State plans security for Range Creek sites

Utah's "state secret" of historic and archaeological treasures — Range Creek — should be well protected from vandals and raiders this winter, thanks to an interim state plan that includes security for the site.

Range Creek is located behind the Book Cliffs near the Carbon-Emery county border about 130 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

An estimated 2,000 to 5,000 archaeological sites, many in excellent condition, are found on this property, announced by the state last June as an acquisition from a private owner. Some 1,350 acres are part of the Wilcox ranch section, a site straddling remote Range Creek, a tributary of the Green River, while another 3,000 acres are on a nearby plateau.

According to Mary Tullius, deputy director of Utah State Parks and Recreation, Utah State Parks and the Division of Wildlife Resources are co-managing Range Creek for now.

She told the Utah State Board of History Thursday that a special session of the Legislature allocated $152,000 to secure the site to the end of the fiscal year 2005.

A combination of rangers and conservation officers will provide security for the site, and DWR employees will include it in some of their aerial flyovers.

"Winter is when most of the vandalism occurs," Tullius said of the area.

State employees will be at Range Creek at least four days a week. They will watch out for footprints, tracks or any sign of unauthorized human intrusion into the area.

The area also is difficult to reach, on rugged roads, affording some protection.

Tullius said a long-term direction for Range Creek will be determined in the near future.

In the meantime, the state has replaced the roofs on two buildings prior to winter. In the spring, the state plans to rework plumbing at the farm site.

Also, the state has began to consult with some area Indian tribes about Range Creek.

"That was a huge criticism," Tullius said, as the state didn't initially include American Indian input into planning for the area.

Media who want to visit Range Creek are being told to hold off until spring. Hunting issues in the area apparently aren't much of a concern, according to Tullius.

However, there are some natural gas wells in the area, fueling fears of another situation like Dead Horse State Park, where wells spoil some of the beauty in the area. State officials don't think that will happen at Range Creek.

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E-mail: lynn@desnews.com