Dedicated to protecting the beauty and wildness of the Wasatch Mountains
Hindsight Is 2020
Summer 2019 Hiking In LCC Around Albion Basin
Winter 2019 Aaron Stillman Ski Touring In BCC
Citizens Committee to Save Our Canyons; Fall 2020 Newsletter
Director’s Message
Written by Executive Director, Carl Fisher
Fall 2020 Newsletter Director’s Message............P2-P4 Welcome To The Team............P5 Vote The Outdoors............P5 Remembering A Great Friend............P6 Life After Quarantine.............P6-P7 Education Is The First Step............P7 Drawing With SOC............P8-P9 Where Wilderness Advocacy and Volunteerism Meet............P10 Generations Of The Wasatch............P11 The Good, The Bad, And The UGLY............P12-P13 #KeepGrizzlyWild.............P14 Joining The Team .............P15 3690 E Fort Union Blvd STE 101 Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121 https://saveourcanyons.org 801.363.7283 info@saveourcanyons.org ALEXIS KELNER Editor Emeritus
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The exasperation amongst our community with issues in the Wasatch right now is so thick you can taste it… and for the past few weeks, I’ve not been able to taste or smell anything as my family and I grapple with the effects of COVID-19. I don’t really know how or where we picked this up, it feels like my family has abided by a strategy of isolation, more extreme than social distancing, out of fear of spreading this to our loved ones: family, friends, colleagues, neighbors. We’ve kept our kids out of school, only venture out for groceries once per month, our dining table is an office, a school, a daycare and we only associate in person with a circle of about 15 people. I remember my mask more than I remember my phone, wallet or keys. Our contact tracer says we just got unlucky, walking through the air or purchasing an item at the store an unmasked spreader infected. I don’t believe in luck. Our efforts have been all for not because of the “narrative of domination”. I learned this term from an article by Lee Nellis in the publication Mountain Journal. He says these dominant narratives, like myths, will continue to inform actions unless we all forge a new myth - one say, that prioritizes and defines the health and well-being of our community, one that places the fetish of individual freedoms that are literally killing other people, beneath an ethic of stewardship and care for our communal commodities. I highly suggest you check out the article by Lee Nellis, “Has Collaborative Conservation Reached Its Limits?” (https://mountainjournal.org/the-failures-and-limits-of-collaborative-conservation). As we’ve been involved in our own “collaborative conservation” in the Wasatch and are embroiled in a few others similar projects (ie. Utah and the USFS’s Shared Stewardship initiative, which came as fallout from the failed Utah Roadless Petition), and our members and supporters effectively support our participation; I’ve wanted to share some thoughts on collaboration for a while now. This article really put it better than I ever could. It isn’t only pertinent to the current issues in the Wasatch, or Greater Yellowstone, it is really pertinent to every aspect of the world we find ourselves immersed in. It doesn’t matter what we do to combat this virus (figuratively and quite literally), if we don’t collectively combat the “Narrative of Domination” that allowed it to infect society. That narrative is one that equates money to health. That narrative is about winning for the sake of defeating, not pursuing an outcome. That narrative places money, privilege and power above equality and care for the commons (or as our own Sen. Lee said, “Democracy isn’t the www.saveourcanyons.org
objective; liberty, peace and prospefity[sic] are.” I say democracy is the objective, as it is the means by which we arrive at foundational principles, life, liberty, pursuit of happiness — for the whole, Senator, not some; process matters.). That narrative refuses to reign in the desires/whims of us humans, in the epoch called the Anthropocene, where humans have been deemed an earth shaping force driving mass extinction, propagation of disease, and feverish climate models. Yet we use the same economically grounded models that got us into these crises praying those Chambers of Commerce will get us out of them. The State of Utah houses its “Office of Outdoor Recreation” in the office of Economic Development, because monetizing the public trust is the objective. Wildness isn’t so easily economically exploitable, well it is, if you don’t mind killing wildness - therein lies the paradox. When we strip wildness from recreation, we aren’t interacting with nature, we are interacting with something that is manufactured, engineered, something of our innovation, not something wild. As for the Wasatch, we’ve acutely identified in numerous managing documents, for decades, how people and visitors are the number one impact to the Wasatch, how we are “loving the Wasatch to death”, yet our so-called solutions invite more people, more development, higher concentrations of this destructive force of “love”. It isn’t true love, it’s more akin to an abusive relationship that takes, that dominates, as opposed to growing, flourishing, enriching and coexisting. Biology might call it a parasitic relationship, where one feeds, preys upon its host. Our objective should be one of symbiosis, at very least. What do you give back to the place that gives us so much? What type of relationship do you think we should have with the Wasatch, with our public lands? We all really need to take time to reflect on what we are doing, how we are doing it and perhaps most importantly, why? It is time to really ask yourself what in the Wasatch, is actually threatened? What needs stewardship and aid? What needs precious public attention and resources? Is recreation Something in this photo is more threatened than what is on fire; Neffs Canyon fire 2020 threatened? Is the ski industry threatened? Is biodiversity threatened? Tourism? Water? Olympic bids? It seems some would lead us to believe that if we don’t accommodate every person who wishes to enjoy their hobby at any given time, life as we know it will cease to exist. I’m not talking about social capacities, I