Grafton’s Wildlife Reserve
The Grafton Heritage Partnership Project is unique because it brings historic and landscape preservation together. We are protecting historic structures as well as landscapes that include the pastures for agriculture and Virgin River floodplain habitat for the benefit of wildlife. The Grafton property was purchased in 2000 and the Grand Canyon Trust’s interest in the project was to permanently protect the Virgin River’s floodplain habitat. Thus, the Grafton Partnership gave the Grand Canyon Trust a conservation easement for the Virgin River floodplain. It would be a wildlife reserve for native fish, wildlife and plants. There are deer, lots of wild turkeys, coyotes, Kit fox, Gamble quail, hawks, eagles and many other birds on the property. The birds love the berries in the mulberry trees.
For birders, Grafton is known as one of the better birding spots in the state of Utah – quiet, green and full of birds in the spring. On Saturday May 12th, 2018, the Red Cliff Audubon members came to Grafton and saw 32 species of birds: the rare Vermilion Flycatcher, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Phainopepla, White-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-breasted Chat (call), Chipping Sparrow, Bullock’s Oriole, Western Tanager, Cedar Waxwing, Great Blue Heron, Western Kingbird, Violet-green Swallow, European Starling, Black Phoebe, Mallard, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Mourning Dove, Common Black Hawk, Blue Grosbeak, House Finch, Say’s Phoebe, Canyon Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Black-headed Grosbeak, Yellow Warbler, Brown-headed Cowbird, Common Raven, Western Bluebird, Turkey Vulture, Western Wood-Pewee, Northern Mockingbird, and Lark Sparrow.
they think may nest in the schoolhouse bell tower, plus a couple of cottontails, tons of turkey
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tracks, and possible coyote and bobcat skulls. The highlight was a diving golden eagle over
the cemetery. In the past the Grafton Partnership had a report that a ringtail cat was seen in the Russell Home.
In March, the Great Old Broads for Wilderness and Wild Kane County were in Grafton on a Saturday morning for an outing combining cultural history and birding. They saw a nice variety of birds: big flock of Western bluebirds, Say’s phoebe, Northern flicker, common merganser, mallards, gadwall, sharp-shinned hawk, yellow-rumped warbler, canyon wren,
Rockville Bridge
The rehabilitation of the Rockville Bridge has begun. There will be another bridge set up on the east side of the historic bridge so traffic can pass. It was built in 1924 by the National Park Service and served as a critical transportation link connecting Zion National Park with Pipe Spring and the North Rim of Grand Canyon. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This single-lane bridge is a Parker Through Truss type bridge and is the only one left in the State of Utah. It is called a Parker Through Truss bridge because it has a camelback shape. Rehabilitation work on the bridge will include strengthening steel components, restoring bearings and expansion joints, and restore the decking back to its original material which was wood. The bridge will be painted to match the current rusted steel color. More information is found at: http://rockvilleutah.org/bridge/
| Grafton Reunion Everyone is invited to the annual Grafton Reunion, September 29, 2018 at Grafton from 11-2:00 P.M. Bring your lunch, hat, chair and memories to share. The Partnership will have a display of items such as books, pictures of Grafton and t-shirts. There will be a program and if you have any stories you would like to tell about Grafton, or a song to sing, call us (phone 435-635-2133). A Grafton Reunion Facebook page has been set up. Where anyone can upload photos and histories at: https://www.facebook.com/graftonutah It is also posted on our webpage. Please Donate A special note of thanks to all that left us a donation at Grafton donation box. You can donate by mailing a check, or by using a credit card on our secure web page at www.graftonheritage.org. Just click on Support Us. Or remember us in your will. |
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Grafton Heritage Partnership Project, PO Box 630184, Rockville, Utah 84763 Jane Whalen, President 435-635-2133, janewhalen@earthlink.net, Jack Burns, Vice President Therese Feinauer, Treasurer, www.graftonheritage.org |