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Message from the Director
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Hear Pitt and India share a special Summit announcement!
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Our grant cycle is open until March 19th, so now is the time to get started! Whether the project is small, large, or something in-between, we've got a grant for you. Take advantage of the resources we've put together to help you in your process, and contact us with questions you may have on eligibility, planning, partners, and more. This year's grant programs include:
UORG Tier 1 / Regional Asset Tier - Tier 1 funds range from $10,001 - $150,000 for new outdoor recreation infrastructure projects with an economic and tourism benefit. Regional Asset Tier funds up to $500,000 with a minimum of $2 million total project cost.
UORG Mini-Grant - This grant is for new infrastructure projects and includes a streamlined application process. The mini-grant is for smaller projects and funds between $500-$10,000.
Recreation Restoration Infrastructure Grant - Funds up to $150,000 to repair or replace existing public land infrastructure.
Utah Outdoor Classroom Grant - Funds up to $10,000 for permanently built outdoor learning spaces for Utah's K-12 youth.
Learn more by going to business.utah.gov/outdoor/grants and by reading the 2021 Grant Programs Guide.
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Utah Trails Forum
The Utah Trails Forum brings together industry  professionals, trail advocates, volunteers and community leaders to advance the building and care of natural surface trails. The Forum also serves as a learning resource for individuals throughout Utah looking to further their knowledge of trail building and maintenance. Stay tuned for upcoming event announcements!
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September 22-23 | October 27-28
OUTDOORS ELEVATED
If you watched our intro video you saw us announce the 2021 Summit theme! Stay tuned for more details about the theme coming out Tuesday.
In the meantime, we want to thank you for submitting nominations for the Outdoor Summit Awards! There are so many incredible people and organizations across the state that we received the maximum number of responses for our SurveyMonkey account and created a Google Form where you can still nominate before July 16.
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Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development Survey - With Prizes!
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Many of you know that The Utah Office of Outdoor Recreation is one of the many great offices in the greater Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED). This February, we ask you to show some love by completing a quick 14-question survey regarding your perceptions of GOED. In return, GOED is providing 'In Utah' swag, including face masks, baseball hats, beanies, t-shirts, and stickers, to 50 randomly selected survey participants.
We invite you, your colleagues, family and friends to take this perception survey and enter for your chance to receive free 'In Utah' swag (one entry per email address; items will be mailed to selected participants).
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Summit Speaker Series Updates
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February 25th Postponed
The February 25th Snowsports Industries America (SIA) Town Hall presented in partnership with the Utah Summit Speaker Series is postponed. For updates, and to learn about upcoming SIA Town Hall events (like "Inclusive Marketing" on March 11), click here.
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Virtual Summit Speaker Series coming up March 18th, 10:00-11:00 AM:
Outdoors, Mental Health, & Suicide Prevention
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We'll send another email soon with more details and a link to register.
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Outdoor Industry & Community News
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Opening the door to a new outdoor recreation center
Weber State University’s new Welcome and Outdoor Recreation Building opened its doors on Feb. 3, and both the Outdoor Program and Admissions Departments will have a home in the building. Along with the biggest climbing wall on a campus in the state, the new center brings with it a ski-tuning shop, a technical training center and 30 new student jobs. Read the full story here.
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Utah Tourism Industry Association Appoints Natalie Randall as Executive Director
The Utah Tourism Industry Association (UTIA) has announced the appointment of Natalie Randall as its new executive director. Randall most recently served as the Economic Development and Tourism Director for San Juan County where she led a successful rebranding campaign and strategy, implemented destination development initiatives and worked with numerous partners to enhance the positive impacts of the visitor economy to the region. Read the full story here.
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Bears Ears Opponent, Supporter Team up for Bill To Benefit Community
Rep. Lyman, R-Blanding, is teaming up with Rep. Doug Owens, D-Millcreek, on a bipartisan bill that would help to create a visitors' center outside Bears Ears National Monument. The bill would create a task force to build a visitors' center for the Bears Ears National Monument "as a means to enhance the area’s cultural and historical significance and to better manage increasing visitation and the growing impact of outdoor recreation and tourism in and around Bears Ears National Monument." Read the full story here.
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Tom Adams: We Must Pay To Protect the People We Call To Utah’s Mountains
After a tragic weekend amid an already challenging season of avalanches, Tom Adams, chief operating officer of Petzl America and a former director of Utah’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, discusses the history in establishing the Avalanche Awareness Week, the growing rate of backcountry use, and how we can better prepare the users and support those groups involved in search and rescue and public education. Read the full op-ed here.
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Upcoming Events & Webinars
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SCORP Community of Practice
Beginning Feb. 16, SORP will host a monthly networking Zoom call for those involved, directly or indirectly, in drafting Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans (SCORP). Free free to drop in, the third Tuesdays every month, 1-2p.m. Pacific Time. The first few sessions will be an informal roundtable, and subsequent meetings may be topic- specific with invited speakers. The goal is to share best practices, network, and collaborate.
