Researchers say a pack of wild canines found frolicking near the beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast carries a substantial amount of red wolf genes, a surprising discovery because the animal was declared extinct in the wild nearly 40 years ago.

The finding has led wildlife biologists and others to develop a new understanding that the red wolf DNA is remarkably resilient after decades of human hunting, loss of habitat and other factors had led the animal to near decimation.

“Overall, it’s incredibly rare to rediscover animals in a region where they were thought to be extinct and it’s even more exciting to show that a piece of an endangered genome has been preserved in the wild,” said Elizabeth Heppenheimer, a Princeton University biologist involved in the research on the pack found on Galveston Island in Texas.

The work of the Princeton team was published in the scientific journal Genes.

The genetic analysis found that the Galveston canines appear to be a hybrid of red wolf and coyote, but Heppenheimer cautions that without additional testing, it’s difficult to label the animal.

Ron Sutherland, a North Carolina-based conservation scientist with the Wildlands Network, said it’s exciting to have found “this unique and fascinating medium-sized wolf.” The survival of the red wolf genes “without much help from us for the last 40 years is wonderful news,” said Sutherland, who was not involved in the Princeton study.

The discovery coincides with similar DNA findings in wild canines in southwestern Louisiana and bolsters the hopes of conservationists dismayed by the dwindling number of red wolves in North Carolina that comprised the only known pack in the wild.

The red wolf, which tops out at about 80 pounds, was once common across a vast region extending from Texas to the south, into the Southeast and up into the Northeast. It was federally classified as endangered in 1967 and declared extinct in the wild in 1980. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the 1970s captured a remnant population in Texas and Louisiana that eventually led to a successful captive breeding program. Those canines in 1986 became part of the experimental wild population in North Carolina. That group has been declining since peaking at an estimated 120 to 130 wolves in 2006. A federal report in April said only about 40 remained.

An additional 200 red wolves live in zoos and wildlife facilities as part of captive breeding programs.

A federal judge in November sided with environmental groups that argued in a lawsuit that efforts by federal authorities to shrink the territory of the wild group in North Carolina were a violation of law. The judge ruled U.S. Fish and Wildlife also violated the Endangered Species Act by authorizing private landowners to kill the canine predators even if they weren’t threatening humans, livestock or pets.

The debate over red wolf protections could take on new dimensions with the discovery on Galveston.

Sutherland said the Galveston canines have effectively quashed a decades-old impression that red wolves were a feckless predator overwhelmed by the numerical superiority of coyotes. He adds that the Galveston group has DNA that can’t be found in the animal’s captive population.

“From a practical conservation biology standpoint, these animals have special DNA and they deserve to be protected,” he said, explaining that conservation easements that restrict development along parts of the Gulf Coast are an essential first step.

A spokesman for U.S. Fish and Wildlife said the agency is unable to comment during the partial government shutdown. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said in a statement that the Galveston discovery is “interesting,” but “we do not anticipate any regulatory changes or implications in Texas at this time.”

Kim Wheeler, executive director of the North Carolina-based Red Wolf Coalition, cautioned that further study of the Galveston pack is needed.

“We can get excited, but in my mind, we really need to let science do its due diligence to determine what this animal is,” she said, noting that red wolves can evoke strong feelings in people with livestock or who have other concerns with their predatory nature.

Conservationists, meanwhile, say policymakers need to have a greater appreciation for hybrid animals. When the Endangered Species Act was implemented in the 1970s, conventional wisdom was that hybridization between species — such as the wolf and coyote — was rare and to be avoided. But experts say the thinking on that has changed.

“Now we know hybridization is relatively common in natural systems and does not always have negative consequences, but the policy hasn’t quite caught up with this notion,” Heppenheimer said.

Annual elk-viewing rides are underway at Hardware Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Blacksmith Fork Canyon in northern Utah.

Manager of the ranch Brad Hunt said the rides are an opportunity for people to interact more closely with wildlife.

“Wildlife is often something that we see from a distance,” Hunt said, “not necessarily up close.”

