UPCOMING EVENTS
Saturday, May 4th
FIREWISE, 9AM-Noon at the Fire Station

Saturday, May 11th
Emigration Canyon History Field Trip, 11AM-1PM

Week of May 20th
Chipper Week in Emigration Canyon

June 13, Sept 12, & Dec 12
Pet Licensing Clinics with SLCo Animal Services, Noon-2PM at the Fire Station

PUBLIC MEETINGS
Metro Township Council
4th Thursday of each month, 7 PM at the Fire Station. Next Meetings: May 23, June 27

Community Council
2nd Tuesday of each month, 7 PM at the Fire Station. Next Meetings: May 14, June 11

Emigration Canyon News

Dear Emigration Canyon Residents,

This email contains important information for all canyon residents about upcoming events. First, our annual "Fire Day" or Community Wildfire Preparedness Day will be on Saturday May 4th, from 9am to noon, at the fire station. We hope you all will join us to learn about preparing your home for a wildfire and how to be ready in the event of an evacuation. And of course, the free pancake breakfast! On May 11th from 11am-1pm, our canyon history buffs will lead a free History Field Trip for all canyon residents. Please RSVP by emailing: EmigrationCanyonUT@gmail.com. Then the week of May 20th, we'll be organizing another "chipper week" to help you remove brush from your properties. And lastly, we are seeking suggestions for municipal services projects. Please submit your ideas for repair of any major maintenance or safety issue to EmigrationCanyonUT@gmail.com by May 10th. Read more about each of these below.

Our spring "snail mail" newsletter, with all this information and more, should have arrived in your mailboxes last week. In case you missed it, here's a link to the full PDF version of the newsletter.

Best wishes for a great spring!

Emigration Canyon Community Council 

Fire Day, Chipper Week: May is Wildfire Risk Reduction Month

Summer is coming. 

It may be hard to believe after this winter's endless snow and rain, but the green spring wave now racing up the canyon will too soon turn to wildfire tinder. Before that happens we've scheduled two events to help prepare our homes and neighborhoods for the fires to come. 

Saturday May 4 Is Fire Day

Fire Day is an annual opportunity for every canyon household to reassess its own wildfire preparedness:

• Are our houses fire-hardened and protected by defensible perimeters?
• Have we subscribed to the community's emergency communication service?
• Have we made and practiced an evacuation plan?

Time: 9:00 a.m. - Noon

Location: The Canyon Fire Station, 5025 Emigration Canyon Road 

Chipper Week Starts Monday May 20 

Did winter storms litter your property with crippled trees and shattered branches? Have the Gambel Oaks reclaimed the defensible space you cleared just a few years ago? Well, pull on your gloves and fire up your chainsaws, because starting May 20 crews from United Fire Authority will be in the canyon chipping roadside brush piles into landscape mulch. Any material up to 12 inches in diameter that we clear from our properties and pile at the roadside edge will be chipped and left for our use. 

If you want to participate: 

• Pile your brush by the roadside (main road or any secondary canyon road) by the morning of May 20. We won't be able to service driveways and will make only one pass through the canyon. Material brought to the road after crews have passed will not be chipped. 
• Stack your brush in a single direction so the pile is easy to unload.
• Be careful to not obstruct road shoulders or bike lanes.
• To be sure we don't miss your home, please email your street address to firewise84108@gmail.com.  
• Please track and report your time and anything you spend on arborist services. Every hour (and dollar) we spend on wildfire fuel reduction earns credit toward our annual Firewise Community recertification. 

Check the community council website (www.emigrationcanyon.org) for updates and additional information on this program. 

The Community Council Seeks Your Input on Canyon Improvement Projects

The Emigration Canyon Community Council (ECCC), in partnership with the Emigration Canyon Metro Township Council, is seeking community input between now and May 10th on public improvement projects, particularly that would impact safety.  Examples might be: clearing brush to reduce wildfire risk, adding a barrier to the edge of an exposed roadway, signage to improve an unsafe roadway or parking situation, road striping, and other hazards.

If you've been concerned by something that seems like a public safety hazard or other municipal need in your neighborhood, please send a detailed description to EmigrationCanyonUT@gmail.com before May 10th. Include your name and phone number, the exact location, and pictures if possible. The Community Council will compile improvement requests and deliver them to the EC Metro Township Council. Projects will be considered in the context of the severity of their concern as well as current and future available funding.

Canyon History Field Trip on May 11th; Talks, Stories & Lore

Last autumn, one of the authors of The History of Emigration Canyon, Jeff Carlstrom, led a wonderful canyon history field trip. Jeff delighted participants with stories and lore he has collected in many years studying Emigration Canyon history. We received many requests for more, so we are delighted to bring you more history walks this year! The first history walk of 2019 will take place on Saturday, May 11th from 11AM to 1PM. We'll meet at the Donner Monument at the mouth of the canyon. All are welcome to attend; please sign up by emailing EmigrationCanyonUT@gmail.com. Please carpool if possible since there will be limited parking at stops along the way.

We hope to plan at least one more history walk later this summer or fall; for info, check your email and our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/EmigrationCanyonCC/. 

Our canyon history buffs would also be delighted to share more stories and lore with you in ‘fireside chats’ in your neighborhood. If you would be interested in hosting a fireside chat at your home for your neighbors, please send a note to EmigrationCanyonUT@gmail.com and include your name, contact information, and possible dates. We welcome your suggestions on history topics. Please let us know what you’re most curious about and we’ll aim to program your topics into walks, talks, story-telling & sharing of canyon lore!