really think most of us can adjust our behaviors and deal with visitation, with one another. Our concerns are genuinely about the wild, as in do we want to: a) do no harm, b) do more harm or, c) do less harm than already exists (re-wild). Equity would suggest, if we are to look at developing, shouldn’t we also look at un-developing? This becomes, or informs, our new myth, our new directive, because the myth we are living, with the walls of my home seemingly closing in with every day this pandemic marches on, is not only the makings of a nightmare, but a fable. Like the ones Aesop told us. Every fable has a moral. What is the moral of the story we’ve been living? In order to forge a new myth, we avoid the mistakes of the past. Save Our Canyons plays the important role of historian. With an institutional memory of slights against and gains for our Wasatch Range. We also play the role of trying to speak for something that doesn’t speak in human tongues. In my view, we need to first define and galvanize around a vision and around the ecological values of the place and then prioritize actions that aid in the realization of that vision. These are the things we have lost and will continue to lose, be it by either active or passive choices. Right now the only conversation being allowed is around human gains. Gains in visitors, gains in acres skied, gains in condos, homes, roads, rails, gondolas, miles of trails, parking lots. But not gains in wildlife population, not gains in species reintroduced, gains for unmarred vistas. We are simply catering to our individual
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desires rather than the needs of place. Our love of the Wasatch has been likened to death by 1,000 cuts, and rather than lessening the cuts or removing the carving implement from the butchering hands, we are exploring both the mode and intensity by which we want to deliver these cuts — bus, gondola or train. Asking what transportation “solution” will save the Wasatch pre-supposes transportation is a necessity for saving the Wasatch, when in fact, transportation is only really about connecting economic centers and is inherently about converting a commodity into cash. Think about it, the very existence of the roads in the Wasatch, lead to mines and mills. Once that was exhausted they led to resorts and recreation, once they were tired of the same runs and trails, they set their sites on a new area. We can’t apply an infinite growth model on something that is finite. Native plants beget native wildlife populations and the native form of transportation in the Wasatch happened by foot. Roads and rails only lead to deforestation, over-mining and brothel’s in Alta. Over-grazing lead to the closure for City Creek canyon for many, many years. I wonder what over-population will bring? Of course that’s rhetorical. We know. We’ve seen it. But we are Utah! We are different. Well, we were. But then we stripped everything natural, wild and unique to become Europe, or Colorado because what is better than being something else (Wasatch-Con?). It lacks authenticity, and destroys what is inherently beautiful and wild. This past summer, I presented at the Utah Outdoor Recreation Summit, and discussed our need for a land ethic. Many of Utah’s citizens have one. I know this because I’ve talked with you at events, on trails, at resorts, etc. Utah’s elected officials don’t share the land ethic of Europe or Colorado (that’s why CO has OR), yet we try to harvest their developmental ideas, while rejecting sideboards and protections that accompany. The Wasatch aren’t and shouldn’t be, the Alps. Generally, Utah’s elected officials have an ethic of stripping protections in blind pursuit of exploitation and industrial development - Bears Ears, Rep. Curtis’s wilderness removal bill, and reckless development, SkiLink and the Inland Port. Nothing is sacred, well, only Once resorts and transportation planners have their money and power. We have a lot of different pressures knocking at the door way with the Wasatch, will it authentically evoke a natural response? though, and if we don’t control them, they will control us.This is why, urgently, we need to figure out what we want the Wasatch to be, define what is valuable and what is important and what we needs to be protected. Do we wish to lose or degrade irreplaceable wild characteristics? Like it or not, extraction and exploitation are the dominant narrative (Drill, baby, Drill -- GondolaWorks!), because the only outcomes being considered, being allowed by your elected officials, are ones that demand conversion of the wild for purposes of monetizing wild and natural characteristics. Join Save Our Canyons if you want to change it. We need more good soldiers on the battlefield, and we need them right now. Too much is at stake. The dominant narrative is one of domination and because they’ve been dominating for so long, generally speaking, they have a lot of ammo. But we have a lot of people, but we are losing them to exasperation, to pessimism, by overwhelming over saturation of issues in the midst of a global pandemic and numerous state of emergencies. And just like bullets are useless unless organized into a chamber, our voices too, need organization. At some point, we will go too far down an irreversible road. Maybe we already have. We, at least, are deserving of a thoughtful and comprehensive conversation. Wallace Stegner reminds me, though, “One cannot be pessimistic about the West. This is the native home of hope”. It only takes two to tango, it takes an entire community to collaborate. It can be done, but there must be an earnest willingness to want to find resolve. Not for ourselves, not for money, but for community, for place, and for wildness. Or as Stegner continued, “cooperation, not rugged individualism (or “western chauvinism”?), is the quality that most characterizes and preserves it…” What does the Wasatch and all the life it supports, all it inspires, deserve? This is what is at stake. For the Wasatch. For our climate. For our lives as we know it. Once wildness is gone, it’s pretty well gone for good. Wildness is finite and gobbling counter-forces are seemingly infinite. Those are high stakes. Will you be at, or on, the table? The narrative may well decide.
