To All Those Who Love The Wasatch

December 2018

To all those who love the Wasatch,

It has been a busy few months at the CWC. In June, the CWC Board hired Ralph Becker as Executive Director, and in August, hired Jesse Dean as Deputy Director, and Lindsey Nielsen as Communications Director. Together, Ralph, Jesse, Lindsey, and the CWC Board have the opportunity to represent you as stewards for the many interests in the Central Wasatch.

It’s a big job. The CWC is tasked with balancing the recreation, environmental, economic, transportation, and many other interests in a project area that spans from Summit County to the Southernmost boundary of Salt Lake County, a watershed that the Salt Lake Valley relies on for drinking water, and a delicate ecosystem that millions of people visit every year.

We wanted to share with you a little of what we’ve accomplished over these past several months, and what lays ahead for the CWC in 2019.

Since June

Since June, staff have been busy building a governmental entity from the ground up. Here’s what that entails:

• The CWC website and social media platforms launched, we designed the new CWC brand, created official CWC email addresses, and printed business cards for staff (ask for one!).
• Plans for a new office space at The Gateway in Salt Lake City were drafted and construction began.
• The CWC hosted a Board Retreat in October. There, the overall direction and input for a strategic vision for the CWC was determined.
• A 35-member Stakeholder Council was created after over 100 people applied.
• The Environmental Dashboard project was transferred from Salt Lake County to the CWC in 2018. Work on the Dashboard will resume in 2019.
• The CWNCRA went through three new drafts of proposed Congressional legislation, and a proposed Bill was approved by the CWC Board in November.

Here are some numbers

• 2 trail-maintenance work days
• 3 drafts of the CWNCRA, with 8 technical amendments that will be implemented into subsequent drafts
• 3 Project Area tours with the Utah Congressional Delegation staff, and other Utah public officials
• 5 press releases
• 7 newsletters
• 9 public meetings
• 45 meetings and conference calls with community councils, city and county councils, business owners, State legislators, and private citizens
• More than 50 meetings, correspondences, and proposals among the members of a Alta Ski Lifts/Grizzly Gulch working group members to reach a solution tenable for all stakeholders
• Over 400 public comments and responses
• 482 social media followers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter (are you following us?)

Looking to 2019

• The CWC staff will move into the new office space at The Gateway in Salt Lake City adjacent to the Wasatch Front Regional Council.
• Work will continue with the Little Cottonwood Canyon Environmental Impact Statement, and the CWC will co-lead the Transportation Corridor Study with UDOT. The projected completion of these studies is late 2020.
• Work will resume with the Environmental Dashboard, which is projected to reach completion late 2019.
• The Stakeholder Council will begin regularly meeting.
• The CWC Board will meet on a regular, monthly basis on the first Monday of every month, unless otherwise noted. .
• We will continue to refine the CWNCRA, and work towards consensus among all stakeholders involved. A new draft of the CWNCRA will be ready for release in January and the CWC will work with the Utah Congressional Delegation to seek introduction and passage.
• As an outcome of the Board Retreat, a strategic plan will be developed and published on the website.
• Regular communication with you will continue through newsletters, social media blasts, blog posts, press releases,website content, meetings and direct communications.

In 2019, we’ll keep working to coordinate among all the many Central Wasatch Mountains interests. We hope you’ll keep talking to us about what’s important to you. December can be  a busy time of year, and all of us from the CWC hope you find time this month to get outside and enjoy what’s brought us all together: the Central Wasatch.

Sincerely,

Chris, Ralph, Jesse, and Lindsey