Outdoor notes

KOKANEE SALMON DAY

MANILA — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resource's annual Kokanee Salmon Day will be held Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. during the annual Strawberry Valley Wildlife Festival.

The event is free, and the viewing site is on Sheep Creek, about six miles south of Manila. The viewing site is at the Scenic Byway turnout where Sheep Creek crosses under Route 44.

Spectators should bring binoculars or a spotting scope, because they might see some bighorn sheep, too.

"We seem to always have some other wildlife besides the bright red kokanee to watch," said Ron Stewart, regional conservation outreach manager. "Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, wild turkeys, sandhill cranes, red-tailed hawks, song birds, squirrels and a variety of other wildlife have greeted visitors in the past.

"We picked kokanee salmon as a species to highlight because they are very visible; they turn red when they spawn, "Stewart said. "These colorful and unusual fish run or spawn in several Utah streams in September and October after spending about four years maturing in downstream reservoirs. One of the most scenic kokanee runs takes place in Sheep Creek, which is a tributary to Flaming Gorge."

DWR biologists will be at the site between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Display materials will be available to help spectators see the kokanee and interpret their behavior. The biologists will also have a spotting scope in case bighorn sheep visit the area, which they usually do during Kokanee Salmon Day.

For more information, call the Uinta National Forest at 435-654-0470 or Scott Root with the DWR at 801-491-5656.

RAPTOR WATCH DAY SET

OREM — Thousands of hawks, eagles and other birds of prey fly through Utah's skies every fall, and they can be seen during this year's Raptor Watch Day scheduled Saturday, Sept. 26, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Orem overlook along Squaw Peak Road, east of Orem.

The annual event is free. This fall, a Swainson's hawk that has been nursed back to health will be released at noon. The injured hawk was cared for by Patti Richards, a wildlife rehabilitator in Springville.

Squaw Peak Road is accessible from U.S. 189 (the road up Provo Canyon). To reach U.S. 189, exit I-15 at Exit 275 and travel east on 800 North in Orem.

Wildlife experts will be on hand to help identify the birds and to answer any questions about the raptors' fall migration.

For more information, call Bob Walters, Watchable Wildlife coordinator for the DWR, at 801-538-4771.

YOUTH HUNTING DAY

Utah's special Youth Hunting Day is set for Saturday, two full weeks before the general waterfowl season begins on Oct. 3 and a week earlier than it has been held in the past.