our most popular class, since so little art is taught in the grade schools,” Smith said. id. “Our classes are filled to capacity, and the turnout at the art shows is a testament to the need and interest in the arts.”
More than 400 people attended last year’s exhibit.
“Children who gain an appreciation for the arts and start practicing their talents at a young age do better in school,” Smith said. “It is the appreciation and love of art that we hope to instill in our students.”
The classes are organized and provided by The Draper Visual Arts Foundation.
The DVAF was organized in 1993 with an initial objective of caring for an art collection that was started in 1926 as part of a community/school program. A number of former teachers and students were concerned that the pictures, including a valuable Norman Rockwell original of “Ichabod Crane,” were not being well cared for. Each year, the DVAF continues to purchase paintings, which are put on display in local public schools.
The DVAF also awards a $2,100 scholarship yearly to a high school senior who has excelled in the arts. Artwork from the winner is displayed at local schools, in City Hall and, when possible, in various art shows.
“We are dedicated to fostering creativity and visual art awareness in our children,” says Smith. “We also want this to be a fun, exciting experience for all who participate.”
Classes cost $30 to $40 per student and include all supplies. Help from the Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP) tax subsidizes the cost and makes the classes affordable to more students. Local artists, business owners and elementary teachers who have experience with the medium teach classes.
The art show highlighting students’ work will be at Draper City Hall on Monday, April 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
For the next two months, more than 90 elementary school kids will be taking after-school classes in beginning art, acrylics, pastels, pottery and drawing. Classes will end in April and the students’ completed masterpieces will be on display at an annual art show on April 21 at Draper City Hall.
Most classes started in the middle of February and will run weekly until April. “We are able to fill classes with children from all over the south end of Salt Lake County,” said Leone Smith of Draper Visuals Arts. Classes are held at Draper and Oak Hollow elementary schools after regular school hours.
“Introduction to Art…is our most popular class, since so little art is taught in the grade schools,” Smith said. id. “Our classes are filled to capacity, and the turnout at the art shows is a testament to the need and interest in the arts.”
More than 400 people attended last year’s exhibit.
“Children who gain an appreciation for the arts and start practicing their talents at a young age do better in school,” Smith said. “It is the appreciation and love of art that we hope to instill in our students.”
The classes are organized and provided by The Draper Visual Arts Foundation.
The DVAF was organized in 1993 with an initial objective of caring for an art collection that was started in 1926 as part of a community/school program. A number of former teachers and students were concerned that the pictures, including a valuable Norman Rockwell original of “Ichabod Crane,” were not being well cared for. Each year, the DVAF continues to purchase paintings, which are put on display in local public schools.
The DVAF also awards a $2,100 scholarship yearly to a high school senior who has excelled in the arts. Artwork from the winner is displayed at local schools, in City Hall and, when possible, in various art shows.
“We are dedicated to fostering creativity and visual art awareness in our children,” says Smith. “We also want this to be a fun, exciting experience for all who participate.”
Classes cost $30 to $40 per student and include all supplies. Help from the Zoo, Arts and Parks (ZAP) tax subsidizes the cost and makes the classes affordable to more students. Local artists, business owners and elementary teachers who have experience with the medium teach classes.
The art show highlighting students’ work will be at Draper City Hall on Monday, April 21 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Grizz Kids gears up for reading program
By Ryan Christensen
Libraries and hockey are teaming up to help kids and parents read together, with the added bonus of a free hockey game. The “Grizz Kids” winter ready program encourages kids to read with their parents at least five times for at least 15 minutes each time, before the end of March.
The Grizz Kids reading record can be picked up at any Salt Lake county library. When the reading has been accomplished, the completed cards must be signed by a parent or guardian before they are returned to the library. With a completed, signed reading card, children willreceive a ticket voucher good for a hockey game at the E-Center on April 5.
The voucher also will allow the rest of the family to purchase tickets at 50 percent off. To be eligible for the program, kids must be between the ages of 5 and 14.
“We have done this before, back in the ’03-’04, and the ’04-’05 season,” said Adrian Denny of the Utah Grizzlies. “The turnout was excellent. Both games had a couple hundred kids. But the pace this year is ahead of previous years, at least double. It’s a good thing that we have done with the library.”
The Utah Grizzlies approached the Salt Lake County library system with the reading program as a way to give back to the community and to promote reading, as well as to bring hockey and libraries, which are usually on opposite ends of the spectrum, together. “We have great players who like to give back and get involved,” Denny said. , adding that hockey players themselves like to read. A lot of them “read on the plane,” while traveling, Denny continues.
For more information contact the Draper City library at 801-944-7649.
Libraries and hockey are teaming up to help kids and parents read together, with the added bonus of a free hockey game. The “Grizz Kids” winter ready program encourages kids to read with their parents at least five times for at least 15 minutes each time, before the end of March.
