In the summer of 2023, Save Our Canyons in partnership with the Salt Lake Ranger District launched the latest version of the Recreation Site Monitoring Program. Save Our Canyons was able to recruit and partner with two groups from the University of Utah, Environmental and Sustainability Program Capstone CEL Courses to help collect and analyze existing and new data.
Fall of 2023:
During the Fall of 2023, We worked with 5 incredible students to collect data primarily in the Mt. Olympus and Twinpeaks Wilderness area. Between August and October, the students were able to monitor the trails listed below and survey nearly 90 different recreation sites:
- Ferguson Canyon Trail
- Broads Fork
- Mill B South
- Mill A Basin
- Butler Fork
- Mill D North Fork
Spring of 2024:
During the Spring of 2024, We worked with a great group of 4 students who analyzed and digitized over 30 years of hand-collected field data. This included the tedious task of manual spreadsheet entry and scanning 35mm film strips into digital formats. This greatly assisted in creating an organized and efficient mode of long-term storage and cross-data analysis.
Listed below are a few examples of the data entries along with the 35mm filmstrips:
- Data Entry Date
- Wilderness or Label of File
- Site Number
- UTM Coordinates
- Date Coded or Recorded
- Coded or Recorded by
- Elevation
- Vegetation
- Dominant Species
- Habitat Type
- Landform