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Welcome To The Team Elliott Parkins; Community Development Intern
I was born in Utah and I always have been drawn to the Wasatch Mountains. My deep curiosity about the local mountains drew me to become an environmentalist and researcher. I studied abroad in Mongolia with Round River Conservation Studies and graduated Westminster College with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Studies and Science Concentration. After graduating, I served with Americorps National Citizen Community Corps in the Southwestern US for a year, which I built sustainable houses for a disaster relief area in southern Texas, renovated an outdoor camp in southeastern Oklahoma, and aided various nonprofits in central Colorado. Currently, I started my graduate school classes at Westminster College for a Masters of Art in Community Leadership and I am excited to intern with Save Our Canyons. I applied for SOC’s Fall Internship from knowing about them in my undergraduate years and I always wanted to assist them, but I didn’t have the opportunity in the past. So, I now have the ability to aid them and gain more experience that can help me develop my graduate thesis. My goal for this internship is to launch a deep ecology campaign. This campaign will engage you in our relationships with the environment, educate about holistic approaches in environmental activism, provide nature storytelling from those in the SOC community, and spiritual communities around the canyons. This campaign is to show the spiritual aspects of environmentalism and provide a holistic interconnection with our local community.
Elliott Parkins Westminster College MACL Student
Thank you Lindsay LeMay (@mylifetimeofadventures) for creating this illustration
Remember to vote the environment, vote for the protection of wasatch, public lands, clean air and clean water! Some candidates get it, others don’t. Engage with them before making your vote! Save Our Canyons does not endorse or oppose any political candidate, but the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club does! You might check out their voter guide (https://www.sierraclub.org/utah/make-your-voice-heard-election-day).
Most importantly make sure you VOTE, and VOTE early! www.saveourcanyons.org
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Remembering A Great Friend Written by Save Our Canyons Supporter Sue Hitchner
Lew Hitchner passed away in June 2020 after a short battle against cancer. Lew was born in Philadelphia, PA and was very close to his family. He attended Dartmouth College graduating with Honors in 1967. It was at the Dartmouth Skiway where he was introduced to skiing which became a lifelong passion. After Dartmouth, Lew attended UC Berkeley where he received a Masters of Science in Operations Research in 1968. Lew moved to Wilmington DE for work and was active in the Wilmington Ski Club making frequent trips to Vermont and Utah. Having decided he loved the Wasatch Mountains, he picked up and moved to Utah. He was very active in the Wasatch Mountain Club. For several years Lew studied and worked at the University of Utah receiving his PhD in Computer Sciences in 1984. Lew then moved to California and became a computer and information sciences professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz until 1988 and later at California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, CA for over 11 years. During his tenure at CalPoly he took a sabbatical year teaching at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. For 5 years he was a scientist at NASA Ames Research Center in CA Lew Hitchner, 1945 to 2020 where he was the technical developer of the Virtual Planetary Exploration project, a system for virtual exploration of the planet Mars. But his heart was always in the Wasatch Mountains and after retiring in 2007, he moved to Sandy. The Wasatch became his new “office” where he spent most of his time either backcountry skiing or hiking. Over the years, he took several extensive hiking trips to Bhutan, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland and France. Lew had many interests and passions - his family, traveling, photography, wine, the environment and the Wasatch Mountains.
