This page was intentionally left blank. Community participants: As members of the Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow Executive Committee, we would like to thank all of you for participating in the Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow process. As government agencies dedicated to the management and care of the seven major canyons in Salt Lake County, we deeply appreciate the work and countless hours members of the community have dedicated to the process. The number of involved citizens proves the important role the canyons play in this community and it further drives us to keep these lands protected and accessible for future generations. Each of us has a different role in the management of the canyons. Our collective obligations highlight the need to continue a high level of ongoing collaboration in our management. Because of our responsibilities and the essential need for collaboration, we were each very engaged in the Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow visioning process. Our intention with the Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow process was to create a public dialogue where your voice would be heard regarding the future of these canyons. The values you have voiced, and the input you have provided during this process are vital to us as we engage in future policy choices, planning, and decision-making. The Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow report gives us a thoughtful menu of recommendations for projects, best management practices, and policies to be considered as we confront current and anticipated challenges in the management of the Wasatch Canyons. Some of these recommendations can be considered for implementation relatively quickly. We also recognize that consideration of many of these recommendations will need future study and evaluation to determine their feasibility, environmental impact, compliance with federal, state and local laws, and compliance with existing management plans. The driving force behind the commencement of Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow was the recognized need to update the 1989 Salt Lake County’s Wasatch Canyons Master Plan Update, anticipated to begin this coming winter. Of particular note, and consistent with your inputCounty in Wasatch the Wasatch Canyons Canyons Master Tomorrow Plan. Therefore process, Saltit is Lakefitting County that the will publication engage the of community this report inprecedes its administration and informs of Salt its FoothillsLake and Canyon’s Overlay Zone ordinance. The US Forest Service, Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities, Town of Alta, State of Utah, and Utah Transit Authority will also look to this report to inform our work and to guide our collaboration. Again, thank you for your time and efforts. We look forward to working with all of you in the coming months and years. Together, we can chart the future of the Wasatch Canyons for today and for tomorrow. Regards, Gary Herbert, Governor Peter Corroon, Mayor State of Utah Salt Lake County Ralph Becker, Mayor Brian Ferebee, Supervisor Salt Lake City Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Mike Allegra, General Manager John Thomas, Planning Director Utah Transit Authority Utah Department of Transportation Tom Pollard, Mayor Town of Alta September 2010 Project Partners Executive Committee Members Tom Pollard Laura Briefer Cathy Kahlow John Thomas Mayor, Town of Alta Salt Lake City Public Utilities U.S. Forest Service Utah Department of Transportation State of Utah Ann Ober Mike Allegra Mike Mower Salt Lake County Mayor’s Office Utah Transit Authority Utah Governor’s Office Steering Committee Members Board Sub-Committee Salt Lake County Tom Pollard, Chair Mike Goar Wendy Fisher Members Mayor, Town of Alta The Canyons Ski Resort Utah Open Lands Chris McCandless Dan Knopt Rusty Dassing Tom Berggren Sandy City Council Silver Fork Lodge Utah Powderbird Guides Jones Waldo Holbrook & McDonough Salt Lake City Corporation Tod Young Margo Provost Sarah Bennett Brian Carrington S.L. County Planning Commission Log Haven Friends of Emigration Canyon Property Reserve Inc. Trails & Open Space and Salt Lake Josh Linker Jeff Niermeyer County Open Space Committee Gary Cornia Granite Community Council Salt Lake City Public Utilities BYU Marriott School of Business Crystal Ward Joe Smolka Laura Briefer Wasatch Back Natalie Gochnour U.S. Forest Service Emigration Canyon Community Council Salt Lake City Public Utilities Environmental Alliance Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce Funding Barbara Cameron Ben McAdams Jennifer Clancy Stephen Goldsmith Big Cottonwood Community Council Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office Friends of Alta College of Architecture and Planning Sponsors University of Utah Curtis Woodward Mike Mower Liane Stillman Salt Lake County Planning Utah Governor’s Office Cottonwood Heights Greg James KSL Television Phil Bernal