News
- Brunot Area Hunting & Fishing
- Chronic Wasting Disease Monitoring
- River Enhancement Projects
- HD Mountains Mule Deer Study
Brunot Area Hunting & Fishing
A Website update on approved Brunot seasons and regulations is in progress. Please check back later.
The June 24th, 2009 letter from SUIT Chairman to the Membership regarding Brunot is here.
SUIT Membership Brunot Orientation Meetings Schedule
All meetings to be held at Sky Ute Casino Events Center, 6:30PM - 9:00PM. All SUIT members welcome.
Orientation #1: Wednesday July 15th
Orientation #2: Tuesday, August 4th
Orientation #3: Thursday, September 10th
Chronic Wasting Disease Monitoring
Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease of deer and elk, has been the subject of a surveillance and monitoring program by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe since 2001. CWD has never been detected in deer and elk on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, nor anywhere within the San Juan Basin of southwestern Colorado. Both the Tribe and State of Colorado monitor for CWD in conjunction with their annual deer and elk hunting seasons.
All deer and elk hunters on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation are strongly encouraged to have their animals checked by Tribal officials immediately following harvest of the animal. This inspection is mandatory for participants in the Non-Member Cow Elk Hunt in January. Sampling is free of charge to Tribal member hunters, and included in the hunt fee for non-member hunters. Sampling involves the collection of several tissues from within the head and upper neck region of the animal. Once the tissues are collected, they are sent to a certified lab for analysis. Results are generally sent back to the hunter within 4 weeks of the tissue collection.
Although no evidence has been found linking CWD to any human neurological disorder, there are several precautions a hunter can take to minimize the chance of contact with the CWD causative agent, including:
- Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that appears sick; contact Tribal officials if you see or harvest an animal that appears sick.
- Wear rubber gloves when field dressing carcasses.
- Bone out the meat from your animal.
- Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues.
- Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing is completed.
- Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils and lymph nodes of harvested animals. (Normal field dressing coupled with boning out a carcass will remove most, if not all, of these body parts. Cutting away all fatty tissue will remove remaining lymph nodes.)
- Avoid consuming the meat from any animal that tests positive for the disease.
- Request that your animal is processed individually, without meat from other animals being added to meat from your animal.
For more information on CWD and the CWD surveillance and monitoring effort on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, please contact the Division of Wildlife Resource Management at (970) 563-0130.
River Enhancement Projects
In its continuing effort to manage and enhance fish and wildlife habitats on Tribal lands, the Division of Wildlife Resource Management has successfully implemented several major river enhancement projects along Tribal portions of the Animas, Piedra, and Los Piņos rivers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has provided substantial cost-sharing assistance on some of these projects through its Clean Water Act grant programs.
The main purposes of these projects are (1) to stabilize eroding streambanks that contribute substantial sediment to the stream, (2) to restore riparian vegetation such as native cottonwoods, willows, and grasses, and (3) to increase channel complexity while maintaining the proper hydrologic and geomorphologic functions of the stream. The results of this work include a range of benefits to the physical and biological environments, including improved water quality, improved flood plain function, improved riparian habitat condition, and improved habitat for aquatic insects and fisheries.
HD Mountains Mule Deer Study
The Southern Ute Division of Wildlife Resource Management, in cooperation with the Colorado Division of Wildlife, has implemented a study to investigate the impacts of oil and gas development on mule deer within the HD Mountains (HDs). The HDs form a north/south peninsula that runs from National Forest lands into Southern Ute lands. Within the San Juan National Forest, the HDs are slated to undergo energy development in the form of approximately 300 coalbed methane wells. The goal of this study is to try to decipher whether this development will have population level effects on mule deer that inhabit the area.
In 2004, the Tribe and State captured mule deer using Clover traps and deployed seven GPS collars. Animals were captured on the east, south and west sides of the HDs. Data from these collars will be used to begin determining baseline movement (migration) and habitat use information, which will be compared to data collected during development years. Additionally we would like to track development using satellite imagery, allowing us to quantify habitat loss during the development process. We envision this study continuing on a long term basis.