Life After Quarantine Written by Save Our Canyons Intern Caroline Weiler
2020 has been unexpected in many ways for many people. As a member of the 2020 graduating class from Utah State University, the unexpected shut-downs and social distancing due to COVID-19 have put a spin on just about every aspect of post-graduation life. Something I have learned through the unexpected turns and twists of the past 4 months since finishing my degree is that these events, although unforeseen, might lead to new and exciting opportunities. One unexpected opportunity granted to me in this whirlwind of a year was interning for Save Our Canyons. The title for my internship has been Community Development Intern, and my purpose was to engage and encourage more of the Utah County population to get involved with Save Our Canyons and their mission through various outreach events. Because social distancing measures put a stop to most of our planned outreach events this summer, I used social media as a way to advertise and promote the various Zoom calls and virtual events as well as educate the public on the mission of Save Our Canyons. I also personally enjoyed participating in Zoom calls with guest speakers like Oakley Gordon and Louis Arevalo. Before quarantine, however, I was able to attend and help with the 18th annual Lone Peak Celebration event in early March, which was a great introduction to the terrific and stalwart protectors of the Wasatch and a great way to raise money and awareness for wilderness areas. The other unexpected and yet positive outcome from my time with Save Our Canyons has been getting to coordinate our Wilderness Stewardship Project this summer. The WSP is a project aimed at giving back to the wilderness areas we love by maintaining and protecting trails with assistance and guidance from the Forest Service. This summer we focused
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on trails in the Twin Peaks and Mount Olympus Wilderness areas. By the end of the summer we will have trimmed back overgrowth on a 3 mile section of the Butler Fork trail in Big Cottonwood Canyon, junked and filled in a large portion of the old Red Pine Lake trail in Little Cottonwood Canyon, and assisted in additional trail maintenance on the Thaynes trail in Millcreek Canyon. Although COVID-19 limited the number of events we could hold as well the volunteers allowed at each trail day, we still had great turnouts, and the work we did in the Wasatch could not have been done without help from our volunteers. Big thanks to Jenn Mijer, Lowell Smoger, Kyle Willians, Dean Mellot, Thomas Campbell, Robyn Heilbrun, Dave Andrenyak, Bret Mathews, Brett Kennedy, Rachel Smith, Tom Miotke, Chris Carrick, Gabriel Ramos, Alexsis Lever, Kyle Williams, James Thompson, John Parcher, Adrian Lins, Robyn Heilbrun, Alex Wilderness Stewardship Project, 2020 Pearson, Suzanne Ormond, Natalie Freeze and Sherie Comish from the Forest Service for helping coordinate our efforts and providing tools and expertise to the volunteer days. Although 2020 continues to be a rollercoaster of unexpected twists and turns — I’m so grateful to the good people at Save Our Canyons for navigating the chaos with wisdom and consistency. The Central Wasatch is home to thousands of miles of trails, ski slopes, bike paths, and rushing rivers and the small yet strong group at Save Our Canyons is doing a great job at protecting the beauty and wildness of it all. Thanks to Carl Fisher, Sarah Sleater, Grace Tyler and Alex Schmidt for your patience, guidance and leadership during the past 4 months. I look forward to more unexpected and rewarding experiences in the years to come and will continue to be a supporter of Save Our Canyons and their mission to save the places I love.
Education Is The First Step Written by Save Our Canyons Intern Abby Francl
I’ve lived in Utah my entire life, and have always enjoyed being outdoors. Interning with Save Our Canyons has opened my eyes to how essential youth is to the future of the Wasatch. We cannot expect to protect our home without teaching and engaging the next generation to continue the work. My Future Influencer’s Internship was created to help transition kids and young adults from just enjoying the Wasatch to become advocates for it. During my internship I worked on a social media campaign, engaged the youngest SOC supporters with drawings, and led young learners during the SOCKids Program on hikes into the Wasatch Mountains. Hearing from other young “outdoorsy” Utahns, I’ve realized that there is an immense amount of support for conserving and protecting the Wasatch. The problem is that we either don’t know how, or where to start, as an individual in reaching this goal. Two things I focused on this summer were becoming an informed voter, and learning how to contact our legislators. Utah’s leaders need to know the community cares about the future of the Wasatch and the current issues affecting it. Signing a petition is an incredibly easy step to become more politically involved with Save Our Canyons. That is why