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UPCOMING EVENTS
February 24
Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Open House, 7 - 9PM at the Fire Station
March 10
Pet Licensing Clinics with SLCo Animal Services, Noon - 2PM, Rotary Glen Park Pavilion
May 2
Firewise (Wildfire Community Preparedness Day) Open House and Pancake Breakfast, 9AM - Noon at the Fire Station
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Metro Township Council
February 27, 7 PM at the Fire Station
Typically 4th Thursday of each month
Community Council
February 11, 7 PM at the Fire Station
Typically 2nd Tuesday of each month
Planning Commission
The planning commission is working on the General Plan for Emigration Canyon. Check here for updates & meeting schedule.
Community Calendar (subscribe)
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Emigration Canyon News
With the dawn of a new year, we would like to wish you all good things for 2020 and beyond. A new year provides an opportunity to reflect on the people and happenings in our community, what is working well, where we have challenges, and the opportunities in front of us.
In looking back on 2019, there was much to be grateful for. Canyon residents were impacted by landslides and wildfire, thankfully experiencing no losses of life or property. What stands out is how our community members came together during these natural emergencies to volunteer, provide a warm meal, a comfortable bed for those who were evacuated, and give each other emotional support, all exemplifying some of the finest qualities of our community.
2019 marked a year of passing for friends and neighbors, including Fred Smolka, Lori Smolka, Vaughn Smith and Ardell Carroll. Although we who serve on the Community Council do not have the names of all who are no longer with us, we wish to remember those who have passed and acknowledge you who keep their memory alive.
New members to the Metro Township Council (ECMT) and Community Council (ECCC) were selected in 2019. Rin Harris was elected to ECMT and incumbents David Brems and Jennifer Hawkes were re-elected. We welcomed new members Michael Jimenez, Tyler Tippetts and Matt Velinder to the community council, replacing outgoing members. Both ECMT and ECCC members invest many hours each month providing community leadership, listening to your ideas and concerns and working to make the services that you pay for work well. If you have not recently attended one of our council meetings, please join us! ECMT, our governing body, meets the fourth Thursday of each month and ECCC meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the fire station, unless otherwise posted. For more information please visit our website at www.emigrationcanyon.org
The new year holds big improvements for canyon residents; the most visible will be the resurfacing of the main canyon road. Please stay tuned for estimated construction dates and other important details which may impact your commute and recreational use of the road. During the first half of the year we will all be invited to participate in the 2020 census, the Planning Commission will recommend updates to the Emigration Canyon General Plan, and May 2nd will bring the annual Firewise event. Please participate in each of these activities as all of them are vital to the health and wellbeing of our community! We hope you will visit our website, friend us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EmigrationCanyonCC/, and join us at our events and meetings!
During this season of new resolutions and dreams for the year to come, we wish each of you the joy of being with those you love, vibrant health, and peace as we begin the year anew.
-The ECCC Executive Team
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Come One, Come All! Community Emergency Response Team Open House - Feb 24
 After last year's wildfire and increasing awareness of the significant earthquake hazard in our area, there is interest in forming a Community Emergency Response Team (“CERT”) group in the canyon. CERT is a national program that trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. This group would be made up of community members who have an interest in helping their fellow residents and neighbors in the event of a natural disaster.
An Open House, presented by United Fire Authority, will be held Monday night, February 24th. Stop by any time between the hours of 7 and 9pm. UFA will have a CERT representative on hand to answer question regarding what CERT is, what it means to be a CERT member, commitment and training required for a CERT member and group. We will have a contact sheet for those that are interested.
If you are already CERT certified, please drop by or email Tyler Tippetts tyler@tippetts.cc to stay involved! CERT training requirements are changing this year so for those of you that it has been a few years come check it out as well. If there is enough interest in the canyon, we can schedule a training at the fire house for the group.
And lastly, bring your friends and neighbors! If 20 people to sign up for CERT, we'll hold a drawing is for a pair of Baofeng GT-22 radios with free programing for a year!
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Emigration Canyon History Book - New Edition Available!
