October 2020
Cemetery Closure Update

Public Lands crews, with the help of many partners, worked quickly to reopen the majority of our parks in the aftermath of the September 2020 windstorm that toppled thousands of trees in the City.

The only property that remains closed is the SLC Cemetery, where over 250 trees were toppled by the windstorm and another 50 trees had to be removed for safety reasons.

Given the historic nature of the cemetery, extra precautions must be taken to evaluate and document the damage to the property.

The City will be working with an architect to ensure historic preservation as we remove the stumps from the fallen trees.

Given the extra precautions that are being taken, the Cemetery will likely remain closed to the public for at least a couple more months. However, the Cemetery will be open to attendees of prearranged burial services.
Allen Park Opening

Several thousand people have now visited Allen Park since opening day on October 4th - thanks for visiting!

We would love to hear your ideas for Allen Park's future and any concerns you may have.

We'd also like to hear from anyone who has unique knowledge about the history of Allen Park.

Please share with us by taking a short survey at: http://bit.ly/allenpark.
Reimagine Nature: SLC Public Lands Master Plan

The first community engagement window for the new SLC Public Lands Master Plan ended on October 14th. Over 3,700 people took the initial online project survey, and students from the University of Utah conducted nearly 600 intercept interviews with users of the City's parks, trails, and other open spaces. Our staff engaged with over 2,000 people during our 20 pop-up events from late-August until mid-October.

We'd like to give a special thanks to everyone who participated in this first engagement window! Public Lands staff, with the help of a consultant, is now analyzing the data gathered. The second community engagement window will take place in the spring of 2021.
ReTree SLC Update

Since the ReTree SLC campaign was launched last month, over $13,000 has been donated from 161 individual donors. Rocky Mountain Power has also committed to donating $10,000 to this effort. The City is having discussions with other organizations about large donations - more information will be released about this soon!

All money raised will go towards purchasing, planting, and providing care for trees that will replace the thousands that were lost in the windstorm of September 2020.
Cold Weather Means it's Time for Winterizing!

Each winter, our Parks, Cemetery, and Regional Athletic Complex staff winterize 32 restrooms, 73 drinking fountains, 13 concessions stands, and numerous sprinkler systems across our parks. This process involves blowing any remaining water out of the pipes using compressed air, which often leads to questions or concerns from the public. Fortunately, staff are able to winterize the entire public lands system in just a couple of weeks.
Foothills Trails Construction Update
Salt Lake City Trails and Natural Lands is currently working with three trail construction contractors who are building trails in three areas of the Salt Lake City Foothills. These include; Popperton Park, Morris Mountain, and City Creek Canyon above Memory Grove.

The Popperton Park hiking only trail is open to the public and the mountain bike trails will be open in the spring of 2021.

City Creek hiking trail will be open to the public in the late fall of 2020.

Morris Mountain hiking and mountain bike trails will be open in the spring of 2021.
Pet Microchipping & Licensing Clinic at Herman Franks Dog Park
Salt Lake County Animal Services will be hosting a pet microchipping and licensing clinic at Herman Franks Dog Park on November 14th from Noon - 3 PM.