1,000th West-Side Tree of the Year!

On November 15th, the 1,000th west side tree of the year was planted!

Mayor Mendenhall planted a Catalpa tree with the help of staff and volunteers.

2021 was the second consecutive year that our Urban Forestry Division successfully completed the Mayor's initiative to plant 1,000 additional trees on the City's west side annually.
Jordan River Roots Disc Golf Trail

Contractors are nearing completion of a multi-use looped trail system through the Jordan River Roots Disc Golf Course (1250 N Redwood Rd). The trail navigates the margins of the disc golf course and will provide recreational users a soft-surface looped path that connects both the Jordan River Parkway, the existing clubhouse, and 1000 North. The path navigates one of the largest open spaces along the Jordan River.
Congrats to Troy Baker!

Yesterday we congratulated Troy Baker on his retirement . Troy has worked for Salt Lake City's Parks Division for 37 years in a variety of capacities. Most recently, he has worked as the operations manager over the parks on the south half of the City, including Jordan Park, Liberty Park, Fairmont Park, and many more.

Troy will be missed, but the results of his hard work with the City will continue to be seen for many years.

Are you interested in starting a career with Salt Lake City's Public Lands Department? If so, click the button below to see our open positions:
Seven Canyons Fountain Update

A lot has happened since the Seven Canyons Fountain in Liberty Park was opened in 1993. We are experiencing a drier present and future and water is more precious than ever.

Public Lands is collaborating with members of the original artist team that designed the fountain and landscape architects to adapt the interactive art feature to be more sustainable and reflective of the times we live in. This includes looking for ways to significantly reduce water use, incorporate more native waterwise plants, and add interpretive features to tell the story of the seven canyons and our bioregion.

These photos were taken earlier this month as project stakeholders met onsite to explore options for reducing the water consumption of the fountain.
Get to Know the New Mark Smith Memorial Arboretum at Salt Lake City Cemetery

Mark Smith was the 31st and longest-serving sexton of the Salt Lake City Cemetery. While employed with the City, Mark passed away at the age of 55 in 2019.

Establishing an arboretum at the cemetery was one of Mark’s goals for the future of the property. On Saturday, November 6th, we celebrated his birthday by officially unveiling the new Mark Smith Memorial Arboretum at Salt Lake City Cemetery.

An arboretum is a collection of a variety of woody plants - primarily trees - grown and maintained for educational, scientific, and ornamental purposes. The Mark Smith Memorial Arboretum at Salt Lake City Cemetery features 80 varieties of trees including everything from an Austrian Pine to a Zelkova. Each tree is marked with a small plaque at its base and visitors can find a map online and at the sexton’s office with locations for each tree.

This new arboretum was accredited by Arbnet. ArbNet has accredited over 300 arboreta across 28 countries. Learn more at the link in our bio.

We invite everyone to come enjoy the Mark Smith Memorial Arboretum, and pick up any sticks that you find along the way!

Click here to watch a video from our unveiling event of the new Arboretum.
Help Decorate Allen Park this Holiday Season

Salt Lake City Public Lands would like to collaborate with the community to decorate Allen Park this holiday season! If you or someone you know would like to lend seasonal decorations to Allen Park, please reach out to Maggie Jones at Magdalena.jones@slcgov.com or 385-252-8080 for further instructions and information about the specific types of decorations that will be allowed.
Glendale Regional Park Community Engagement Update

Salt Lake City Public Lands has initiated a planning process to create a vision for the new regional park at the former Glendale Water Park site. The planning team is working closely with project stakeholders, neighborhood residents, and partners to create a community-supported vision that reflects the Glendale neighborhood’s diversity and rich cultural heritage.

Public engagement started in October with Glendale Middle School, Mountain View Elementary School students and the Community Learning Center. Students are working with the project team to generate ideas for park features needed in the neighborhood. The project team will study the students’ inputs, along with data gained from existing conditions, programming and development studies, and ecological assessment to inform the project team’s development of three alternatives. Opportunities for all Salt Lake City residents and community members to weigh in on the alternatives is planned in early 2022, with the final vision plan expected in spring, and construction of phase 1 improvements completed in spring 2024.

On this webpage, Public Lands will regularly be posting updates about the Development Plan for the former Glendale Waterpark site. You can also follow us on social media for regular updates about plan development and community engagement opportunities.