According to Hunt, the horse-drawn sleigh or wagon rides will last about 20 to 25 minutes. Visitors will be taken through the herd of elk.

A presentation from their driver will address elk biology, some of the research done at Hardware Ranch and some of the management area’s history.

Hunt said the tradition of elk-viewing rides at the management area began in 1950 and has evolved over the years.

As people are able to view the animals and learn about them, Hunt said he hopes this encourages people to be more conscientious about how they use the landscape.

“Now they are thinking, ‘I share this with elk,’ or ‘I share this with deer,’” Hunt said.

Hunt said understanding the shared nature of the land may cause people to modify their behaviors in a way that helps protect and conserve spaces for wildlife.

Tickets for the rides can be purchased at the visitor center. Ride tickets are $3 for those ages 4 to 8 and $5 for those ages 9 and older. Children 3 and younger are free.

The visitor center at Hardware Ranch will be open noon to 4:30 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday until Feb. 10.

Monday through Thursday the visitor center is closed and elk viewing rides are not offered.

Rides begin every half-hour when visitation numbers are lower. When the number of visitors is higher, rides will run constantly throughout the day.

The ranch area can be used for other winter recreation, such as snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing throughout the week, as long as the signs with information directing proper use are followed. A pit toilet is also available outside of visitor center hours.

Hardware Ranch is located 15 miles east of Hyrum in Blacksmith Fork Canyon. More specific directions to get to the ranch can be found on wildlife.utah.gov by searching “visit Hardware Ranch.”

It takes a fierce passion to get avid anglers outside in the cold to sit for hours and stare at a hole in the ice.

“It’s because I’m Swedish, I don’t know any better,” said Arn Berglund of Idaho Falls. Berglund is a retired marine biologist who was fishing on the frozen Ririe Reservoir recently.

“Ice fishing is pretty laid back,” he said. “You should be out here when the old folks club is here drinking their homemade brandy. They get philosophical and a lot of the world’s problems are solved out on the ice.”

When the temperatures turn cold in eastern Idaho, hardy anglers head to lakes, ponds, reservoirs and frozen bends in the Snake River to bore holes in the ice and dip a lure or bait. The payback is trout, perch, kokanee and possibly a catfish.

The tools of the trade include miniature spinning rods, an auger, a slotted ladle to keep holes ice free, a chair to sit on, plenty of warm clothes, a shelter (especially on nastier weather days), a heater and a sled to pull everything across the ice. Some people enjoy using a fish finder showing what depth the fish are hanging out.

“I tell the kids it’s like a video game,” Jason Bush said of his fish finder. Bush was spending a couple of hours at the Becker Pond at Ryder Park recently. “I caught a couple trout, but I threw them back. I’ve eaten my share of trout growing up so I just put them back. My wife doesn’t care for trout.”

James Brower of Idaho Department of Fish and Game said Becker Pond is home to a variety of fish popular with ice fishers. Other popular ice fishing areas include Henry’s Lake (until it closed Jan. 2), Island Park Reservoir, the Jim Moore Pond at Roberts and Mackay Reservoir. Anglers seek trout, kokanee and perch.

Nearby Berglund at Ririe Reservoir was a couple, Corey Raichart and Sunny Hartgraves, sitting about 15 feet from each other with five ice holes, rods and a fish finder in between them.

Raichart pulled a small perch out of a hole, then released it back into the water.

“We’re hoping for some kokanee so we can have something for dinner,” Hartgraves said. She stood and approached Raichart to rebait her lure.

Raichart gave her a wary eye thinking she might use his ice hole.

“That’s where I draw the line,” he said. “I’m going to marry you but you can’t have my fishing hole.”

Sometimes the ice isn’t all that thick. That was the case Jan. 4 on Ririe Reservoir where six people were fishing on 3-inch-thick ice.

“I’m a little nervous,” Hartgraves said looking at the ice hole in front of her.

Brower said 3 inches is about the minimum for safe ice, but thicker is better. Ririe Reservoir is often the last body to freeze over. Other ponds and lakes were already several inches thick.