The Second Edition of the book: History of Emigration Canyon: Gateway to the Salt Lake Valley (2019) by Jeffrey Carlstrom and Cynthia Furse is now available! Read more about the Emigration Canyon history book at https://emigrationcanyonhistory.wordpress.com/
 The authors have made this edition available three ways:
1. As a black and white paperback ($17.58),
2. As a color hardcover ($92.52), or
3. As a FREE pdf.
The book is “print-on-demand” which means an individual copy is printed, bound, and mailed to you upon your order. The printing and binding takes 3-5 days, and the shipping depends on your choice of mailing options.
Cindy says: This is a labor of love, and we are taking no profit on the book. Instead, if you feel inclined, please consider donating to your favorite local charity (Camp K, perhaps?).
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Emigration Canyon Metro Township General Plan Update
In 2019, Emigration Canyon Metro Township Council, in collaboration with the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, determined that an update to the Emigration Canyon Township General Plan was in order. A Steering Committee for the 2020 General Plan is being led by Robert Pinon (Chair, EC Planning Commission) with EC Planning Commissioners Dale Berreth, Tim Harpst, Jim Karkut, and Andy Wallace, as well as Steve Borst (Chair, EC Community Council), Paul Brown (President, Emigration Oaks Homeowners Association), Bill Tobey (Firewise), and Willy Stokman (EC Sustainability Alliance). Wendy Gurr and Daniel Quintanilla, planners from the Municipal Services District, are facilitating the plan development process.
The Steering Committee is revisiting the contents of the 2012 plan to ensure it is both relevant today and supports future planning activities over the coming decade. The plan covers topics including transportation, telecommunications, environment, safety, sanitation and recreation. It is expected that a draft of the 2020 plan will be presented by the Steering Committee in the spring of 2020 to the Metro Township Council for review and eventual adoption. Should you have any questions regarding the Steering Committee’s activities, please feel free to reach out to RobertOPinon@gmail.com.
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 Election Update
On November 5th, 2019 an election was held for the Emigration Canyon Metro Township Council. Jennifer Hawkes (incumbent), David Paul Brems (incumbent), and Catherine Harris were each elected to a four year term.
No election was held for the Emigration Improvement District. Only two candidates filed for two open seats, David C Bradford (incumbent) and Michael Hughes (incumbent).
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Firewise Time and Expense Investments: Beyond Trimming and Thinning
On November 15, 2019, Emigration Township filed its annual application to be certified a Firewise Community in Good Standing for another 12 months, a status we’ve maintained for 18 years. As many of you know, this requires us to demonstrate our ongoing commitment by investing a minimum of one hour per household in volunteer labor or community spending on wildfire safety and preparedness. Based on the most recent census (2010) of canyon households (589) and the current Firewise cost basis (one volunteer hour valued at $25.43 per residential unit), our required investment for 2019 was $14,978.27.
Our completed application listed $44,015.16 in total time and spending, three times the required minimum. This included 514 hours of resident labor around the spring chipper event, a further 455 hours in other home and neighborhood fuel reduction activities, and 173 volunteer hours of administrative and event coordination activity. The Emigration Oaks HOA spent $13,374 on contractor services for common area thinning and roadside weed clearance, and we claimed $2,500 for roadside clearing along the Killyon’s Canyon Road—performed by the Municipal Services District on behalf of the Emigration Metro Township Council.
Our recert application was quickly approved, extending the township’s Firewise membership through November 2020. As a community, we’ve made ourselves a little bit safer from the persistent threat of wildfire destruction, and fulfilled our requirement for earning state financial support for wildland firefighting within Emigration Canyon. Thanks to all of you who made the effort to track and share your time and spending.
Of course the work of wildfire preparedness and risk reduction never ends, and winter months are the natural time for planning and preparation. As each canyon household considers how it might reduce its wildfire risk, an excellent starting place is the list of Firewise-approved Time and Expense Examples.