Brian Bennion Polly Hart AAA of Utah Salt Lake County Public Works Salt Lake Valley Health Dept. FIDOS Eric Jergensen Contour Composites Ann Ober Peter Metcalf Shane Pace Salt Lake County Mayor’s Office CEO, Black Diamond Equipment Sandy City Public Utilities Arthur C. Nelson Metropolitan Research Center Utah Transit Authority Ann Wechsler Dana Williams Will McCarvill University of Utah Sierra Club Mayor, Park City Wasatch Mountain Club Wilf Sommerkorn Carl Fisher Sally Elliott Chuck Chappell Salt Lake City Planning Save Our Canyons Summit County Council Wasatch Front Regional Council Blaine Walker John Thomas Mike Wilson Dave DeSeelhorst Walker and Company Real Estate Ski Utah Utah Department of Transportation Metropolitan Water District of Solitude Resort Salt Lake and Sandy Mike Allegra Kate Bradshaw Utah Transit Authority Wayne Niederhauser Friends of Utah Avalanche Center Rocky Mountain Power Utah State Senate Gregory Lee John Fairchild Red Butte Garden Rolayne Fairclough Division of Wildlife Resources AAA of Utah Cathy Kahlow Jessie Walthers U.S. Forest Service Ted Wilson Cottonwood Canyons Foundation Governor’s Environmental Metro Water Carol Majeske Advisor Dave Fields U.S. Forest Service Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort David Gellner George S. and Dolores Scott Beck Salt Lake County Planning John Bennett Doré Eccles Foundation Salt Lake Visitors/Convention Bureau Utah Governor’s Office Paul Dremann Nathan Rafferty Governor’s Blue Ribbon Ski Utah Fisheries Advisory Council Sandy City Technical Committee Members Chris Chesnut Andrea Clayton Howie Garber Utah Transit Authority H. W. Lochner Engineers Wanderlust Images Town of Alta Tina Bartholomew John Guldner Nathan Rafferty Utah Transit Authority Town of Alta Planning Administrator Ski Utah Sarah Bennett John Hiskey Jonathan Knight Friends of Emigration Canyon Sandy City Community and Salt Lake Climbers Alliance Merit Medical Trails & Open Space and Salt Lake Economic Development County Open Space Committee Claudia Wheeler Jessica Hook Metropolitan Water District of Salt Lake and Sandy Don Berry Emigration Canyon Unified Fire Authority Community Council Will McCarvill Wasatch Mountain Club Michael Black Carol Majeske Talisker Corporation Cottonwood Heights U.S. Forest Service Chuck Chappell Deer Valley Wasatch Front Regional Council Laura Briefer Carol Potter Salt Lake City Public Utilities MountainTrails.org Frank Pisani The Church of Jesus Utah Department of Transportation Christ of Latter-day Joan DeGiorgio Andrea Pullos Saints Foundation The Nature Conservancy Salt Lake County Engineering Julie Faure and Tyson Bradley Utah Mountain Adventures Dana Dolsen Jeff Silvestrini Lawrence T. and Janet T. Division of Wildlife Resources Mt. Olympus Community Council Paul Diegel Dee Foundation Utah Avalanche Center Theo Dunham Teri Sommers Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Parleys Canyon Community Council Salt Lake County Sheriff Kate Bradshaw Parsons Behle & Latimer in Parks Carl Fisher Beat vonAllmen Save Our Canyons Alpentech Darlene Batatian Salt Lake Tribune: In-kind Mountainland Development Services Liam Fitzgerald Dave Wham UDOT Avalanche Utah Division of Water Quality Steve Scheid Anonymous (2) U.S. Forest Service David Gellner Jared Gerber Project Salt Lake County Planning Sandy City Planning Dept. Facilitator i Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow * Cover image courtesy Howie Garber/Wanderlust Images. Report photos by Elizabeth Pedersen and Edward Cusick unless otherwise specified. Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow Introduction 1 Introduction • Scope and Study Boundaries • Executive Summary • Goal Statements 1 Background and Natural History Area History • Canyon Descriptions • Watershed • Critical Habitat • 2003 Forest Service Plan 6 2 Recreation • Ski Industry and Tourism • Transportation A Public Process 3 Public Survey Results 19 The Vision 4 Land Use, Recreation, and Transportation Vision 35 Implementation 5 Implementation strategies 53 Table of Contents ii Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow 1 Introduction The Wasatch Mountains rise majestically over the eastern edge of the Salt Lake Valley, our region’s geographical hallmark. Historically, the mountains sustained early settlers, providing needed timber, irrigation water, drinking water and ore. They still sustain us today. The 1989 Plan Wasatch Mountains serve both public and private purposes. Nearly a million people live in WASATCH their embrace. In an arid climate, they provide much of our drinking water. They are home to CANYONS many canyon residents. Their towering peaks catch the greatest snow on earth, supporting a world-class ski industry that feeds our economy. They are our backyard, a place where we Master Plan can find peace in quiet backcountry or engage in active recreational activities such as hiking, biking, climbing, fishing, skiing, picnicking and camping. In fact, the Unita-Wasatch-Cache