“Come out here tomorrow,” Berglund said of Ririe Reservoir, “and you’ll probably see a few wingnuts on four-wheelers breaking through the ice. It’s entertaining.” Fish and Game recommends 10 inches of ice to support an ATV or snow machine.

Brower said the best-reported ice fishing is currently at Mackay Reservoir.

“They’re pulling in a lot of kokanee,” he said.

Brower said Mackay Reservoir attracts elaborate shelters put up by anglers that sometimes stay up too long and fall through the ice in spring.

Brothers Kade Schaots and Kelton Beahm were spending most of their day fishing the Jim Moore Pond inside a warm shelter. At their feet on the ice were more than two dozen small perch. The pile continued to grow.

“We like to come out here and clean out some of the little perch,” Schaots said.

He said besides comfort, a dark shelter allows a fisherman to see the fish down in the ice hole.

“You can see the fish come up and take the lure,” he said.

Rules allow anglers to use up to five rods/lines at a time. The daily trout limit is generally six fish. There is no limit on perch, bluegill or crappie. There can be special limits on other fish depending on the waters. Fishing is allowed only through a hole up to 10 inches in diameter. If you leave a shelter unattended overnight on the ice, it must have the owner’s name, address and phone number on it.

For more specific regulations for specific waters, consult https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/ice-fishing.

Two snowmobilers were retrieved from a snowy and dangerous situation Monday evening.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Office was notified at 5:40 p.m. Monday that two snowmobilers were missing and that they were stuck somewhere near Copenhagen Basin, which is between Preston and Montpelier in Southeast Idaho.

The Franklin County Search and Rescue unit was activated, as was the Bear Lake County Search and Rescue. It was unclear whether the exact location of the snowmobilers was in Franklin County or Bear Lake County.

Air Idaho Rescue out of Soda Springs was also called. With the coordinates given, they were able to fly in and pick up one of the separated snowmobilers.

“The other was stuck in a harder-to-get-to location, but the Franklin County Search and Rescue unit was able to make their way to the other one and get him out safely also,” Franklin County Sheriff Dave Fryar said.

Earlier in the day, avalanche warnings had been issued by the Utah Avalanche Center because of the heavy wet snow that had piled up from the weekend storm onto layers of light, dry snow.

“Avalanche danger was very high and caution was used to not cause any problems with that,” Fryar said.

Snowmobiler riders Bradley Reese of Smithfield, Utah, and Landon Carter, of Preston, were returned safely.

Avalanche danger is still considerable, according to the UAC. Avalanches in the higher elevations can be triggered from a distance, states a UAC forecast.

A free snowmobile-based avalanche awareness presentation and companion rescue clinic has been set for Friday at the Robinson Building in Preston at 6 p.m.

A field class will follow Saturday at 9 a.m. at Copenhagen Basin parking lot.

After completing a Targhee Pass Environmental Assessment, the Idaho Transportation Department is proposing animal detection systems along the U.S. Highway 20 corridor near the Montana border to reduce the number of vehicle/animal collisions.

ITD has not recommended building wildlife crossings, a proposed solution that failed by a wide margin in a November advisory ballot measure.

ITD will host a public meeting Jan. 17 where Fremont County residents can ask questions and make comments regarding the Targhee Pass Environmental Assessment and the department’s recommendation.

The study evaluates the risks, benefits, opportunities and costs of the reconstruction of Targhee Pass, a stretch of Highway 20 from Ashton to the Montana state line which was targeted for updates in 2016 by the Federal Highway Administration.

The highway reconstruction is meant to “improve roadway structural integrity, traffic flow, and safety of the Targhee Pass segment of U.S. 20 (milepost 402.1 to 406.3),” the study said.

The Targhee Pass Environmental Assessment, released last month, proposes road improvements and five alternative improvements, one of which is a “no-build” alternative. The other four options propose a unique approach to dealing with wildlife crossing the highway.

