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Thursday, June 18, 2026
North Wash Boat Ramp Construction Complete GLEN CANYON The Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation (DOR), in partnership with Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the Public Lands Policy Coordination Office, has completed construction of a new boat ramp at North Wash, helping preserve critical takeout access for private boaters, commercial outfitters and river recreation economies tied to Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River. “Reliable river access is critical not only for recreation, but for the guides, outfitters, local communities and tourism economies connected to Cataract Canyon,” said Jason Curry, director of the Division of Outdoor Recreation. “This project represents a strong collaborative effort to adapt to changNorth Wash Cont'd on B3
Issue #1672
insiderutah.com
International Mars Rover Challenge Brings 600 Students to So. Utah
Garfield County Commission
by Amiee Maxwell
by Kathryn Chamberlain
June 8, 2026
eryone starts getting goosebumps,” he says, “after they've seen the trees and
GARFIELD CO. The Garfield County Commission met June 8 and, after approving the agenda and May 26 meeting minutes, moved into board reports. Commissioner Jerry Taylor was excused from the meeting. Commissioner David Tebbs thanked EMS volunteers, law enforcement officers, and emergency personnel for covering a growing number of county events, including a recent bike race. Tebbs also reminded residents that Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect June 1 and reported efforts to rebuild the Tickaboo Fire Department under new leadership. Discussing new oversight procedures for fire department spending requests, Tebbs said,
URC
Garfield Commission
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Cont'd on A3
Courtesy ProtoSpace
Aerial shot of all teams at the 20th annual University Rover Challenge (URC) closing ceremony on Saturday, May 30, in front of the Mars Society’s Mars Desert Research Station in Hanksville, Utah. Over six hundred students representing sixteen countries traveled to the region to compete in this year’s URC, held May 27-30, 2026. HANKSVILLE - For Chase Stem, a recent aerospace engineering graduate from the Missouri University of Science and Technology and CEO of the winning
student-led rover design team, the drive to Hanksville is almost as memorable as the University Rover Challenge (URC) itself. “People's jaws just
Utah DOR Utah's Species Protection Account Allocates $5.1M Awards Funds to Fund 33 Projects in '26 to 81 Outdoor That Help Wildlife Recover Rec Projects
drop,” says Stem about watching the faces of firsttime attendees making the drive from the lush, green landscapes of Missouri to Utah’s red rock desert. “Ev-
Solace & Stone Now Open and Providing Counseling Services in Escalante by Kathryn Chamberlain
Across 27 Counties
Courtesy Utah Division of Wildlife Resources
June suckers. A total of $5.1 million was allocated to dozens of wildlife-related projects at the annual Utah Species Protection Account funding meeting, hosted by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources on April 16. SALT LAKE CITY A total of $5.1 million was allocated to dozens of wildlife-related projects at the annual Utah Species Protection Account funding meeting, hosted by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources on April 16. The Utah Species Protection Account—formerly known as the Endangered Species Mitigation Fund—was created in 1997 to direct funds toward species and projects
that will proactively help to prevent Endangered Species Act listings in Utah. The Utah Wildlife Action Plan identifies species and habitats that are in need of conservation attention, helps prioritize funding decisions and is currently being updated to guide the next ten years of conservation efforts. “Proactive conservaWildlife Projects Cont'd on A5
REGIONAL WEATHER FORECAST
SALT LAKE CITY The Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation has awarded more than $19 million in Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant (UORG) funding to support 81 outdoor recreation infrastructure projects across the state. While the state is providing $19 million in grant funding, the total value of these projects exceeds $61 million, demonstrating how local communities are leveraging state dollars with their own matching funds to maximize projects and outdoor recreation assets for Utahns. The 2026 UORG awards will help cities, counties and nonprofit partGrants Cont'd on B1
Shylee Allen, Escalante Utah Photography
Jennifer Crawford, a licensed mental health counselor with eighteen years of experience, has opened Solace & Stone Counseling at The Loop at 39 W. Main St. in Escalante. ESCALANTE - After arriving to the area in 2021 “on a sabbatical in search of myself and dark skies," Jennifer Crawford, a licensed mental health counselor with eighteen years of experience, is opening Sol-
ace & Stone Counseling at The Loop in Escalante. Crawford spent most of her career working for a large nonprofit healthcare agency in Massachusetts. Before becoming a counselor, she worked as
a case manager helping adults with mental health disabilities. The experience, along with a desire to better understand huSolace & Stone Cont'd on B2
UPCOMING EVENTS... Panguitch Valley Balloon Rally
June 26-28
'26 Torrey Apple Days
July 3 - 5
FOR SOME BUT NOT ALL REGIONS REPRESENTED IN OUR NEWSPAPER COVERAGE AREA
THURS. JUNE 18 - WED. JUNE 24
Sunny, mostly sunny with highs in the lowto-high 80s to low 90s; lows in the low-tohigh 40s to low 50s. Winds variable from 12 to 16 mph. **Weather is subject to Change
Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. —James Baldwin
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.