The Grizz Kids reading record can be picked up at any Salt Lake county library. When the reading has been accomplished, the completed cards must be signed by a parent or guardian before they are returned to the library. With a completed, signed reading card, children willreceive a ticket voucher good for a hockey game at the E-Center on April 5.
The voucher also will allow the rest of the family to purchase tickets at 50 percent off. To be eligible for the program, kids must be between the ages of 5 and 14.
“We have done this before, back in the ’03-’04, and the ’04-’05 season,” said Adrian Denny of the Utah Grizzlies. “The turnout was excellent. Both games had a couple hundred kids. But the pace this year is ahead of previous years, at least double. It’s a good thing that we have done with the library.”
The Utah Grizzlies approached the Salt Lake County library system with the reading program as a way to give back to the community and to promote reading, as well as to bring hockey and libraries, which are usually on opposite ends of the spectrum, together. “We have great players who like to give back and get involved,” Denny said. , adding that hockey players themselves like to read. A lot of them “read on the plane,” while traveling, Denny continues.
For more information contact the Draper City library at 801-944-7649.
Draper hosts Best Friends Adoption Day
By Ryan Christensen
The pleading eyes of puppies are hard to ignore, but in the case of the 3-month-old beagles that will be available at the Best Friends Adoption Day in Draper March 14-16, the begging has a tragic tale to go with it.
“The story for these beagle puppies is just amazing,” said Pat Donoho, adoption coordinator for the Best Friends Animal Society. The puppies’ mother was run over by a car when the four pups were 3 weeks old. Shortly thereafter, the father of the family that owned the dogs committed suicide and his wife followed him the next day, Donoho said.
The couple’s children were taken in by relatives, and The Sanctuary took the puppies.
The Sanctuary is a large pet ranch in Kanab that houses, on average, 2,000 animals in need of adoption or special care. The Sanctuary frequently helps rescue animals from tragic situations.
“Pretty much anywhere there is a disaster we will be there,” said Larry Donoho, Pat’s husband.
The Donohos recently went to Beirut to rescue 300 cats and dogs that were displaced when bombing destroyed the local animal shelter. They went to Mexico during the floods and down to Peru after the last earthquake. After Hurricane Katrina, they went to the devastated area and lived there more than a year, helping to rescue more than 6,000 animals. The couple also cares for 22 of the pit bulls previously owned by NFL player Michael Vick.
“It’s not really a career, it’s a mission,” says Larry Donoho. The couple travels at least 200 nights per year for different adoption events like the one that will be held in Draper.
The Donoho’s have been invited to come up to Draper by Petco General Manager Paul Heller.
At the Best Friends Adoption Day, a total of seven puppies, including the four beagles, available for adoption. The dogs have each been spayed or neutered and have a microchip ID implanted. Their shots are current and they are all in good health. The cost for adoption is a $100 donation to the Best Friends Animal Society.
The adoption will be held at PETCO, 195 East 12300 South, starting on Friday, March 14 between noon and 7 p.m. and again on March 15 and 16 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
For more information about the Best Friends Animal Society visit www.bestfriends.org
The pleading eyes of puppies are hard to ignore, but in the case of the 3-month-old beagles that will be available at the Best Friends Adoption Day in Draper March 14-16, the begging has a tragic tale to go with it.
“The story for these beagle puppies is just amazing,” said Pat Donoho, adoption coordinator for the Best Friends Animal Society. The puppies’ mother was run over by a car when the four pups were 3 weeks old. Shortly thereafter, the father of the family that owned the dogs committed suicide and his wife followed him the next day, Donoho said.
The couple’s children were taken in by relatives, and The Sanctuary took the puppies.
The Sanctuary is a large pet ranch in Kanab that houses, on average, 2,000 animals in need of adoption or special care. The Sanctuary frequently helps rescue animals from tragic situations.
“Pretty much anywhere there is a disaster we will be there,” said Larry Donoho, Pat’s husband.
The Donohos recently went to Beirut to rescue 300 cats and dogs that were displaced when bombing destroyed the local animal shelter. They went to Mexico during the floods and down to Peru after the last earthquake. After Hurricane Katrina, they went to the devastated area and lived there more than a year, helping to rescue more than 6,000 animals. The couple also cares for 22 of the pit bulls previously owned by NFL player Michael Vick.
“It’s not really a career, it’s a mission,” says Larry Donoho. The couple travels at least 200 nights per year for different adoption events like the one that will be held in Draper.
The Donoho’s have been invited to come up to Draper by Petco General Manager Paul Heller.
At the Best Friends Adoption Day, a total of seven puppies, including the four beagles, available for adoption. The dogs have each been spayed or neutered and have a microchip ID implanted. Their shots are current and they are all in good health. The cost for adoption is a $100 donation to the Best Friends Animal Society.
The adoption will be held at PETCO, 195 East 12300 South, starting on Friday, March 14 between noon and 7 p.m. and again on March 15 and 16 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
For more information about the Best Friends Animal Society visit www.bestfriends.org
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