| OCR Text |
Show especially noteworthy because its rich aquatic environment supports the seasonal visits of many different bird species including herons. The Uinta River where it flows through the canyon and just below the canyon's mouth is considered the reservation's prime fishery today, and the Utes we interviewed are especially anxious to protect it. Indeed, the importance of this fishery and its use by the Uinta- ats band can be traced back to pre- reservation times ( Conetah 1982: 77). The location of the proposed reservoir, at the mouth of the canyon and near the fish hatchery, is reported as an area of concern for habitat disruption and change ( Appendix B. 3). The canyon, high benches of the Uinta River and its drainage system are also reported as good habitat for deer. The neighborhood of the proposed reservoir, areas just below the mouth of the canyon between the Elkhorn and Pole Creek roads, and stretches along the Uintah Canal are all mentioned as locations where deer hunting takes place. The primary and most significant big game resource located in this canyon, however, is a herd of moose numbering between 30 and 40 head, and there is concern about possible disturbances to their feeding grounds here ( Appendix B. 1.4). Mountain lions are the only other big game noted in this area ( Appendix B. 2.2). The only small game noted of importance in the canyon and along the high bench course of the Uinta River is beaver, which is still procured on a regular basis ( Appendix B. 3.2). This area, however, is probably a prime location as well for capturing weasel whose peltries are highly prized and used in the Sun Dance ( Appendix B. 3.8), and it may be ( or have been) an area for trapping eagles whose feathers, down, and bone have ceremonial value ( Appendix B. 5.5). Other animals ( Appendix B. 3.2; Appendix B. 3.3; Appendix B. 3.5; Appendix B. 3.6; Appendix B. 3.7; Appendix B. 3.9; Appendix B. 3.10; Appendix B. 3.11; Appendix B. 3.12) of reported use and value to the Utes are probably located in this area as well. 2. U. C Other Resources Lichen used for medicinal purposes is reported for the higher, shaded areas of Uinta Canyon, especially in the vicinity of Big Springs ( Appendix C. l), and along the Power Plant Canal, just east of the Uinta River, is an area where men gather their clay for use in the Sun Dance ( Appendix C. 2). 2. U. D Sites of Social Significance This entire area of the Uinta River also has significance socially as the location of the oldest and continuous settlements of Utes in the Uintah Basin ( Appendix D. l). It also has the distinction of being the site of the first trading post and settlement in Utah. Established by Antoine Robidoux in the 1830s, the fort itself was located somewhere below the present town 19 |
