Community Calendar
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Upcoming Meetings:
Metro Township Council
Next meeting: July 27, 7pm
Meeting information
Typically the fourth Tuesday of each month
Community Council
Next meeting: July 13, 7pm
Meeting information
Typically the second Tuesday of each month
Municipal Services District
Next meetings: July 14 6pm; July 28, 6pm
Meeting information
Metro Township Planning Commission
To be announced...
Meeting information
Emigration Improvement District
To be announced...
Meeting information
Typically the second Thursday of each month
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Emigration Canyon News
In this newsletter, you will find:
- Updates on the (already started!) chipping program for reducing wildfire risk
- Information on fireworks bans and how to report illegal fireworks
- News about a watershed plan that is being conducted to address water quality issues in Emigration Creek
- A final reminder about filling out your wildfire risk awareness survey
- Information about a free program from the USDA for eliminating nuisance raccoons and skunks
- An announcement from the Emigration Canyon Sustainability Alliance about an upcoming watershed community event
- News and reminders from Wasatch Front Waste & Recycling
Your Emigration Canyon Community Council
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Chipping Is Underway!
As we race to get this newsletter into your mailbox the UFA fuels crew is already chipping its way through the upper canyon, reducing piles of tree limbs and brush to much smaller piles of wood chip mulch. With more manpower than last year and a somewhat smaller workload, they may well finish in less than the two weeks we have budgeted, but they will still make just one pass through the canyon. Please do not bring additional material to the roadside after they have passed. It will not be processed.
And when the chipper falls silent, please consider sharing with us your time and expenses for this round of fuel reduction and defensible space creation—if you haven’t already. Just send a quick email to firewise84108@gmail.com. We can count your time and spending toward the township’s annual Firewise requirement for wildfire risk reduction. Maintaining this certification helps lower home fire insurance premiums and qualifies the township for state support of wildland firefighting costs. Thanks to all of you who participated in Chipper Weeks 2021. All our homes and families are a little bit safer for your effort.
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Fifty Ways to Say, “No Fireworks!”
Utah authorities are pulling out all the stops to make sure everyone understands the extreme hazards of personal fireworks use in an exceptional drought like the one we’re now experiencing, and to educate the public on the many areas where fireworks are now prohibited. Before you light that roman candle, take a minute to listen as a chorus of Salt Lake County fire chiefs exhort us all to take a year off from our favorite recreational explosives.
Most of Salt Lake County is off limits, and all of Emigration Canyon is
Fireworks restrictions have been announced for most of Salt Lake County and all of Emigration Canyon, and hefty fines are in place for anyone who lights up in a lights-out location. Check out this interactive map for an up-to-the-moment view of pyrotechnic prohibitions.
Report Illegal Fireworks Use If You See or Hear It
For those of us who live in the Wasatch foothills and canyons, fireworks use during desperately parched conditions is a threat to our lives and homes. If you see or hear someone setting off fireworks in a restricted area, use the numbers below to report the facts immediately.
- Salt Lake City and Sandy City: 801-799-3000
- All Other Salt Lake County Municipalities: 801-840-4000
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Planning to Protect Our Watershed
Emigration Canyon Metro Township has launched a watershed planning effort to address the longstanding water quality issues in Emigration Creek. Acting on a proposal by the Emigration Canyon Sustainability Alliance, the township applied for and received a $40,000 grant from the Utah Division of Water Quality to develop a new management plan based on EPA standards and an integrated watershed approach.
To help us create that plan, the township has hired River Restoration, a group of engineers and watershed scientists with a strong stewardship ethic and a track record of creating solutions that enhance the social, economic and ecological values flowing in rivers. Watershed ecologist Eric McCulley leads the firm’s Salt Lake City office and brings to this assignment more than 15 years of experience in planning, implementing and managing ecological restoration and wetland mitigation projects across western North America. Locally he’s served on the Jordan River Commission’s Technical Advisory Committee for almost a decade.
Eric and the River Restoration team are now in the early stages of a holistic planning process that will identify and engage stakeholders, characterize the watershed, assess impairments, establish remediation goals, identify technical solutions, and quantify the necessary financial resources. When the plan is complete in March 2022, we’ll be ready to pursue funding in time for implementation during the following year.
