Antelope Island State Park

Antelope Island State Park
Eroded shorelines of the former Lake Bonneville (White Rock Bay)
location	Davis County in Utah (USA)
surface	115 km²
WDPA ID	Value Unknown value
Geographical location	40 ° 57 '  N , 112 ° 12'  W Coordinates: 40 ° 57 '24 "  N , 112 ° 12' 29"  W
Setup date	1969
administration	Utah Dept. of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks and Recreation

Map of Antelope Island State Park

Horses at the Fielding Garr Ranch

Herd of bison on Antelope Island

Boat harbor and road embankment on the north bank

The Antelope Iceland State Park is a State Park in Davis County in Utah . It is located on Antelope Island , the largest island in the Great Salt Lake , and is connected to the mainland in the direction of Syracuse by a navigable dam . The area is 115 km², the highest point is 2011  m on Frary Peak and the coastline is around 1280  m , with fluctuations in the sea level of several meters over the years.

history

Archaeological finds on the island indicate that the island was visited by people around 6000 years ago. The first evidence of white explorers comes from trappers Jim Bridger and explorer Etienne Provost , who described the area around 1820 but did not give the island a white name. It was not until 1845 that the pioneers John Charles Frémont and Kit Carson ventured onto the island with their horses when the water level was low and named it after the pronghorn antelopes that occur there .

" There is at this southern end of the lake a large peninsular island which the Indians informed me could at this low stage of the water be reached on horseback. Accordingly ... I took with me (Kit) Carson and a few men and rode across the shallows. On the island we found grass and water and several bands of antelope. Some of these were killed, and in memory of the grateful supply of food they furnished, I gave their name to the island. "

- John C. Frémont

In 1969 the first 2000 acres (809 ha) in the north of the island were taken over by the state because of the potential as a recreational area . In 1981 almost the entire remaining area was acquired and Antelope Island was declared a state park. In 2005, 200 pronghorn antelopes and bighorn sheep, 250 mule deer and 300,000 human visitors were counted on the island .

geology

Geologically very young rocks can be found in the northern third of Antelope Island. The tuff deposits on the former shores of the prehistoric lake Lake Bonneville in the area around Buffalo Point are almost 10,000–15,000 years old . In the southern two-thirds of the island, on the other hand, layers from the Farmington Canyon Complex can be found, which at 2.7 billion years are among the oldest on the planet and are therefore older than the lowest layers of the Grand Canyon . Over the millennia, Lake Bonneville with its changing water levels has left former coastlines in the topography, which can still be clearly seen today at Elephant Head from White Rock Bay. Specifically, in chronological order, these are the Stansbury Level, which had a level of 1351 to 1369 m about 22,000 years ago, then the Bonneville Level 16,000 years ago with a maximum of 1,600 m, followed by the Provo Level after the flood disaster in the north on the Snake River 14,500 years ago at 1480–1490 m to Gilbert Level 10,000 years ago at 1293–1305 m.

fauna

The range of species on the island and in today's state park has been clearly influenced by human hands , at least since the establishment of the Fielding Garr Ranch . Another factor in earlier times was the temporary presence of land bridges through low sea levels or a frozen Farmington Bay . The first white explorers did not appear on the island until 1845 and shot two antelopes for consumption. In memory of this meal, they gave the island its name, Antelope Island. By 1930 the antelopes had completely disappeared from the island. It was not until 1993 that 24 pronghorn antelopes were reintroduced to the island. Within two years this population had nearly doubled. Because predators such as coyotes , lynx and eagles are also found on the island , the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is expected to establish a natural predator-prey relationship . Without this regulation there would be a risk of overgrazing with all its consequences. The Weber State University monitors the population development in a long-term study.

The Fielding Garr Ranch was established in 1848 and operated without interruption until 1981. In 1849, Fielding Garr was asked by Latter-day Saints Brigham Young , head of the Church of Jesus Christ , if he could tend the tithing herd, the tithe , which is why the herd remained on the island until 1871 .

On February 15, 1893, 12 bison were brought to the island by sailing boat. From 1884 to 1972, most of the island was owned by an Island Improvement Company , which placed the ranch's focus on cattle and sheep farming. In the 1930s, Antelope Island was the largest sheep wool production west of the Mississippi. In the meantime, the bison herd has leveled off at 500–700 specimens. This herd size is still tolerable for the island vegetation and is artificially regulated. The basic stock of the herd of 500 animals mates and reproduces, with the young being born between March and May and then growing the herd to over 700. At the end of October each year, the bison are driven to a fishing enclosure with horses, off-road vehicles and helicopters during a roundup . There they are examined, vaccinated and the surplus animals are sorted out for auction.