The road improvements include:

• An additional travel lane in the uphill direction from state Highway 87 to the Montana state line
• Shoulder widening from 5 feet to 8 feet
• Hill cut to improve stopping sight distance
• Left- and right-turn lanes into Big Horn Hills Estates entrances
• Tree clearing to reduce shade
• Road subsurface reconstruction and drainage improvements

The first alternative is a “no-build” option, meaning ITD would make only maintenance improvements to Targhee Pass.

“ITD would replace and repair the existing pavement, but no improvements would be made to the road base, drainage, road geometry, turn lanes, shoulder width, or number of travel lanes,” the study said.

Alternatives 2 through 5 — which would each include the aforementioned road improvements — propose an additional wildlife design element to reduce vehicle/wildlife collisions.

Alternative 2 proposes wildlife crossings and a fence.

Alternative 3 proposes an animal detection system.

Alternative 4 proposes wildlife fencing on both sides of the road, one wildlife crossing structure and “wildlife crosswalks,” a break in the fence where animals will be led, through electrified mats, to cross the highway. Each crosswalk would come with an animal detection system so that drivers could know when an animal is crossing.

Alternative 5 does not include any permanently installed wildlife elements but rather consists of “operational measures such as variable message signs to alert drivers of potential wildlife presence on the highway,” the study says.

ITD is in favor of Alternative 3, to install an animal detection system along the highway, in addition to the road improvements. The animal detection system, about a dozen solar-powered signs, mounted on 14- to 16-foot poles, would alert drivers to the presence of animals on the highway. Alternative 3 does not include crossing structures or wildlife fencing.

“ITD looked at a number of possible alternatives to improve roadway structural integrity, traffic flow and safety of the Targhee Pass segment of U.S. 20, and identified Alternative 3 as the preferred alternative,” said ITD project manager Derek Noyes in an ITD news release.

If Alternative 3 is enacted, it will put to bed an ongoing debate in Fremont County about wildlife crossings. The issue has divided Fremont County residents throughout the last year, culminating in a November advisory ballot vote. Residents voted strongly in opposition to building crossings and a fence, which would allow animals to cross the highway safely but would come at a hefty cost.

Jerald Raymond, District 35A State Representative, who opposed the wildlife crossings, said recommending Alternative 3, the animal detection system, was the right decision for ITD.

“It has the support of the citizens up there and I think it will accomplish what they want it to,” he said.

Raymond opposed wildlife crossings because of the cost.

“The biggest cost I think came from long-term maintenance of the fences,” he said. “I didn’t think it was in the best interest of the state, financially, to support that.”

Jean Bjerke, a volunteer with Island Park Safe Wildlife Passage, a group that supported wildlife crossings, said the animal detection system will be less effective than a wildlife crossing.

“I believe they made the wrong choice,” Bjerke said. “(ITD) did not follow their stated need, which included as key elements, of course, safety for drivers and animal benefit. Research shows that animals detection systems are less effective than animal crossings.”

Bjerke said, despite ITD’s recommendation, she will continue to advocate for animal crossings on Highway 20.

“I hope we can plant some seeds for future people to act on,” she said. “I hope there will be many people who will speak up in (ITD’s) public comment and say ‘We think you made the wrong decision.’”

The ITD urges the public to review the findings in the environmental assessment and it seeks stakeholder feedback on the document at the public hearing or any time between now and Feb. 1.

To read the study online, visit islandparkus20.com or, to read a printed copy, go to Island Park City Offices, Fremont County Planning & Zoning Office, the Fremont District Library (Island Park Branch), or the ITD District 6 office in Rigby.

The hearing will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Island Park EMS Building, 4124 County Circle Road.

For residents who cannot attend the meeting, comments can be submitted via phone at 208-220-5937, via email at targheepass@langdongroupinc.com or via mail at Idaho Transportation Department District 6 (Attn: Public Information Specialist) P.O. Box 97, Rigby, ID, 83442.

The National Park Service will tap visitor fees to pay for basic visitor services at some parks as the government shutdown extends into its third week.

P. Daniel Smith, acting director of the National Park Service, said in a statement Sunday that parks can now access visitor fees in order to “provide immediate assistance and services to highly visited parks during the lapse in appropriations.” The available funds would include entrance, camping and parking fees collected from visitors that are usually reserved for other projects.