my campaign included informing members on the National Conservation and Recreation Act (NCRA) and what it would accomplish. Lastly, we started a new project called “Drawing with SOC” for our youngest supporters. This project was designed to get kids excited about the Wasatch Mountains native wildlife and plants. Although the fight for conservation can seem exhausting at times, this internship has given me hope. I’ve learned we can accomplish so much if we all just do our part and make sure the next generation is watching. One way of doing our part is to set a personal goal of taking one action on behalf of our planet per week. This could be signing the National Conservation and Recreation Area Act (NCRA), registering to vote and voting in November, volunteering, or even cleaning up litter in our canyons or a natural area around your house. These simple acts not only make a difference, but can inspire others around you. After this internship, I want to continue helping young people find their voices and speak out for the future of our planet. www.saveourcanyons.org
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Drawing With SOC
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Where Wilderness Advocacy and Volunteerism Meet Written by Alex Schmidt, Campaigns Coordinator
It seems one can always find a barrier to getting involved in a cause that they care about. Life is busy and the threats to our water, air, land, and the plants and animals that depend upon these systems are many. For decades, SOC has been fortunate to have a dedicated and growing membership and community who have helped on miles of trail, removed hundreds of pounds of garbage, pulled thousands of pounds of invasive weeds, and written comments for or attended numerous public meetings related to the protection of the Wasatch Range. Your actions have made a difference in our community and for the Wasatch Mountains. To say the least, 2020 has been a year like nothing I have ever experienced. Save Our Canyons staff in partnership with the U.S Forest Service has been working tirelessly to continue our stewardship events, while keeping the volunteers and staff safe. Since the creation of Save Our Canyons our organiLast WSP of the 2020 season in Thaynes Canyon zation has relied upon grassroots advocates to step up and help us lead the charge. Each summer we attend dozens of events ranging from the Downtown Farmers Market to the Dias De Los Muertos Festival – where we learn from the community about why the protection of the Wasatch Mountains is important in their lives. Many of you reading this have volunteered at these events or at the least, stopped by our SOC table to chat and grab a newsletter or bumper sticker. Save Our Canyons volunteer group numbers in the hundreds and we do our best to foster relationships and connect our members to help us build a community and grow our influence in decisions related to our public lands. Assisting the Forest Service on trail maintenance projects in the Pleasant Grove and Salt Lake Ranger Districts demonstrates our true dedication to conservation. Providing quantifiable buy in that we often reference in the discussion about expanding wilderness designation to protect our water and human powered recreation. This summer Save Our Canyons, much like you, have had to make a lot of changes as in person events have been postponed or even cancelled. To continue growing and building our grassroots army, we need your help. The value of a few hours from you coupled with the information and experience you gain from volunteering creates a positive ripple effect. Save Our Canyons is the lake and you are the stone which creates a splash of advocacy and influence within your circle of friends and family. We are grateful to our volunteers those who have joined us this summer to help make our Wilderness Stewardship Project and User Created Trail Inventory robust and successful. And to the many more who have shown interest, but due to public health concerns and safety restrictions we have had to reschedule we encourage you to stay involved. We have spent dozens of hours in the Tri-Canyon Area of the Central Wasatch to assist in the management of the trail system. These areas have an even more essential role as people are seeking immersion into nature to settle anxiety or relieve some stress by taking a long walk or hike into the many drainages and up the majestic peaks. The Wasatch Mountains are a geologic wonder that have been shaped over 1.4 billion years. Our role is to leave them in a healthier and more intact state than we found them. Through volunteer driven projects we seek to foster a growing number of advocates who have experienced the natural world around them in a unique way and in turn take action on their behalf. Wilderness conservation and volunteerism go hand in hand. Please visit Save Our Canyons website, follow us on social media and make a commitment to yourself and our planet to volunteer some of your free time to protecting the beauty and wildness of the Wasatch Mountains.