Residents and others with an interest in the canyon watershed can engage the project team and provide input in several ways.
- Take a brief online survey you’ll find here.
- Email the team at ecmetro@riverrestoration.org to sign up for notifications, submit a comment, or ask a question
- Download a PDF of the map shown above, add a comment or story and email it to the team
- Visit myemigrationcreek.org and use the Submit Story feature to pin a location and tell us a tale
Help us to finally start the process of creating positive change in canyon water quality by providing your input before July 19 at 4:30 PM.
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Wildfire Risk and Perspectives: One Last Chance
If you still have your questionnaire for the wildfire risk awareness survey that was mailed to all canyon homes earlier this spring, please consider completing and returning it. Our response rate currently stands at about 40 percent—not bad, but not what we’d hoped. The Forest Service research team has started data processing, but they can still include any surveys that are received in the next 10 days. Your responses will help the team investigate our community’s knowledge of wildfire, our attitudes toward fire-related risk, and our readiness to respond to a fire emergency. The resulting data will help the township benchmark its progress in preparing for a serious wildfire event. It will also help county, state, and federal agencies develop more effective programs to inform, motivate and prepare at-risk communities like ours. There’s still time, and your participation is both important and appreciated.
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Eliminating Nuisance Raccoons and Skunks
Do you have a serious problem with raccoons or skunks? If so, you might be interested in a U.S. Department of Agriculture service that is available to canyon homeowners through an agreement with Salt Lake County Animal Services. If you trap the offending animal alive and call the local USDA office, one of the agency’s wildlife specialists will come to your home and pick up the animal. Note that all removed animals are euthanized, not relocated.
To learn more about this service, please download and read the program description in its entirety. In addition, you must download and fill out the highlighted portions of USDA WS Form 12C before pickup. These documents and other resources for living with canyon wildlife are available on the community council website. |
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Coming This Fall: A Watershed Community Event
The Sustainability Alliance, in coordination with the ECCC, is planning to organize a watershed community event this fall to support creation of the Watershed Plan. The goal is to provide education and opportunities for residents to become involved and discuss solutions to water quality problems and other issues related to the health of the watershed.
We hope to hold the event sometime in September at an in-canyon location to be announced, with food trucks, live music, fun and educational activities for the kids, and informational booths by local and regional organizations. We are planning to invite Utah Open Lands, Salt Lake County Watershed and Restoration, Wild Utah, Jordan River Commission, 7 Canyon Trust, and many others to participate and share their knowledge and expertise with residents. The event will also include 10-minute presentations on the watershed, followed by a panel discussion lead by Eric McCulley of River Restoration.
Community participation is welcome and much appreciated. We are looking for residents interested in sharing their love and knowledge of the canyon. There are many ways to participate: Organize a history booth, provide information on native plants or wildflowers, display your favorite canyon photographs, provide local birding information, or educate residents about your water conservation project. All local artists are invited to display and sell their work. To discuss your ideas or provide additional suggestions please contact emigrationsustainability@gmail.com. Thanks for your support!
Stay tuned for more information on this event in the coming months.
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Wasatch Front Waste and Recycling Updates
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International Plastic Bag Free Day
On July 3rd, Wasatch Front Waste & Recycling District will join other organizations around the world in support of International Plastic Bag Free Day.
There are a lot of good ways to celebrate, and the easiest requires a simple resolution from each individual. Even if just for one day, choose paper over plastic; or even better, bring your own bags to the retailers to pick up your goods. Some stores even offer discounts or other perks for the customers that bring their own!
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Fireworks Disposal
The summer holidays are quickly approaching. Fireworks and barbecues are common ways to celebrate. We remind all residents that fireworks and fire pit/barbecue ashes must be completely cooled before placing them in the waste cans. Smoldering fireworks or embers will melt the can and create a larger fire hazards on our trucks.
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Can Placements
Please remember to keep your garbage/recycle/green cans at least three feet away from each other and from other objects, such as cars, trees, or mailboxes. This space is needed for the automated collection arms on our trucks to safely grab and empty the cans.
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Bicycle Lanes
We ask all residents to be aware of marked and identified bicycle lanes in front of their residence, and to make sure that they do not place their cans in these lanes, which cause obstacles and hazards for bicyclists.
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