News

The Boston Crew in Alta!: January 27, 2012

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• Bill Levitt Fellowship - Congratulations Will Springmeyer for being this winter's BL Fellow.

• Snowshoe tours in Alta

• FOA's Fall Newsletter: Click Here!

• Alta Gala - Save the Date - Friday, April 6th, 2012

• Town of Alta Summer Economic Development Roundtable.

• Town of Alta Newsletter: Sept - November 2011
  Click here For Town Council Meeting Dates and Agendas

• Many thanks to all our wonderful VOLUNTEERS this summer!

• 2010 National Land Trust Census
  
• Click here to see photos from the 2011 Memorial Tree and Seedling Planting
  
  
• Click here to see photos from our invasive weed pull on July 19th.  Many thanks to all the dedicated volunteers who came out and helped remove these nasty weeds.  This volunteer event was made possible through a partnership with the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation and is supported by the Alta Environmental Center. 

• Friends of Alta offers condolences to the family and friends of a valued Alta local, Tucker Taffe who was originally from Poughkeepsie NY.  Tucker was a devoted backcountry skier and died after a fall into a crevasse on Mt. Rainier in May.  Many of you may know Tucker from his recent employment at the Alta Lodge in the dining room and front desk.  Tucker's family has requested donations in Tucker's name be sent to either Friends of Alta or the Utah Avalanche Center.  These local non-profits represent the values behind Tucker's attraction to Alta and his passion for backcountry skiing.      

• Hot off the press:May 2011 Newsletter. 

• FOA is 30 Years Old this Year!

• Bill Levitt Fellowship ~ Congrats to Tara Thomas for receiving this summer's fellowship. 
  

• FOA T shirts, hats and visors make great holiday gifts Click Here to see our selection.  We now have kids T shirt sizes too!

• Rio Tinto awarded Friends of Alta a grant to help with FOA's annual support of the 2011 Alta Summer Booth Program managed by the Town of Alta.  The Alta Summer booth provides information such as watershed regulations and environmental stewardship to the public free of charge. Thank you Rio Tinto.

• Looking for gift ideas or Alta memorabilia?
  
  •   Our newest program is with Teton Trail Photography
    
  •    FOA tee shirts

• Announcing the Bill Levitt Fellowship ~ click here for details.  Congrats to Annie Kramer for being the first recipient!

• Become a fan of Friends of Alta on facebook or join our email list above through constant contact.

• We want to THANK all our summer VOLUNTEERS!
  Without the help of dedicated volunteers FOA would not have been able to plant 100 seedlings, 4 memorial trees, removed 150 gallons of packed invasive weeds, and start restoring the area around the avalanche wall at Hellgate Condominiums.  These projects have been huge efforts and we thank all our volunteers for their time dedication, muscle power and moral support!

• SL Tribune: Now is the time to protect the Wasatch wilderness and watershed.  By Ralph Becker, Mayor of Salt Lake City (7/31/2010).
  Click here for a map of the proposal.

• A Brief Guide to Planting: Native Species of Little Cottonwood Canyon.  This guide was developed through a partnership with the Alta Environmental Center.  Copies are now available upon request - click here.  The guide has been mailed to all Alta PO boxes, so you may be getting yours soon!

Bill Levitt

• FOA's Bill Levitt memorial page
• Remembering the Man of the Mountain: SL Tribune June 14 by Katie Drake
• A Memorial website for an Alta Legend by Sam Dippo
• Bill Levitt's Obituary

• The Spruce Bark Beetle is in Alta.  Click here for more information on what you can do provided by SL City and its partners. This website page has up to date information and was designed for private landowners in Wasatch Watershed areas.

• (Re)Connect: The Wasatch Front Green Infrastructure Plan.  Developing a comprehensive green infrasturecture network in the wasatch front region.  Attachment shows open house dates. Click here for the website which includes a survey.

