Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

PRICE, UTAH —The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) will sponsor a waterfowl viewing day at Desert Lake in Emery County on Saturday, April 22, 2006. Normally closed to the public, Desert Lake will be open from 8 a.m. to noon. Biologists with binoculars and spotting scopes will be stationed at key locations to help viewers see and identify birds. The event is free and the public is cordially invited. Desert Lake is a state-run waterfowl management area, located east of the town of Elmo.

From Price, drive south on State Highway 10 into Emery County. Leave Highway 10 at the Elmo/Cleveland turn-off. Follow the signs to the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry. Desert Lake is just east of Elmo on the way to the quarry. Once at Desert Lake, signs will be posted to direct participants to the driving loop, established for the day's bird watching event. If coming from Castle Dale, drive north on Highway 10 to the Cleveland turn-off. From Cleveland, travel to Elmo and follow the signs to the quarry.

Desert Lake is a unique wetland, located in the San Rafael Desert of Castle Country. More than 100 species of birds have been observed at this 3,000-acre site, consisting of upland desert and marshland. Eight separate ponds and a lake are managed as waterfowl nesting and brood-rearing habitat. Desert Lake also represents an important stop-over for spring and fall bird migrations. Antelope and prairie dogs inhabit the surrounding desert.