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Generations Of The Wasatch Written by Grace Tyler, Development Director
About 1 year ago, the Conservation Alliance approved funding for our Wild Forests and Connected Watersheds Education Program focused around protecting the Wasatch Mountains through the NCRA. One of the key components of this project was creating a multi media marketing campaign to bolster our grassroots organizing. We partnered with Everett Fitch from Big American Story to create two stunning videos highlighting the importance of protecting the Wasatch. To view these videos please visit: saveourcanyons.org today. Thirty Second Video “Our Canyons Carry Us” “Our Canyons Carry Us” features Save Our Canyons Members Erme, Anna and Luka Catino! This short video is a teaser into the world of Save Our Canyons. This video was played on PCTV during June—September. Mini Documentary “Generations of the Wasatch” This 15+ minute documentary explores the generations Big Cottonwood Canyon, “Our Canyons Carry Us” of dedicated SOC members who protect the Wasatch Mountains. Watch as Save Our Canyons Member Bill and Sylvia Gray discuss the importance of protecting the Wasatch through learning about the wildflowers and birds. Listen to Emanuel, Allison, Milo, Simon Vásquez as they talk about how kids benefit from the micros of the Wasatch floors. And dive into Save Our Canyons Intern Caroline Weiler and Save Our Canyons Member and Volunteer Elliot Frei on how they plan to keep impacting the future of the Wasatch Mountains. From everyone at Save Our Canyons we would like to say thank you to: Erme, Anna, Luka, Bill, Sylvia, Emanuel, Allison, Milo, Simon, Caroline and Elliot for volunteering their time to make this project happen. Before you watch the mini documentary we wanted to share with you the voice over guiding the viewers throughout this film: Voice Over Leading into Save Our Canyons Member Bill and Sylvia Gray • Nature here holds a special place in the hearts of those that depend upon the Wasatch Mountains. Generations of plants, animals and people have thrived here. Their families have all grown here. Some of the stories survive here— because of the nurturing beauty of our home. But abundance like this—in resources, in stories—won’t last long if preservation of the Wasatch isn’t our shared goal. Voice Over Leading into Emanuel, Allison, Milo, and Simon Vásquez • You live here. You grow here. You’ve weathered many storms. Spring, summer, autumn, winter. The Wasatch, like our families, face numerous challenges and changes. The foundations of homes we care for provide shelter and comfort—and the Wasatch takes care of you. You feel it in the wisps of air you breathe, the rejuvenation of water you drink, the sturdiness of the ground you stand on, and preparing us for the unknown challenges ahead. Voice Over Leading into Caroline Weiler and Elliot Frei • You’re an adventurer. The kind that likes to get lost, get dirty, test your boundaries. Previous generations protected the wilderness to afford you these opportunities. You witness the sun rise over the Wasatch every morning. And you see the sun fall opposite the valley, giving the foothills their orange glow every evening. Alpenglow sets ablaze what’s important. Freedom is wild. Your free spirit and the wildness and beauty of the Wasatch are one in the same. Conclusion • Morning, noon and night, life sure is good near the Wasatch. If you value the canyon air you breathe, the rivers and lakes you get your water from and the shared experiences with the community of life that surrounds you, lend your voice to defend them. It took 1.4 billion years to create the iconic landscape you engage with; now is our time to leave a legacy that protects the work of the ages. We are Save Our Canyons and we need you to join us so the Wasatch Mountains have a chance to stay wild. Be a voice for the Wasatch before it’s too late. Visit www.saveourcanyons.org to get involved. www.saveourcanyons.org
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The Good, The Bad, And The UGLY UGLY - Greenworks greenwashed gondola and governmental glad-handing? “I noticed the parties named as the members of the Gondola Works (www.gondolaworks.com) Coalition are Alta and Snowbird, Powdr Corp (Cummings), Ski Utah and these two entities: The Exoro Group (they worked for Mountain Accord and CWC); CW Management which is Chris McCandless and Wayne Niederhauser (it’s all about money). No wonder the CWC acts like their marching orders are to “do transportation” first and above all else. Disgusting.” Dave B., Save Our Canyons member submission (the upshot to the ugly is that folks are paying attention).
All GOOD things are wild and free! Not many encounters in the outdoors elicit a deeper response than viewing a wild animal in its natural habitat. Recently, sightings of Black Bears have come to our attention in the Central Wasatch. We thought now is a good time to remind our readers that the species we share this planet with are wild and must be respected. Being outdoors means being with wildlife. Many people never encounter a bear. But if you do, here’s some simple advice: • DO NOT RUN. • Remain calm. • Group together and pick up small children. • Continue to face the bear and back away slowly, talking calmly to identify yourself as a human. • If the bear continues to approach, try to scare it away by making yourself as large and imposing as possible by stretching your arms overhead and making loud noises. • Carry and know how to use bear spray, which is available at many outdoor retailers and can be used to deter a charging bear. • For more information please visit: https://www. fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-you-go/bears GOOD : “Not going to happen” Public Lands to Stay In Public hands! The current Bureau of Land Management’s acting director has put his agencies foot down on the transfer of public lands from I’m not a Freegan— don’t feed me or approach me. federal to state management. We applaud this move as we have joined the Outdoor Industry, SUWA, Sierra Club, and many thousands of you to show our love and support for public lands staying in the national trust of ALL American’s hands. UT’s delegation has long salivated over their desire to take over public lands as it’s seen as the lynch pin that is holding back a renaissance of road building, development, and gas and oil exploitation on public lands in Utah. (https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2020/09/10/public-lands-boss-says) GOOD: Our Canyons Carry Us! About 1 year ago, the Conservation Alliance approved funding our Wild Forests and Connected Watersheds Education Program focused around protecting the Wasatch Mountains through the NCRA. One of the key components of this project is creating a multi media marketing campaign to bolster our grassroots organizing. We partnered with Everett Fitch from Big American Story to create two stunning videos highlighting the importance of protecting the Wasatch. To view these videos please visit: saveourcanyons.org today. We would like to give a big thank you to Everett (@everettfitch), the Big American Story team (@bigamericanstory), and the Conservation Alliance (@conservationalliance ) for helping with this project. GOOD: CARES Act Helps Nonprofits! To say things have gone south since March, would be an understatement, but it hasn’t been just bad or ugly. In addition to all the assistance offered to small businesses and nonprofits, the CARES Act also recognized the potential for individuals and businesses to step up to support nonprofit organizations during these trying times. As a result, the authors of the Act provided some new tax benefits to encourage donations. You can find out more about these benefits by visiting the Park City Community Foundation website: https://parkcitycf.org/how-thecares-act-makes-it-a-great-time-to-give!