The list includes ideas for both homeowners and municipal officials. Fuel reduction activities figure prominently, but they’re only the beginning. Dozens of other residential improvements are approved for Firewise investment credit, including:
- Installing a chimney-top spark arrestor
- Retrofitting soffited eaves with open construction
- Replacing vinyl gutters with metal
- Weather-stripping garage doors to keep embers out
- Replacing combustible mulch materials with stone or gravel
- Contractor expense for upgrading the home exterior with ignition-resistant materials
Read the full list at this link. Consider your full range of options for making your home safer next fire season. And please remember to report your Firewise-approved volunteer activities and expenditures for inclusion in next year’s recertification request. A quick email to firewise84108@gmail.com is all it takes.
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A Pinecrest Christmas Snowstorm
A Prose poem
Our snowy hillside limned with skeletons of trees and icicle fingers hanging from our eaves, niveous white frosting glistening in yards and on roofs. Moose tracks in the lane, snowshoe rabbit tracks on the stairs, and icy fog obscuring mountain tops. Then true snow came hammering the mountainside with gusto while we slept chinked up snug in our beds. Next morning no animal tracks to be seen in the lane or on stairs. Outside all was still. Overnight nature dished up a view of seafoam frosting sliding down icy slopes and trees with their hands dangling from puffy white sleeves.
©Georgia Baddley, December 2016
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Congratulations to the new Eagle Scouts!
Troop 1508 of the Boy Scouts is one of the troops serving Emigration Canyon. We had a great year in 2019 and appreciate all of the help and assistance we received from the community supporting our activities and service projects. This year we had several scouts earn their rank of Eagle almost all of which did their service projects in the canyon or at This is the Place Heritage Park. Congratulations to Seth Luke, Nick Allen, Luke Romney, Austin Allen, Joseph Fenton, Oliver Winger, Hyrum Winger, and Andrew van Wagoner, who have earned or are scheduled to earn the rank of Eagle Scout in 2019.
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NHMU Wants Your Help: Have you seen fox squirrels in Emigration Canyon?
 Fox squirrels are new to Utah. They were first reported in Salt Lake County in 2011. Scientists at the Natural History Museum of Utah have launched a citizen science project to track the squirrels’ dispersal in urban forests along the Wasatch Front. One of the areas they are particularly interested in is Emigration Canyon. If the pattern in other Western cities holds true here, fox squirrels will be able to live in areas modified by humans (especially with deciduous trees and birdfeeders), but won’t inhabit less developed lands. As Emigration Canyon presents a gradient of less and more developed areas, it offers a great place to learn about the limits of fox squirrel habitat locally.
With their long bushy tails, orange bellies, and impressive size, fox squirrels are easy to spot. Contributing observations of the fox squirrels in your neighborhood to the Utah Fox Squirrels citizen science project is easy, too. Just download the free iNaturalist app to your mobile device, photograph the squirrels you see, and upload your observations. You can learn more about identifying fox squirrels and submitting your photos to the Utah Fox Squirrels project at http://nhmu.utah.edu/programs/utah-fox-squirrels.
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 Winter Safety Message: Space Heaters
During winter, many people use space heaters in the home to stay warm. While the warmth is nice, they pose a significant hazard in the home if not used correctly. Improper use of electric space heaters can lead to house fires and/or injury. Following the tips below can help you stay safe and warm during the cold winter months.
- Space heaters need space! Keep heaters at least 3 ft away from any objects.
- Plug heaters directly into a wall outlet, as extension cords and power strips can overheat.
- Ensure cords and plugs are not damaged, and have no visible cracks, frays or exposed wires.
- Place heaters on a flat, level surface.
- Keep heaters out of high-traffic areas, such as hallways and doorways.
- Ensure young children and pets do not play near space heaters while in use.
- Never leave space heaters unattended. Turn them off before leaving the room.
- Make sure smoke detectors in the home are in working condition and tested regularly.
- Do not use fuel-burning heaters inside the home.
And a reminder... "Change You Clocks... Change Your Batteries." Working smoke detectors save lives. Remember to change the batteries in your smoke detector with the time change.
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