Access to Lee Kay Center 
by Kristin Purdy

(Taken from an e-mail to 'BirdTalk' - Jan 2006)


Between gulling sessions at Lee Kay Ponds in Salt Lake County today, I visited the Lee Kay Hunter Education Center to ask about access for birders. Good news: we're welcome there. Not only can anyone walk through the gates from California Ave (1400S) and around the ponds, but you can walk well south into the Conservation/Dog Training Area if you wish and bird the other freshwater and brackish ponds not visible from the north observation areas.

Lee Kay Center is a large parcel of state-owned property (950 acres) that extends from California Ave (1400S) to the north to SR-201 (2100S) to the south. The east and west borders are 5600W and 7200W. Of course, the state developed the property for the purpose of hunting dog training and target practice on the ranges, so as upland game and waterfowl seasons approach in late summer and early fall, the property will likely be heavily used for its intended purpose.

I reviewed an aerial photo with the volunteer who fielded my questions. The birding possibilities behind the gates look enticing--similar to Kennecott's ISSR. My guide pointed out freshwater ponds in addition to the east and west ones where folks have been gulling, and several brackish ponds near the south end of the property. I wonder what kind of migrant shorebird traffic uses the
area in May and August.

If anyone knows from personal experience or has actually trained his or her dogs there, please contribute your assessment of the place as a birding location.

We can also access the area from the south in vehicles by paying the same annual fee ($5.00) dog trainers pay. The $5.00 will buy you a key that opens locked gates on two roads that begin at the Frontage Road along SR-201. The locks are changed each July. The keys will not open the locked gates in the observation areas that we've been using around Lee Kay Ponds. You can access the property through the south locked gates from dawn to dusk, every day of the
year.

If this turned out to be a good shorebird place, the $5.00 might be a great deal. Of course, weekdays would likely be quieter and birders should be aware of the schedule for dog trials and competitions.

A few other rules: vehicles must remain on designated roads at all times; no one is allowed in the training area after dark; licensed AKC field trials close the area to the public for the duration of the trial. Firearms are not permitted in the dog training area; the audible shooting emanates from the multiple shooting ranges at the center.

If you're interested in checking out the property, you should visit the Lee Kay Center. The entrance is on 5600W just north of SR-201. For more information, call the center at (801) 972-1326. It's open Wednesday-Sunday.