Birds, Butterflies & Blooms at Tony Grove,
Saturday August 2nd, 8:30 a.m. Carpool from US Forest Service District Ranger Station, 1500 East Hwy 89
Explore Tony Grove and its abundance of birds, butterflies and wildflowers with Jack Greene
Stokes Nature Center, Bridgerland Audubon and the International Friends Program are sponsoring a field trip to Tony Grove from 8:30-early afternoon Saturday, August 2nd.
“Beautiful flowers with wings”, a phrase frequently used to express the exquisite beauty of butterflies. Join the Bridgerland Audubon Society for a field trip to learn the secret lives of these amazing sparks of life, the flowers they visit, and birds that eat them! Place: Tony Grove meadows.
Meet at the US Forest Service parking lot 1500 East Hwy 89 at 8:30 am on August 2nd for carpooling. Return early afternoon. Bring lunch, water, light jacket, hat or sun screen, binoculars, camera, butterfly net (we will have some).
A Tony Grove Meadow Courtesy USDA Forest Service Teresa Prendusi, Photographer
The Tony Grove Recreation Area and the Mount Naomi Wilderness are being inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network during a ceremony at the backcountry trailhead on Tony Grove Lake Road at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 27th, 2025. This honor will recognize the two areas in Logan Canyon for their beauty and biodiversity. [Rod Boam, Cache Valley Daily]
Mount Naomi Wilderness [from the Uinta Wasatch Cache National Forest, USDA Forest Service]
Specific Area Information
Location: Northern Utah, northeast of Logan, Utah
USGS Quad: Naomi Peak, Tony Grove Peak and Mount Elmer
Difficulty: Moderate to severe with elevations rising to more than 9,900 feet.
Use: Frequent year round, especially on weekends and holidays.
About the Area
With spectacular alpine scenery, Mount Naomi Wilderness lies between the Logan River and the Utah-Idaho state line. It comprises approximately 44,523 acres. At 9,980 feet, Naomi Peak, near the eastern boundary, is the area’s highest point, although this mountainous country contains several other peaks towering above 9,000 feet. On the western side, there are many deep, scenic canyons.
Wildflowers carpet the large mountain meadows during summer blooms, and several flowers are unique to this region. You’ll find large populations of moose, elk, and deer, and beavers that are well established in several streams. The area is often used for hiking, backpacking, horseback riding, snow shoeing, and back country skiing.
Trails meander up the major canyons on the western side of the wilderness from trailheads near U.S. Highway 91. The trails join with others to link the area to U.S. Highway 89. Mount Naomi Wilderness has about 12 system trails totaling approximately 73 miles, including the Mount Naomi National Recreation Trail.
When traveling in the Mt. Naomi Wilderness Area, please adhere to the regulations below:
All campsites must be greater than 200 feet away from water sources, trails and other occupied campsites.
All litter must be carried out. Do not bury anything other than human waste, which should be buried 6″.
Horses may be tethered for no more than 1 hours within 200 feet of any water source.
Horses may not be tied to any tree for more than 1 hour and must be moved sooner if damage is occurring.
All feed and hay taken onto National Forest land must be tagged as “Certified Weed Free” by the county extension agent.
Campfires are prohibited where firewood supply is depleted, when fire building threatens wilderness qualities, or for public safety.
Groups entering the wilderness must be no larger than 10 people. Groups exceeding the size limit must separate into groups of 10 or less and remain at least 1/2 mile apart on trails and while camping.
Dogs are permitted; domestic stock is limited to 14 per party.
Maximum of 14 consecutive nights at an individual site.
For further information, please contact the Logan Ranger District at (435) 755-3620
or the Public Lands Information Center at (801) 466-6411.
Above extracted from: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r04/uinta-wasatch-cache/wilderness
Slopes of Mount Naomi Courtesy Wikimedia, Andrey Zharkikh, Photographer Licensed CC by 2.0
Jun 18 – 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Denzil Stewart Nature Park Deed: History, Culture, and Ethnobotanical Habitat Tour
Comments from Hilary Shughart, President, Bridgerland Audubon Society:
Just a quick note to express appreciation for the Stewart Park Celebration collaboration with the City of Logan and the extended Stewart Family. It was nice to hear Mayor Holly Daines express the City’s sincere gratitude, a joy to be an honorary member of the Stewart Family, and to hear the remarkable history and family stories, from Robert’s apt idyllic vision of a cozy log cabin nestled in the beloved Riverland hillside woodland, to Jani’s recounting of the industrious 8 year old Denzil’s hard work and good fortune of having cows to milk to earn money to buy clothes!
