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
Save Our Canyons, Fall 2020
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