In March 1997, some California bighorn sheep were introduced, which have now increased to a total of 200 heads.

flora

Until 1847, the island was mainly overgrown with Pseudoroegnaria spicata and sagebrush , as is usual in large parts of the Great Basin . As a side effect of the white settlement , corresponding agricultural techniques came into the area. Not only livestock and seeds were brought in, but also species that in Utah are now classified as invasive plants and often harmful as an undesirable admixture . Woad , field thistle , nodding thistle , true toadflax and dalmatian toadflax , pepperwort , chunky knapweed and Centaurea maculosa are classified as harmful. While roof brisket , common dog's tongue , narrow-leaved olive willow , little burdock , a tamarisk species, and cockroach mullein are rated as invasive plants.

More herbaceous plant species are Sphaeralcea coccinea , Chorispora tenella , Sand Verbena ( Abronia ) and Cryptantha flava and magenta tragacanth ( Astragalus hypoglottis ) wide Horny Prickly Poppy ( Argemone platyceras ), Vicia americana , Evolvulus arizonicus , balsamorhiza sagittata ( Balsamorhiza sagittata ) ( Phlox longifolia ), rocky mountain iris ( Iris missouriensis ), Castilleja angustifolia , Carduus undulatus , winter cress ( Barbarea vulgaris ).

The approximately 150 years of livestock farming have led to overgrazing in places . There are few trees on the island, the Fremont poplar Populus Fremontii occurs occasionally , rows of trees along some streams and a small, park-like forest at the Fielding Garr Ranch are exceptions.

Overall, there are several different plant communities on the island:

• "Saline Marsh" are the salt plant vegetation of the salty alluvial land and the salt marshes .
• "Salt Desert Shrub" describes the salt bushes in arid areas with an irregular water supply.
• "Fire Modified Mixed Grass" socializes grasses and herbaceous plants on dry, sandy soils that have adapted to recurring fires, e.g. B. be triggered by lightning strikes.
• " Sagittarius - societies " that are also widespread in all areas of the large basin.
• “Juniper Societies” with Rocky Mountain Juniper , Utah Juniper , Gambeleiche and Indian rice grass
• "Mixed Mountain Brush"
• "Riparian" includes the moisture-loving plants of the riparian zones, although on Antelope Island it is still possible to differentiate according to altitude.

Infrastructure

In the north of the island there is a small boat harbor with two jetties next to the 11.6 km long road to the mainland. For visitors to the state park, there is a visitor center with a natural history exhibition and two campsites for a maximum of 14 nights. The extensive network of trails for hikers and mountain bikers lead to the beaches of Buffalo Bay, Bridger Bay or White Rock Bay, and to viewpoints such as the Egg Island Overlook, the 1458 m high Buffalo Point or a little further away and higher Elephant Head with 1590 m height, the Stringham Peak with 1943 m and the Frary Peak. There are picnic areas and shower facilities for bathers on the beaches of Bridger Bay.

Antelope Island State Park operates a Highway Advisory Radio Station that broadcasts on shortwave at a frequency of 530 kHz and 10 watts of power within a radius of about 50 km. This station provides travelers and interested residents of Salt Lake City and Ogden with basic information about the state park and upcoming events. The transmitter mast is on the connection dam at the height of Mile Marker 3.

Web links

Commons : Antelope Island State Park  - Collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

• Website (English)
• Antelope Iceland Field Trip (English)

References

1. ↑ Utah Sate Parks: Antelope Island State Park (accessed June 3, 2019)
2. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from April 9, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
3. ↑ http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=125801
4. ↑ http://static.stateparks.utah.gov/docs/AntelopeIslandBrochure.pdf
5. ↑ http://geology.utah.gov/maps/geomap/parkmaps/pdf/M-127.pdf
6. ↑ http://www.thingstodo.com/states/UT/stateparks/antelope.html
7. ↑ Utah Division of Wildlife Resources: Bighorn Sheep ( Memento of the original from August 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 525 kB) 
8. ↑ | http://departments.weber.edu/botany/AIFT/weeds.htm
9. ↑ [1]
10. ↑ [2] (link not available, August 10, 2012)
11. ↑ [3]
12. ↑ State Parks. America's "Small National Parks" (= The National Geographic Traveler ). G + J / RBA, Hamburg 2008, ISBN 978-3-86690-064-6 , p. 294 ff.
13. ↑ http://www.smeter.net/stations/mf-travelers.php
14. ↑ http://www.smeter.net/antelope-island/wpwa752-transmitter.php