“We are taking this extraordinary step to ensure that parks are protected and that visitors can continue to access parks with limited basic services,” Smith said.

The statement said the agency would begin using the funds in the coming days to clean up trash, maintain restrooms and bring on additional law enforcement rangers at parks across the country. Top officials at individual parks will submit cost estimates to the director’s office for review before they can bring more employees on, according to a memo outlining the agency’s shutdown plan, first obtained by the Washington Post.

It’s unclear what that will mean for Yellowstone National Park. Jody Lyle, a Yellowstone spokeswoman, said in an email that officials are “reviewing the updated contingency plan and are determining the appropriate next steps for Yellowstone.”

Many national parks have remained at least partially open during the shutdown, and people across the country have raised concerns about overflowing trashcans, dirty bathrooms and people damaging fragile areas. In Yellowstone, the road from Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke City is open to cars and private companies running snowmobile and snowcoach tours into the park’s interior — though nobody’s around to collect entrance fees. Volunteers and tour guides have taken it upon themselves to clean some places and ensure outhouses have toilet paper.

Fees are collected at 115 of the park service’s 418 parks. About 80 percent of the fees collected stay within a park, while the other 20 percent is directed to parks that don’t collect fees. In fiscal year 2017, about a quarter of Yellowstone’s budget — $17.1 million — consisted of park fees.

Federal law says the money should be used for maintenance, habitat restoration, enhancing visitor experience and a few other items separate from the park’s day-to-day operations. Many critics of the agency’s Sunday announcement worry that diverting that money will rob those other projects of money and harm the agency’s financial stability.

“If they use that money to deal with normal operations, then that money is no longer available to address let’s say the (maintenance) backlog,” said Emily Douce, director of budget and appropriations for the National Parks Conservation Association. “ … We don’t know what the implications will be.”

But some praise the plan, saying it would provide for important services while the shutdown rolls on. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, sent a letter to Interior Secretary David Berhardt on Saturday urging him to find a way to provide some services, such as trash collection or bathroom maintenance. On Sunday, Daines released a statement praising the department’s announcement about the fee money shuffling, saying he was glad the Interior department “will fund these critical programs while the government is shut down, supporting Montana’s gateway communities and protecting our national parks.”

The idea is also backed by the Property and Environment Research Center, a Bozeman think tank that prides itself on practicing “free-market environmentalism.” Shawn Regan, a fellow at PERC, said in an email that using those funds is “eminently sensible.”

“With the government shutdown entering its third week, the National Park Service is right to search for creative ways to get our nation’s most popular parks back up and running,” Regan said.

Using the money to fund some park operations during a shutdown would be a first. Steve Iobst, former deputy superintendent of Yellowstone, spent more than 40 years with the park service, retiring in 2016. He said the idea had never come up during the various shutdowns he worked through — he guessed he went through nine.

“It’s baffling to me,” Iobst said.

This shutdown is different because many parks are open, which wasn’t the case during the ones Iobst worked. Still, Iobst said fee money is viewed as separate from the park’s appropriated budget, and that it’s not supposed to pay for routine operations. Instead, it’s often used in multi-year spending plans, earmarked for certain maintenance or research projects. Recently, he said, much of it has been directed at the agency’s $11.6 billion deferred maintenance backlog.

“You’re dipping into a fund that is already pretty much committed for one-year or multi-year programs,” Iobst said.

For now, volunteers and private companies are trying to help out in Yellowstone. Groups of volunteers swept through the northern portion of the park on Saturday and Sunday, picking up trash and cleaning up bathrooms.

Meanwhile, Xanterra and 13 other companies are paying for plowing and grooming. Rick Hoeninghausen, Xanterra’s director of sales and marketing, said that costs about $7,500 a day, about half of which is paid by Xanterra. He wasn’t sure how long they could sustain that.

“Everybody wants the shutdown to end soon,” he said. “This isn’t something we’re hoping to have to do indefinitely.”