Animals of the Wasatch

A wide-range of animal life provides a complete ecosystem

By LeRoy W. Hooton, Jr.

September 1, 2000

A bull moose near Brighton, Big Cottonwood Canyon

Surprisingly, the Wasatch Mountains east of Salt Lake City are teeming with wildlife. One would think with the encroaching urban population along the Wasatch Front that the animals that once inhabited the mountainous terrain would have disappeared.  Not so, according to Salt Lake City Public Utilities' watershed patrol officers. There are a wide variety and numbers of animals living in the Wasatch Mountains. Bear, elk, moose, deer and mountain goats are among the larger animals. Mountain lions, cougars, bobcats, coyotes, fox, porcupines, raccoons, beaver, badgers, rabbits, weasels and pika make up many of the smaller animals. Birds are abundant too, including eagles, owls, hawks, ducks and geese. Closer to the ground are lizards, salamanders, rattlesnakes and tarantulas.

Domestic dogs and horses are prohibited in the watershed areas above the water treatment plant intakes. Grazing is prohibited within the watersheds. 

The patrol officers spend their entire workweek in the mountains protecting Salt Lake City's drinking water supply. In the performance of their duties, they come into contact with wildlife. Nearly all agree that the most dangerous is the cow moose with calf. Their parental instincts make the cow moose protective of its offspring and one of the animals to be avoided. To demonstrate their respect for the cow moose, Mark Kaila notes, "It's easy to run into a cow and its calf, then beat a quick retreat before momma moose comes after you."  Just this summer, Mark was inspecting the stream below Little Dell Dam when he jumped over the stream and landed next to a prone calf. "I knew the cow was close by so I ran as fast as I could to avoid a confrontation," says Mark, "The cow moose is large and when protecting its young, is very aggressive."

Mountain goat in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Not only are the cow moose dangerous, but the bull moose commands respect as well. Russ Hone tells the story of driving up Lambs Canyon and coming face to face with a large bull in the middle of the narrow road. "Looking determined, the moose held its ground," says Russ.  After a lengthy standoff, Russ backed his truck down the road. Russ continues, "After I backed down, the bull moose walked slowly past the truck, and once it passed, it turned its head towards me and seemed to say, 'I'm the king of this road' and trotted up the hill side."

Sometimes, the cruel side of nature is observed. Joe King and Mark Kaila were patrolling Snake Creek Canyon, which is on the backside of Big Cottonwood Canyon, when they saw a cow moose down.  It was still warm but apparently dead. Nearby was a newborn calf. They conjectured that the cow died giving birth. The calf ran away. The State Fish and Game was called, but there was nothing they could do to find the calf. Joe said, "It was certain that the calf died. It would be impossible for it to survive without its mother."

A  fox with dinner.

Black bears have been seen on numerous occasions.  They have been seen in nearly all of the canyons. In the early 1970's a Black bear and her two cubs roamed City Creek Canyon.  They were responsible for killing approximately 40 sheep in a month's time that had wandered into upper City Creek. Jim Scott saw the bear and her cubs walking down the canyon road above Area 10 picnic site.  About 5 years ago, a large Black Bear was killed on I-80 in Parleys Canyon.  According to Russ Hone, over his career he has seen bear in all of the canyons except Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The presence of mountain lions, cougars and bobcats draws concern by canyon users. They are ever present and when surprised will startle their human visitors. On a number of occasions canyon users have asked Jim Scott, "What are you going to do about the mountain lions," and Jim replies, "Nothing, they live here." Just this past week Jim saw a lioness and two cubs in a tree along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail near City Creek Canyon.

Sometimes the birds present a problem for canyon visitors. Recently City Creek Canyon hikers complained that hawks were dive-bombing them, driving them from the trail. Likewise, in Parleys Canyon Affleck Park a Great Horned owl attacked campers. Several years ago a total of eleven Golden and Bald eagles were sighted in Parleys Canyon near Little Dell Reservoir. A number of adult birds and their young were eating the remains of a deer. Canadian geese have been seen on Little Dell Lake

A Canadian goose taking to flight  in Little Dell Lake, Parleys Canyon.

in Parleys Canyon. An owl nest is visible on the far-shore of Mt. Dell Reservoir.

There have been a number of times that the Canyon Patrol Officers have saved animals from death. Russ Hone tells the story of the time when he and John Myers were patrolling Lambs Canyon in a snowmobile and found a doe stuck in deep snow. She was weak and would have died if not helped.  They were able to pull the exhausted deer from the snow and hog-tied it to keep it from kicking.  Russ held the doe in his lap while John drove down the canyon to their truck.  When they reached the truck, Russ continued to hold the deer in his lap while John drove down I-80. Their plan was to take the animal to an area where it could be released.  To make the deer fit into the truck cab, it was necessary to open the window and let the deer's head extend outside the window.  The deer looked content as they passed surprised freeway travelers. "It's not everyday that you see a deer contently sitting in the front seat of a truck driving down the freeway, with its ears flapping in the wind," quipped Russ.

Uinta Basin ground squirrel or commonly called Pot Gut.

Another rescue required lassoing two fawns from the ice cap that develops in the winter months over Mt. Dell Reservoir.  On the ice a dead doe and two fawns were discovered. The fawns would parish if not captured and taken off the ice.  Using a rope, Russ lassoed the fawns one at a time.  Because he did not have a firm footing to pull the fawns to him, other patrol officers on the reservoir bank attached a rope to him and pulled him and the fawns to the bank.  The fawns were turned loose and did survive without their mother.  They became part of the canyon scene, and were frequently seen at Mt. Dell Golf Course. Perhaps because humans saved them, they were unafraid of people and would walk up to golfers for food handouts.

Great Basin rattlesnakes are common within the canyons at the lower elevations and along the valley foothills; therefore, care should be taken when frequenting these areas.  Most of the contact with the rattlesnakes takes place in City Creek Canyon.  The popular picnicking, hiking, jogging and bicycling canyon is heavily used during the summer months, so there are many sightings.  For this reason signs are posted to alert the public of the potential presence of these reptiles.

"Tarantulas," says Joe King, "are my worst nightmare.” These creatures seem to like City Creek. For some reason they propagate in this particular canyon and not the others. Joe would rather be chased by a bear than face off with this hairy crawler.

Swan swimming in Mt. Dell Lake, Parleys Canyon.

Fish are present in all of the lakes, reservoirs and streams. Brown trout and Rainbow trout are in City Creek and Big Cottonwood creeks; Bonneville cutthroat trout and Brook trout are in Lambs, Dell and Parleys creeks. The fish population is low in Little Cottonwood creek.

Because of the ban on domestic animals in the canyon watersheds, citations are issued for violation of watershed ordinances. In the past decades, Forest Service grazing permits have been terminated, and its rare to find cattle in the canyons.  Inasmuch as the canyon watersheds are adjacent to urban Salt Lake County, you might expect to see feral cats and dogs in the canyons. Other than one wild dog pack in City Creek about 15 year ago, wild dogs have not been a problem.  If a cat should stray into the mountains there are numerous predators that would make survival nearly impossible.

The Wasatch Mountains provide the Salt Lake valley its drinking water, solace, and recreational opportunities. The Wasatch watershed provides drinking water for 400,000 residents, and immeasurable opportunities for recreation and sightseeing.  Part of this magnificent treasure, are the animals that complete the ecosystem. Hopefully, as the Wasatch Front continues to grow in population, the animals in the adjoining mountains can live in harmony with people and survive as part of nature's plan.