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NONPROFIT US POSTAGE PAID LAS VEGAS, NEVADA PERMIT No. 3587
Insider
Serving Wayne & Garfield Counties, Utah
Loa • Fremont • Lyman • Bicknell • Teasdale • Torrey • Grover • Fruita • Caineville • Hanksville Panguitch • Panguitch Lake • Hatch • Antimony • Bryce • Tropic • Henrieville • Cannonville • Escalante • Boulder
Corner Post Media, P.O. Box 105, Escalante, UT 84726
Thursday, April 30, 2026
BLM Announces June '26 Sale of Oil and Gas Leases in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY On April 23, the Bureau of Land Management announced an oil and gas lease sale scheduled for June 24, 2026, to offer 39 oil and gas parcels totaling 54,114 acres in Utah. The BLM completed scoping on these parcels in January 2026 and held a public comment period that closed in March 2026 on the parcels and the related environmental analysis. A thirty-day public protest period to receive additional public input has opened and will close May 26, 2026. Leasing is the first step in the process to develop federal oil and gas resources. Before development operations can begin, an operator must submit an application for Oil and Gas Leases Cont'd on B2
Bryce Valley Ranch RV & Horse Park is a ‘Camper’s Paradise’
Full-Service Camping, Equestrian Access and Facilities near Bryce Canyon National Park by Jaynie Connor
Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources currently has fifteen desert tortoises available for adoption and is accepting applications. gal to collect or remove desert tortoises from the wild. It is also illegal to release captive tortoises back into the wild or to transport them into Utah without the proper certifications. “Removing tortoises from the wild can harm wild populations by reducing their ability to reproduce and sustain themselves on the landscape,” DWR Native Herpetology Coordinator Desert Tortoises Cont'd on A4
REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST
Ranch RV & Horse Park— just off Highway 12 and nestled alongside breathtaking rock formations and the Paria River—fills that gap and offers a unique blend of full-service camp-
Enjoy Lake Powell This Season; Plan Ahead for Changing Water Levels GLEN CANYON Glen Canyon National Recreation Area advises visitors to use caution on Lake Powell this season as low water levels create rapidly changing conditions. Boaters are encouraged to plan ahead and stay informed before and during their visit. Current information on launch ramps, marina services, lake conditions, and safety tips is available on the park boating webpage. Visitors should review the “Stay Safe!” section, including details on wakes and wakeless zones, which will be changing as Low Water Levels Cont'd on B2
ing and equestrian access in the heart of southern Utah. The park is owned by Pete and Sherry Jensen, avid campers and equestrians themselves. As longtime mule and horse en-
by Kathryn Chamberlain
Apr. 20, 2026
thusiasts and members of Back Country Horsemen of America, they understand the needs of riders and have Bryce Valley Ranch
Wayne Commission
Cont'd on B3
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Bryce Valley Ranch RV & Horse Park—just off Highway 12 and nestled alongside breathtaking rock formations and the Paria River—offers a unique blend of full-service camping and equestrian access in the heart of southern Utah. The park is located three miles from the town of Tropic, fifteen minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park, and a short drive from Red Canyon, Escalante, and Kodachrome Basin State Park. CANNONVILLE Finding a campground near Bryce Canyon is easy, though finding one that welcomes both RV travelers and horseback riders is much harder. Bryce Valley
Wayne County Commission
WAYNE CO. - The April 20th Wayne County Commission meeting opened with a thoughtful prayer for the community and approval of the previous meeting minutes. The meeting then turned to ordinance enforcement after David VanDyke raised concerns over a storage container placed too close to a property line. VanDyke said the issue had gone unresolved for more than a year and argued that if the county is not going to enforce its ordinances, it should reconsider having them. “If we’re going to have an ordinance, any ordinance, if we’re not going to enforce it, then we might as well repeal it.” Wayne County Recorder-Treasurer Colleen Allen said that while letters had been sent, the matter requires proper
Jaynie Connor
DWR Seeks Utahns to Adopt Captive Desert Tortoises
SALT LAKE CITY The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources currently has fifteen desert tortoises available for adoption and is accepting applications. Mojave desert tortoises, native to areas north and west of the Colorado River in Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California, were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1990. As such, desert tortoises are protected under federal and state laws. In Utah, it is ille-
Issue #1665
insiderutah.com
Pickleball Court Construction in Escalante Set to Be Complete by June 1 by Kathryn Chamberlain
Will Hanisko
New outdoor pickleball courts are taking shape near the old elementary school in Escalante. Construction on the project began about a month ago and is expected to be completed by June 1. ESCALANTE - With local pickleball groups already playing regularly in the old gym, anticipation is building as new outdoor courts take shape near the old elementary
school in Escalante. Construction on the project began about a month ago and is expected to be completed by June 1. Once finished, the site will include two outdoor
pickleball courts, creating a dedicated outdoor space for a sport that’s already popular in town. Pickleball Courts Cont'd on B2
UPCOMING EVENTS... '26 Bryce Canyon Mule Days
May 3 - 9 Tropic, Utah
Memorial Day
May 25
FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
THURS. APR. 30 - WED. MAY 6
Partly cloudy/most sunny with highs ranging from the high 50s to the low 70s; lows in the high 20s to high 30s. Winds variable from 11 to 16 mph. **Weather is subject to Change
The problem with doing nothing is that you never know when you're finished. —Groucho Marx
INSIDER CONTENT DEADLINE ALL content for THE WAYNE & GARFIELD COUNTY INSIDER MUST BE submitted by FRIDAY AT NOON to be included in the following Thursday edition of the paper.