Halle, Sophie, and Gabi at the Hinckley Scout Ranch with their new hand carved hiking sticks courtesy of Grandpa Bart. These girls are such a joy to be around and we love them so much.
Last week we traveled over to the Hinckley Scout Ranch on the north slope of the Uinta Mountains. The purpose of our trip was, of course, to see Stephen and his three beautiful daughters, who have been at the camp this summer. When we arrived the first face we saw was that of little Sophie, who came running to us. She seemed just as happy to see us as we were to see her. Stephen was busy at the camp office when we arrived. The other girls were at their family's cabin where we found them just a few minutes later. We had brought them a few treats from the grocery store here in Logan. Stephen had called us while we were at Smith's just before leaving for their camp and said they would like a few special favors. We were glad to oblige. Stephen is such a good dad. His kids just adore him and don't seem to mind spending these weeks out in the "Uinta Wilderness". Stephen gave me a tour of the scout ranch. It is really three camps rolled into one. He has a responsibility for them all, plus some responsibility for Camp Steiner, where he served last year, and which is not very far from the Hinckley Scout Ranch.
When we arrived their were reports of a bear visiting the camp a few days before. During the night a scout leader was sleeping in a tent when he was awakened by the sound of a bear outside his tent and the feel of its snout pressing against the tent. The Scout leader hit it with his fist and yelled at the intruder. It, then, left and didn't bother them any more that night. Later, what appeared to be the teeth marks and claw marks of the bear were discovered in the tent where the scout leader was sleeping. The Division of Wildlife Resources was notified. The next night, about three o'clock in the morning, we were awakened by the sound of yelping hounds running through the camp. We left the next day (Wednesday) just before all the excitement took place at the Hinckley Scout Ranch. The DWR people were on the site with their hounds looking for the bear. Later they left, without ever discovering a bear in the area, They came back the next day and reinforced camp rules about bear safety, emphasizing the need to keep clean campsites and to keep all food and smellables items out of the reach of bears that might be in the area. Unfortunately all of the boys didn't take the warning seriously. One group left a box of candy bars on their picnic table. Towards evening the bear came back, found the table where the candy bars were left and decided to make a feast. When the scouts and their leaders discovered what was happening, they made an attempt to scare the bear away. The bear refused to leave. Once bears have got a taste of human food they are almost impossible to keep away from campsites and put everyone near at risk. This was happening as evening was approaching. There were about 500 campers at the Scout Ranch for the week. Scout Camp is a great responsibility for the Camp Director. Probably the greatest concern is for the safety of the boys. There are always safety issues when you get that many active young boys out in the woods and one cannot ever be too careful Stephen had had similar experiences with bears several times when he was Camp Director at San Isabel in Colorado. Anyway, in view of the concern for the boys, the refusal of the bear to leave the camp area, and approaching nightfall it was determined that the bear would have to be destroyed. Stephen didn't have a high powered rifle at camp and so gave the directive to another camp leader who did have such a weapon to shoo the bear. This was done and the potential of a young camper becoming a victim was thwarted, at least for now. No one likes to see a beautiful, inquisitive bear be killed, but they are wild creatures and have been know to kill people. An eleven year old child was dragged from his tent by a bear and killed just a few years ago here in Utah, American Fork Canyon.
The report of a scout leader shooting a bear and killing it went viral. It was on all the news broadcasts and in newspapers across the country. Most of the reports included something about possible charges being made against the scout leaders who were responsible for the death of this bear.
We will see how all this turns out. In my view, Stephen made the right decision, unfortunate as it may be, and even though some people were quick to judge and place blame for the incident it may have prevented a much more serious tragedy.
BELOW ARE NEWSPAPER REPORTS OF THE INCIDENT AT THE HINCKLEY SCOUT RANCH AND AN ARTICLE OF ABOUT THE BOY WHO WAS KILLED BY A BEAR RIGHT HERE IN UTAH JUST A FEW YEARS BEFORE. NEITHER ARE HAPPY STORIES, BUT ONE IS DEFINITELY PREFERABLE TO THE OTHER.
