Paw Prints: May 2022

BARC supports foster care. That is all we do, now that "kennel" locations have been eliminated in the Town of Bluff. But foster support is huge and sorely needed. This month, we supported 9 different fosters, providing dry dog food &/or canned dog food for nursing moms. Through these efforts, we have helped rescue 18 … Continue reading Paw Prints: May 2022

Rock Tales

Stewart Aitchison Photo: Stewart Aitchison “The monuments are barrels or Navajo water baskets, and the springs found at their bases is proof. Rain God Mesa and Thunderbird Mesa are the homes of thunder and lightning. The entire Monument Valley is a symbolic hogan. Its fireplace is the butte near Goulding’s Trading Post and its door … Continue reading Rock Tales

Desert Notes: Lizard Intelligence

Photo by Robin Patten. Robin Patten I never thought much about lizard intelligence until the year I camped for several nights in a secluded spot in the Grand Canyon. A small lizard lived near my cooking area. She would appear at both breakfast and dinner, splaying across her rock the way lizards do, as if … Continue reading Desert Notes: Lizard Intelligence

Desert Notes: Birds of Spring

Morning comes, and the vultures are rising, lifting off their cottonwood roost, slowly spiraling upward until they reach their desired height and head north in linear flight.

Desert Notes: Hanging Gardens

Cave primrose (Primula specuicola) in Southeast Utah. Photo by Robin Patten. Robin Patten, April 2022 Sheltered in their alcove habitat, maidenhair ferns began unfurling new fronds around the same time the Say’s phoebes started calling and sandhill cranes sang their way across Cottonwood Wash. At least that was the first green that I saw. On … Continue reading Desert Notes: Hanging Gardens

Deeply Incised Goosenecks of the San Juan River: the reason for their location and when and how they formed

A disclaimer: I'm a retired whitewater river guide and retired geologist. How do you tell if a river guide is telling a tall tale?

Stewart Aitchison: Living in the Desert

"There is a treeless place amid the rocks."

Paw Prints: January 2022

BARC Photo Foster dog care continues in and within a 50 mile radius of Bluff. Special thanks to our fosters: Leonard Lee, Heather Jemott,Georgianna Simpson, Cookie Powell, Natalie Nez, and Jessicaand Gabe Holiday. I want to also thank Lorinda Yazzie, OpheliaJoe, and Mark Oldham who I overlooked in the last BARCUpdate. Paul and Dudley with … Continue reading Paw Prints: January 2022

From the Archive: Hot Water(fall)

Lake Powell, located in southeastern Utah, drowns a portion of the Colorado River and the lower segment of the San Juan River. And, yes, you read it correctly - there is a major waterfall on the lower San Juan River below the Clay Hills BLM boatramp. While the waterfall has been widely publicized by river-runners, most everyone else has either ignored its presence, or still assumes that the San Juan flows quietly unimpeded into Lake Powell. Nothing could be farther from the truth!

Bluff Paw Prints: BARC Report Sept-Dec

Eds. note: This report was written on Jan. 3, but wasn't published here until Feb. 9. Dogs being fostered. Photo: Dudley Beck BARC Activity Report September 1 - December 31, 2021 The closure of our kennels in Bluff in September of 2021 due to valid noise complaints has had a tremendous impact on our ability to … Continue reading Bluff Paw Prints: BARC Report Sept-Dec