Conservation project in Summit County awarded $40 million in federal funding
A conservation project in Summit County has been awarded $40 million in federal funding through the Forest Legacy Program.
The Wasatch Back Forest Conservation Project aims to safeguard the largest remaining privately-owned forest in the Wasatch Mountains, connecting it to a 52,000-acre corridor of protected land. The project will also restore five miles of creek habitat, aiding the recovery of the Bonneville Cutthroat Trout.
The USDA Forest Service is providing over $150 million in grants to 26 projects across 17 states that are working to conserve working forests which support rural economies.
The funding is made possible through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Dreamscapes exhibit looking for new home as hockey team moves in
An immersive art exhibit at Sandy mall is looking for a new home as Utah’s professional hockey team moves in.
The Shops at South Town mall recently made an agreement with the Smith Entertainment Group to build the team’s practice facility on mall grounds. Because of this, Dreamscapes, which sits on the second floor of the mall, will have to close at its current location at the end of June.
As of Tuesday, the Utah Art Alliance says a new location has not been finalized, but they will use the temporary closure to “re-imagine” what Dreamscapes could look like in the future.
See walleye fish at Strawberry Reservoir? Kill and report it, officials say
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is asking fishers at Strawberry Reservoir to kill and report any walleye fish, which they believe were illegally introduced to the reservoir last year.
The reservoir is typically home to cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and kokanee salmon, but in December 2023, an angler reported catching a walleye.
When a fish is illegally introduced to a body of water, the Division said, it can negatively impact the area by degrading water quality, introducing disease, and hurting current fish populations through competition and direct predation.
Any fishers who catch a walleye at Strawberry Reservoir are asked to provide specific information about the catch such as location, date, time, and a picture of the fish.
Reports can be made by contacting the division’s Central Region Aquatics Biologist Wes Pearce at 801-455-2010 or by emailing strawberryreservoir@utah.gov.