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www.saveourcanyons.org
GOOD: Salt Lake City Parks and Public Lands Master Plan! How important has nature in your backyard become during the Covid lock down? Spotting bird life and Fox squirrels on walks around the open spaces and parks of Salt Lake has helped to melt away some of the uncertainty, even temporarily that abounds these days. We have the Wasatch Mountains as a haven for nature immersion but the proximity of city parks and public lands have made these sometimes underappreciated areas a haven for our communities. The SLC Parks and Public Lands Master Plan is seeking your input to help them “plan for a bright future by reimagining these spaces together.” SOC is engaging in this process and we encourage our members and supporters to do so as well. Spreading out use and showing our support for walkable open spaces in our communities will ease some of the pressure of use that the ecosystems of the Wasatch Range could really use. Visit reimaginenatureslc.com to take their survey and check out what they’re up to. Wild! - A cougar encounter in cougar country! A 26 yr old from UT County had a frightening encounter with a mountain lion in Slate Canyon. The 6-min viral video (@kunkyle on Instagram) documented what Kirk Robinson from Western Wildlife Conservancy who studies and advocate for the protection of predators, called an “unusual case” of a mother defending her cubs; “The mother cougar saw [the runner] as a threat, not food.” He went on to issue this important reminder, “We live and recreate near and in cougar habitat, so we should Salt Lake City Parks and Public Lands Master Plan learn to peacefully live with them.” We might add that we believe all creatures in the Wasatch have a right to life and we need to do more to protect them and enact policies to help them thrive! Learn more about how to advocate for wildlife at: westernwildlifeconservancy.org. Coming Soon: Save Our Canyons is going to be making branded masks to help keep our canyons COVID free! We will have more information on a release date soon! Make sure to check our social media accounts (Instagram and Facebook) and read our emails! Gonna get Ugly - Alta Ski Area alleges no backcountry parking! Alta Ski Area literally wants to pave paradise and put up more parking lots. But what is more troubling is that in emails to the Uinta-WasatchCache National Forest, the ski area is stating that there is no parking for non-Alta skiers anywhere within the Town of Alta. The ski area is fighting buses, stating Alta Skiers refuse to ride them, stating instead that more parking and interconnects need to be constructed. Please let us know if you get harassed by Alta this winter. You can submit a comment through our community tip form: https://saveourcanyons.org/get-involved/community-tip-form. We expect they will be telling the public they aren’t welcome at the top of the Little Cottonwood Canyon, unless you are willing to pay the Black Knight. Monty Python And The Holy Grail; “None Shall Pass.”
