Outdoor notes

FREE STATE PARKS DAY

Free State Parks Day and National Public Lands Day will be Sept. 30. Day-use fees will be waived at all Utah state parks. Special fees, such as golf and camping, will still apply.

Events will include a trail construction project at Rockport State Park from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, please call 435-336-2241.

At Antelope Island State Park, volunteers will remove weeds, repair fences, build corrals, remove rocks and pick up trash. The project will start at 9 a.m. For more information and to register for the event, please call 801-209-4678.

At Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum, there will be stagecoach rides, free museum tours, battle re-enactments, cavalry display, Civil War encampment, food, music and entertainment. Events run from noon to 6 p.m. For information call 801-768-8932.

And at Wasatch Mountain State Park there will be a hike along the Pine Creek Nature Trail. For information call 435- 654-1791.

GRAND STAIRCASE FIELD TRIP

The Utah Museum of Natural History will conduct a field trip to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on Sept. 30.

Museum paleontologists will lead a hike through an active dinosaur quarry and describe recent discoveries there. Participants must be at least 12 years old and able to walk comfortably two miles over rugged terrain. Cost is $60.

Transportation from the monument entrance to the quarry is included. To register call 801-581-5567 or visit www.umnh.utah.edu.

NEW SKIUTAH.COM

SkiUtah.com has a new look. The Web site of authority offering skiers and snowboarders information on resort, lodging, dining and snow report information for Utah has been redesigned.

During the 2005-06 ski season, SkiUtah.com connected with more than 4 million page views per month.

Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, said the new layout is both progressive and more user-friendly. Rideutah.com also received a face-lift. The site, also administered by Ski Utah, is devoted to snowboarders. The new site offers greater quality content, an improved look and feel and more detailed information about snowboarding in Utah.

COUGAR APPLICATIONS

Applications to hunt cougars on limited entry areas during Utah's upcoming season will be available on Sept. 19 from hunting and fishing license agents statewide, Division of Wildlife Resources offices and the DWR's Web site — wildlife.utah.gov.

A total of 348 limited entry permits will be offered. A total of 136 of those permits are for areas that will remain limited entry areas throughout the season, and 212 are for areas that will transition into harvest objective areas on Feb. 17.

To be entered in the draw for permits, mail-in applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Oct. 4. Applications submitted through the DWR's Web site must be received no later than 11 p.m. on Oct. 4. Hunters who have a major credit card are encouraged to apply on the Web site.

If hunters draw a permit for a limited entry area, they may not purchase a permit to hunt on a harvest objective area.

Draw results will be posted by Nov. 6 at DWR offices and the DWR's Web site.

For more information, call the nearest Division of Wildlife Resources office or 801-538-4700.