These are not photos of the incidents mentioned above, but give clear evidence that bears are unafraid of human presence and that every precaution should be taken to avoid an encounter with a bear in the wild. These are finitely not teddy bears.
Utah Boy Killed by Bear While Camping
By PAUL FOY The Associated Press
Monday, June 18, 2007; 9:48 PM
AMERICAN FORK, Utah -- An 11-year-old boy was dragged screaming from his family's tent and killed by a black bear during a Father's Day outing in the Utah wilderness.
The boy, his mother, stepfather and a 6-year-old brother were sleeping in a large tent Sunday night in American Fork Canyon, about 30 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, when the stepfather heard the boy scream "something's dragging me."
The boy and his sleeping bag were gone. The cut in the nylon tent was so clean, his family, who was not identified, first believed the boy had been abducted, U.S Forest Service officers said.
Wearing flip-flops and without a flashlight, the stepfather searched frantically for the boy and then drove a mile down a dirt road to a developed campground.
"He was pounding on my trailer door. He said somebody cut his tent and took his son," said John Sheely, host of the Timpooneke campground, who alerted authorities by driving down the canyon to a pay phone.
The boy's body was found about 400 yards away from the campsite, said Lt. Dennis Harris of the Utah County sheriff's office.
Wildlife officers led by hound dogs killed the bear Monday. After the bear was shot, an examination of the remains confirmed that it was the killer, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said.
"Truly a tragic event, said Jim Karpowitz, director of the agency. "Events of this type are extremely rare in Utah."
He declined to say how the confirmation was made "out of respect for the family."
Authorities said the bear, as much as 300 pounds, probably was the same one harassing another group of campers in the same spot before dawn Sunday. Kurt Francom said his son, Jake, was kicked in the head through a tent wall.
"It could have been my boy," said Francom, a school custodian.
Wildlife officers used 26 dogs to track the bear's scent, shooting and wounding him. The creature wandered around wounded until officers shot and killed him several hours later, said Lt. Scott White of the state wildlife agency.
Boy Scout leader under investigation in bear death
By
The Associated Press
KAMAS, Utah (AP) — A Boy Scout camp director in Utah shot and killed a black bear that wandered too close to campers after someone left a bag of a candy bars on top of a picnic table.
The shooting is under investigation by wildlife officials, who visited the camp earlier on the day of the shooting to warn Scouts about bear safety, including the need to leave a clean camp and to properly store all food and trash.
Jodie Anderson, spokeswoman for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, declined to speculate on what possible charges the camp director could face. He was not identified.
"Right now, our law enforcement is hoping to finish up the investigation," she told The Salt Lake Tribune. "Once it's completed, we'll turn it over to the county attorney."
Rick Barnes, head of the Boys Scouts of America's Great Salt Lake Council, said the camp director was called to the site and found the bear eating a bag of candy bars.
The bear wouldn't leave when attempts were made to shoo it away, Barnes said, and the decision was made to shoot the animal out of concern for the safety of about 500 Scouts in the camp. The bear was shot three times.
The troop that left the food out was asked to leave Hinckley Scout Ranch on Thursday and won't be allowed to return until next year, Barnes said.
"They put the whole camp at risk and so we sent them home," he told the Deseret News.
The weeklong camp began Monday at the 600-acre site on the east fork of the Bear River on the north slope of the Uinta Mountains.
Wildlife officials visited the camp to warn Scouts about bear safety after a bruin matching the description of the dead bear had been sighted at the camp last weekend.
"The bear had come into the camp a couple of different times, just for the fact that the camp had not been taken care of the way that it should have," Anderson said. "Once a bear has a taste of that food and knows he has an opportunity to have more, he'll keep coming back."
Among other tips, wildlife officials urge the public to clean up all trash thoroughly, to store all trash and food in a bear-safe container, to wipe down all eating surfaces and never to store food in a tent.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
We are proud that Stephen had the courage to make a decision, sad as it may have been, in favor of the boys under his charge at the Hinckley Scout Ranch.
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