www.saveourcanyons.org
Save Our Canyons, Fall 2020
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#KeepGrizzlyWild
Written by Save Our Canyons Member, Chad Van Ginkel
Photo taken by Chad Van Ginkel on the Emma ridge right above the mouth of Grizzly Gulch
Grizzly Gulch may not seem like much. Many people along the Wasatch front would not be able to locate it on a map. But this 1,200-acre swathe of land that extends from the top of Little Cottonwood Canyon road up to Twin Lakes Pass could not be more important to those of us that look to the Wasatch for recreation and solitude. Especially among winter utilizers, Grizzly Gulch has a place in every recreationalist’s heart. Not only does it provide low risk terrain for novice backcountry users to advance their skills through avalanche courses and low angle ski runs such as Patsey Marley and Michigan City, but also to more challenging territory like the Wolverine Cirque—a collection of steep chutes with names like Scratch ‘n Sniff, Pressure Drop, and Zoot Chute. . his seemingly insignificant piece of land has received a large amount of attention in the past few years. Local conserT vationist groups such as the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance and Save Our Canyons have spent innumerous hours developing social media campaigns like #KeepGrizzlyWild, attending development meetings, and sending emails to mobilize the outdoor community to rally for the conservation of this land. Alta Ski Lifts, the current owner, had originally offered to give Grizzly Gulch back to the public as part of the multi-organizational Mountain Accord and the Central Wasatch National Conservation & Recreation Area agreement. Recently, Alta has decided to hold Grizzly Gulch hostage from these agreements in order “to preserve its skiing experience for current and future Alta skiers”. Stating that they feel not enough has been done to lessen the congestion of traffic up Little Cottonwood canyon, Grizzly Gulch has become their bargaining chip by threatening to place more ski lifts and closing this terrain to public use. I am not a Utah native. I did not have the opportunity to grow up on the trails and peaks of the Wasatch. But that does not mean I cannot recognize the Wasatch as something beautiful and truly great. And I do know that such things need to be constantly protected. I hear stories from older generations about lost wilderness, ceaseless development, and constant changes to the face of the Wasatch. As a new Utah resident, I take no greater joy than showing my out-of-state friends and family the awe-inspiring terrain that we have so close to home. I took my first avalanche course in Grizzly Gulch and have taken friends on their first ski tours in its borders. I want to be able to do the same with my children and show them the freedom that travel through the mountains can provide—not an endless maze of private property signs, ski lifts, and mountaintop cafeterias. Although I am not a Utah native, I do know that once wilderness is lost, it is never regained.
14 Save Our Canyons, Fall 2020
www.saveourcanyons.org
Joining The Team
Kennedy Flavin Fall Policy Intern
Become A Member Your tax deductible donation enables us to continue protecting the beauty and wildness of the Wasatch Mountains. Becoming a member by donating online or by mailing in a check to: 3690 E Fort Union Blvd STE 101 Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121.
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Kennedy Flavin, Fall Policy Intern
Hello, my name is Kennedy Flavin. I am beyond excited to have the Fall Policy Intern position at Save Our Canyons this Fall. I am a native Utahan who grew up in the middle of the Wasatch Mountains, right by the ski resorts. I am so fortunate to have been able to grow up surrounded by the beauty of the Wasatch Mountains. I enjoy mountain biking, hiking, backpacking, and camping in the beautiful backyard we have here in Utah. Although I’m still working on mastering my mountain biking skills, I enjoy the intermediate trails up in the Wasatch Mountains! I am deaf and communicate by using American Sign Language, and teaching my friends how to learn my language is one of my favorite activities to do. I’ve only begun to become passionate about preserving the public lands and the native plant/animal species, especially in Utah. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Utah with double majors in both Political Science and Environmental & Sustainability Studies with a minor in Earth Sciences. I will graduate next year with the hopes of attending grad school to pursue a Masters in Environmental Policy. During my current college career, I have become extremely motivated by the environmental injustice that we face including public lands, the minority communities, and public goods such as water and air. I learned that the best way to encourage positive change for the environment is best done through policies that are created by our government. My favorite policy that was passed would be the Clean Air Act of 1970 by President Richard Nixon. If it wasn’t for the act, we wouldn’t be able to breathe in the Salt Lake Valley. I am looking forward to encouraging government officials to create decisions that will help the public lands instead of deteriorating them. I am so thrilled to learn and help others to learn about the environmental policies in Utah, especially the ones that impact the Wasatch Mountains.
www.saveourcanyons.org
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Renew your one-year membership today for only $35, and keep doing your part for the Wasatch: https://saveourcanyons.org/renew.
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Membership Benefits
• Connection to a community passionate about conservation • Discount on ALL Save Our Canyons event tickets • Direct access to our brightest conservation leaders • Ability to serve on a Save Our Canyons advisory committee • An exclusive Save Our Canyons membership event • Quarterly newsletters delivered to your door or via email (your preference) • Action Alert emails that focus on direct actions to protect the Wasatch
Other Ways To Donate
There are multiple ways you can support or donate to Save Our Canyons! Donate stocks, bonds, mutual funds, IRA accounts, real estate, life insurance, business interests, and bequests through your will or trust! If you’re interested in leaving a legacy of support for the continued preservation of this amazing range and the communities it supports please contact Sarah Sleater at sarah@saveourcanyons.org or 801-363-7283.
Save Our Canyons, Fall 2020
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NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH PERMIT NO. 7271 Citizens’ Committee to Save Our Canyons 3690 E Fort Union Blvd STE 101 Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121
As a community driven organization, our members guide and direct our work. Join us! Annual memberships are $35 and allow us to continue to advocate loudly for our water, land, recreational access and quality of life that result from a connected and protected Wasatch Mountains. It’s easy — donate online via saveourcanyons.org.
Louis Arevalo Photography https://www.louisarevalophotography.com/index