Patsey Marley Hill Subdivision

May 2011 Update: Currently, depositions are being conducted for a lawsuit resulting from the Town of Alta’s (TOA) denial of a 10-lot subdivision proposal for the 26-acre Patsey Marley property; the lawsuit also names Salt Lake City as a defendant. The TOA’s denial was based on a lack of compliance with ordinance requirements that included, but were not limited to, the access of culinary water to/from the site. This is the most immediate in a series of development-related challenges facing the TOA. Were this proposed development to be approved, other private property owners in Albion Basin would likely see a precedent and attempt to follow suit, thus threatening the Town’s protective zoning regulations. Albion Basin is home to dozens of private in-holdings; further development of these areas could damage the culinary watershed and aesthetic qualities of this natural landscape. We expect a long road ahead and need your help.
On Monday December 14, 2009 a lawsuit was issued to the Town of Alta and Salt Lake City by the Shrontz Estate.  November 12, 2009: Alta Town Council unanimously denied the Patsey Marley Hil subdivision application submitted by the Shrontz Estate.

• The Pastey Marley Hill Subdivision is a 10 lot proposal on approx 26 acres along the Albion Basin Summer Road that was submitted by the Shrontz Estate in 2007.

12/18/2009 SL Tribune Artcle: Sides point fingers in Alta lawsuit
11/13/2009 SL Tribune Article: Alta Stops Albion Basin Subdivision
10/18/2009 SL Tribune Article: Alta homes proposal favors few over many
10/1/2009 SL Tribune Article:  Alta Debates open space, houses
9/4/2009 SL Tribune Article: Private Water line could serve Alta Subdivision
8/28/2009 SL Tribune Article: Proposed Homes would Benefit Alta
8/18/2009 SL Tribune Article: Joe would say no to Albion Basin development
8/15/2009 SL Tribune Article: Upscale homes proposed near Alta's Albion Basin

• You must check this out, see what happens to a drop of water as it falls

• Friends of Alta, Board of Director's member Ted Wilson has accepted Governor Gary R. Herbert's invitation to join the Governor's staff as a senior advisor on environmental matters. Click here for press release or here for the  SL Tribune Article on 11/4/2009.

• SL Tribune Editorial by Skip Silloway on Sunday October 18, 2009

• USFS Albion Basin Transoprtation Feasibility Study

• Reaserch and Education: Let us help you plan your scientific research or eduction in Alta.  Click here for more details.  This is a collaborative effort from FOA and the Alta Environmental Center.

• The Alta Community Greenhouse Gas Inventory is here.  This study was funded by the Town of Alta, Alta Ski Area and Friends of Alta.  The study was prepared by the Brendle Group out of Fort Collins Colorado in the spring of 2009.

Wasatch Canyons Master Plan Update

• The Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow process is your opportunity to participate in and provide input to an update of Salt Lake County's 1989 Wasatch Canyons Master Plan.
• May 6, 2009: Salt Lake Tribune Article "Canyon Planning"
• May 8, 2009: Salt Lake Tribune Article "New Push to Protect Wasatch Canyons"
• May 8, 2009: Salt Lake Tribune Article "Help chart the future of the Wasatch canyons"

• Photo Travel Review.  Guest Article, Albion Basin, Utah by John Blumenkamp

• You can now buy FOA tee shirts, socks, and stickers online: click here.

• Friends of Alta mentioned in a SL Tribune Article on the Winter Outdoor Reatiler Market, Mike Gorrell, January 23, 2009

• Listen to December 2, 2008: The Alta Experience, Doug Fabrizio - Radio West KUER 90.1 @ 11am

• Local weather in Alta: National Weather Service

• For information on the Save Our Canyons Proposed Wilderness Addition click here
  For a map click here:

• Friends of Alta joins the idle free campaign.  This volunteer based community activism project aims to reduce emmissions in Alta.  Get your idle free stickers at the Town of Alta, Alta Post Office, and Alta ticket offices.  Program partners include Town of Alta, Alta Ski Area, Alta's Environmental Center, Alta Community Enrichment, Salt Lake County, and Salt Lake City. For interesting facts on emissions visit www.idlefree.utah.gov.

• Salt Lake Tribune/June 19, 2008
  Group works to preserve Albion Basin's natural beauty by Tom Wharton

• Glass recycling services are now available in the town of Alta by Glass Planet.
  Email GlassPlanet@q.com or call 801.707.6383 for details.

• Visit the published research page of our website for a list of scientific investigations of Albion Basin.