Email laurel.harkness@recpro.org with any questions or ideas.
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2021 UTAH BIKE SUMMIT
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE: MARCH 30-APRIL 1
OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE: APRIL 6
The Utah Bike Summit is the state bicycle conference, open to bicycle enthusiasts and advocates, elected officials, bike shops, manufacturers, infrastructure engineers, planners, transportation professionals, health officials, tourism professionals, and the general public. This event features speakers, training sessions, networking opportunities, and discussions focusing on how to make Utah a better place to ride.
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Outride Fund
Empowering Communities To Launch Youth Cycling Initiatives
The Outride Fund supports projects related to youth cycling through dollar-for-dollar matching grants, including education, youth rider development, bike-cooperatives, earn-a-bike programs, and trail/bike park/pump track projects . The process is simple—an organization launches a fundraising campaign with Outride’s fundraising platform and applies for match funds up to $15,000.
Winter applications open Jan. 11 - March 11, 2021.
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Applications for the $100,000 Incentive Prize Are Now Open
Do you have an exciting idea to advance climate resilience and break down barriers to racial equity in your community? Can nature-based solutions help your neighborhood or hometown realize transformational change?
The Thriving Cities Challenge is now accepting proposals from teams who want to improve equity, health, and resilience where they live.
Learn more here.
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Active Transportation Counter Design Contest - up to $10,000 Award
Multiple organizations concerned with active transportation, including Bike Utah, Cache County, MAG, UDOT, Utah Ignite, Utah Valley University, and WFRC have come together to create a design competition to create a low- cost active transportation counter.
The existing active transportation counter market has not provided a price point that allows for widespread implementation. Comprehensive active transportation count data is necessary to make a case for supporting biking and walking infrastructure. Many transportation budget decisions are made based on the measured demand. In many cases, pedestrians and cyclists are underrepresented due to a lack of viable ways to measure their activity. Keeping the price down is key to installing the counters at scale.
The competition begins on Feb. 16th and is advertised to engineering firms, tech startups, and university engineering programs. The competition winner will receive up to $10,000 and access to UVU’s Smart City and Fabrication Lab’s prototyping equipment.
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Field Research Assistant
Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
 This temporary position (less than three months) assists in collecting social science data for the National Park Service in the Escalante District of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Duties include conducting on-site, face-to-face surveys of visitors at different access points into canyons. Data will be used to help area managers make decisions about visitor use.
Candidates will work for several weeks in March 2021, with most of the position duration camping in remote backcountry settings. Multiple positions available at $15.00/hr. from Late April-Mid May 2021. Additional availability in October for further data collection is preferred but not required.
The position is listed at the Utah State University employment website and search for position number 4243692. Please also send your resume/CV, cover letter, and any questions to caleb.meyer@usu.edu.
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Position: Product Manager - Salt Lake City
The Product Manager is responsible for the product categories within a given Business Unit structure, from executing the strategic direction to partnering with the development team to guide projects from initial concept through commercialization. See the full position details here.
Position: Pro Sales Manager - Salt Lake City
This role oversees growing sales and membership of the BD Professional Program at the individual + organization level. As the BD Professional Manager, this person will identify and pursue business opportunities associated with individual industry professionals and key organizations. Responsibilities include but are not limited to growing the base of individual professionals entering the program by working with sales reps, outside agencies, and optimization of internal platforms at BD. See the full position details here.
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Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program
Are you interested in becoming a Utah Cultural Site Steward? Join the Utah  State Historic Preservation Office for a Stewardship Basic Training. The training will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on March 20, 2021. This is part one of a two-part training. Part one is virtual classroom-style training. For the second part of the stewardship basic training, you will be introduced to the site that you will be monitoring. Each volunteer will be worked with individually to determine site location and visitation after your initial training.
Sign up for these free trainings to help protect Utah's archaeology.
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Bountiful Ice Ribbon
As part of its effort to create a vibrant downtown core and revitalize its historic Main Street area, Bountiful City recently finished this all-season skating ribbon, a key element in the larger downtown plaza improvements. This 514 linear foot, 7,200 square foot ice ribbon/multi-use path was developed in a partnership with the South Davis Recreation District and a Utah Outdoor Recreation Grant. This skating ribbon gives residents and visitors to Davis County a convenient and fun recreation opportunity close to home. This project will bring additional jobs to Bountiful, and serve as an economic driver that attracts people to the city center. You can see the hours and make a reservation to enjoy this new amenity here!
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Here are a few more UORG projects now open for the public to enjoy!
Find more projects funded throughout the state.
If you want to learn more about UORG, or our other grants, watch this video from the 2021 virtual grant workshop or visit business.utah.gov/outdoor/grants.
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