ANTELOPE ISLAND, Utah — It’s already been a hot summer on Antelope Island, but it isn’t stopping people from coming out to enjoy what the state park has to offer.
One of the main attractions at Antelope Island State Park is its wildlife. When you drive in, the popular bison are typically on the west side. But in the heat of the summer, you’ll find them to the east.
“You’ll see them if you come out here, out on those east side playas, out where the lake used to be. Trying to get that cold, moist soil laying in there, plus the vegetation is found there as well,” said Benjamin Morris, a wildlife biologist for Antelope Island State Park.
Morris said the bison’s migration patterns have changed, and they’re moving earlier in the morning to find some relief before settling in during the day.
“The warmer it gets, it starts to suck the moisture out of the soil,” Morris said, "And as we lose soil moisture, not only do we lose the water, we also lose the vegetation the animals depend on. So the animals are trying to find vegetation, water, and it’s becoming more and more difficult to find them out here."
Bison aren’t the only wildlife they’re keeping an eye on. They’re also monitoring big-horned sheep, deer and antelope.
Those animals are just one thing that brings visitors to the state park from across the country, despite the heat.
“I was expecting to see a few, and I saw quite a few,” one visitor, Robert Mitchell, said of the bison. "We aren’t hiking because it’s a little bit too hot because of that.”
Back in 2022, Morris said it was one of the hottest summers on Antelope Island, and he thinks this year is getting close to that.
“If you come into the island, you can see the marina has dried almost completely up and out, and that’s what we’re looking at. Is it going to be worse than 2022 or not?” Morris said.
