A Virtual Volunteer Celebration, Healing Degraded Streams, and More
Volunteers build a beaver dam analogue to restore a degraded stream. Credit: Leslie Roberts
As we near the end of the summer season, we're excited to note that we've seen some huge successes from the busiest part of the year for field work.
We also look forward to our fall season and further work made possible by you—our community scientists, donors, and friends.
Read more about our upcoming event, projects, and other updates below.
You're Invited to Our End-of-Summer Volunteer Celebration
Join us for our virtual get-together as we close out our summer project season! Staff and volunteers will share some of our favorite stories from the year, highlight exciting project progress, and talk about what's coming in the next few months.
You'll also learn who our Volunteer of the Year is, meet our new Executive Director, get to know Wild Utah Project staff, and get a first look at what Utah's wildlife are up to behind-the-scenes. Feel free to bring any questions or experiences, as you'll have the opportunity to share.
Bring your beverage or snack of choice and join us on your porch or in your living room for some much-needed face time!
A fox caught mid-sneak by a Wasatch Wildlife Watch camera. Join our event to see our very best wildlife moments and other project happenings in 2020!
What: A virtual get-together to talk about recent success, honor some of our stellar volunteers, go over upcoming opportunities, get to know staff and volunteers, and answer questions.
When: Wednesday, Sep 16, 2020, 7PM MDT
Where: This is a virtual event.
How: Please register beforehand. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
What does this creepy crawly have to do with stream restoration? Join us on September 16 to find out! Photo Credit: Jim McCormac
Stream & Riparian Restoration Dates Posted
We're excited to announce that our first 2020 stream restoration dates are up on our website! Projects start September 1.
While our spring dates had to be canceled for the safety of staff and volunteers, we've created a COVID-19 Protocol to allow us to safely continue our work in the coming months.
Building a beaver dam analogue to create habitat for wildlife and heal degraded western landscapes.
These projects are crucial to healing streams in the West, which are often degraded by actions including the removal of beaver from the ecosystem. The environmental benefits of beaver activity are well documented. Beavers’ impacts include:
Creating aquatic and riparian habitats
Providing hydrological connectivity
Reducing erosion
Controlling sediments
Reducing runoff and floods
Beaver recolonization in degraded streams may not always be successful or feasible, but low-tech restoration tools—such as human-made beaver dams—are a means to achieve the environmental benefits of beaver. Volunteers can mimic beaver activity to restore the landscape and benefit many user groups and resources, such as wildlife, agriculture, and recreation.
Join us for hands-on restoration work in Utah’s degraded streams. It’s a fun, socially distanced day outdoors, and no experience or prior training is necessary.
Not all of us can volunteer, due to COVID-19 concerns, varying physical ability, and scheduling differences—and that's okay! If you are able, consider becoming a monthly donor to sustain this important work healing western streams.
August Volunteer Highlights
This month, we'd like to highlight our amazing community scientists, Lindsey Davis and Anthony and Aiden Carlson, from Wasatch Wildlife Watch.
Lindsey Davis is an advocate, writer, and ecologist based in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Photo credit: Camrin Dengel.
In the Field
Lindsey Davis has been involved in Wasatch Wildlife Watch for three years. For her, the project is all about impact.
She says, "It's incredible to see how the small acts of volunteers at scale produce widespread data that is being used to make important management and development decisions throughout the state."
For her, a project highlight was when one of her cameras captured a black bear in an unlikely area. She says, "It's pretty incredible to see just how many animals are using the same trails at different times in the day. I love being able to peer into the unseen of the natural world this way."
Anthony and Aiden Carlson, a father-son data entry team for Wasatch Wildlife Watch.
A Data-Analyzing Team
Anthony and Aiden Carlson are a father-son team that got involved analyzing Wasatch Wildlife Watch images to meet volunteer requirements for Aiden's academy's college preparatory group. Anthony says, "Aiden often tells me how excited he is to get through the photos just to see the wildlife and what it is doing. He cares very much about the planet and he’s got an ecologist heart, so being able to contribute to a nature-friendly program is very rewarding to him personally."
One exciting story Anthony shared is this: "Aiden often talks about a scene where a rabbit first comes in and then out of a photo set. Shortly after, [images show] a fox following in the rabbit's path. The photo sets end with the fox walking back in front of the camera with a rabbit in its mouth."
A huge thank you to these volunteers, as well as everyone else volunteering, donating, and sharing our work to make our conservation projects a reality.
Join these and our other wonderful community scientists supporting local conservation by visiting our project page.
Thank You, Interns!
Lake Blanche, photographed by intern Alli Hoffman on a boreal toad survey.
As we wrap up our summer internships, we want to thank our interns for their wor
They spent the summer surveying for species in need, contributing to science, and otherwise collaborating with staff to support and further our conservation work across the state.
Thank you!
Our Current Projects
Want to get involved in wildlife conservation in Utah? Check out our projects below to get started.
Utah Pollinator Pursuit Project Opportunistic Surveys
Commitment Level: Easy
Boreal Toad & Aquatic Habitat Assessments
Commitment Level: Moderate
Wasatch Wildlife Watch Image Analysis
Commitment Level: Easy - Moderate
Stream & Riparian Restoration Projects
Commitment Level: Easy - Moderate (one day)
Thank you for making our conservation projects possible, whether through volunteering or donating.
We know not everyone can be involved in all of our projects—but there are other ways to help! If you are in a position to give, please consider donating to ensure that this work continues.
Thank you so much for your dedication to Utah's unique wildlife. This work is only possible because of your generosity.
Visit the project page on our website to learn more about our conservation work, and please contact us with any questions.