Thanks, too, for the shade canopies, chairs, and refreshments provided by Russ Akina and the Parks & Recreation Department, to Parks Superintendent Ed Stephens, for ensuring that the tree planting spot was marked, and especially for the gorgeous Pinyon Pine provided by City Forester Rex Davis (and for the auger to excavate a suitable planting hole!). This tree will provide food and shelter for Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jays, and serve as an enduring natural monument to this celebration of 50 years of Denzil Stewart’s remarkably forward-thinking restrictive Nature Park Deed!
I also want to share a few links and some highlights of progress at the park: the first link is for the eBird checklist for the 85 species of birds which appreciate the Stewart Nature Park habitat, the second is the Logan River Taskforce brochure on the riverbank restoration project, and the third is the Bridgerland Audubon Society’s webpage work in progress documenting the stewardship of Stewart Nature Park, which includes lists of the common plants, as well as the butterflies of Stewart Park and their host plants:
A few highlights of our collaborative investment in the preservation of Denzil’s Riverland:
– Logan City Councilman Mark Anderson helps organize the annual Day of Service, with dozens of volunteers each fall helping to re-mulch and weed the mulched riverside pathways. They also created a new trail from Denny’s Trail directly into River Circle Park, so that bicycles can detour before approaching the pedestrian park and new stone learning circle, funded by the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation (UDOR) grant to increase opportunities for outdoor educational engagement.
– The Bridgerland Audubon Society received a Utah Pollinator Habitat grant from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF). Volunteers got the plants in the ground Fall 2024.
– Logan City invested in the establishment of the Logan River Taskforce riverbank demonstration landscape, and the Coyote Willow is spreading beautifully, effectively preventing erosion while also helping to filter stormwater before it reaches the Logan River.
– Ben Borgmann-Winter, Northern Regional Coordinator, Utah Conservation Corps, Utah State University has applied for a Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant for habitat restoration along the Logan River. This includes non-native weed management in the Retention basin. Mid-to-late fall is generally the best time for cut-stump treatment. Woody plants like the Common Bladder Senna transport carbohydrate reserves down to the root system in the fall.
– Last but not least:
We’ve come a long way since the Herald Journal reported on the threat of losing the park land in the Outdoors feature “New Logan nature park in the works” (3/13/1992)
John J Wise, Outdoors Editor, New Logan nature park in the works, March 13, 1992, Outdoors, The Herald Journal, Clipping courtesy Jack Greene
Born in Logan, Utah, March 19,1928, Denzil Sandberg Stewart raised cows with his father and brother. On June 18, 1975, he deeded his beloved “River Land” to the City of Logan with the visionary condition that this Logan River habitat be developed and used only as a nature park, showcasing Utah native flora and fauna, ensuring a serene and ecologically sound and enduring sense of place.
Denzil Stewart Nature Park is a pedestrian urban birding hot spot with 85 species of birds attracted to the food and shelter of the riverside cottonwoods, boxelders, hawthorns, and red osier dogwood. Starry False Solomon’s Seal blooms at the edge of the moist woodlands where the Chickadees sing, Cedar Waxwings feast on chokecherries, and American Dippers feast in the Logan River. Bullock’s Orioles, Black-Headed Grosbeaks, Western Tanagers, and Lazuli Buntings tantalize with intense hues of orange, yellow, and turquoise.
The Bridgerland Audubon Society mission of protecting the nature of Utah for people and wildlife has been instrumental in honoring the Stewart Family vision with interpretive trail signage, a stone amphitheater, and native plant landscaping. Cache County built the information kiosk for the 1996 Cache County Centennial Legacy Project.
Background: Park Flora & Fauna
Flora and fauna from found in the Denzil Stewart Nature Park
The Park Deed June 23, 1975
“The…property is conveyed to Logan City and its successors based upon the expressed condition, that the land will be developed and used only as a Nature Park, depicting the natural plants, trees, shrubs, animals, birds etc., historically natural and native to the Cache Valley area…. The Nature Park will be entitled DENZIL STEWART NATURE PARK.” …read more from the original deed…
