Guest Blog by Jeff Kiesel

My name is Jeff Kiesel. Currently, I am a student at Westminster College. One of my assignments for my Professional Writing class was to seek out a non-profit organization to work with on a writing campaign. When I heard of the assignment, I was immediately hoping to work with an organization that dealt with my interests as a skier. After looking through a list of possible organizations, Save Our Canyons jumped out at me. I had seen the bumper sticker, and had a basic understanding of what they did, but was not fully aware of their work or influence in the Salt Lake community.

Growing up, my family moved all around New England, and my love for skiing and the mountains grew with each move. Our last location before I came out to Utah had us in the White Mountain National Forest. I thoroughly enjoyed being so close to the wilderness, both for mental relief and recreation. The main issue, however, was being in the middle of nowhere, living in the woods. It took quite a haul to get out of the forest and into a town, and the closest city was almost two hours away. When looking at colleges, Salt Lake City stood out to me. Being able to live in a city, but still have quick and easy access to beautiful landscapes and amazing skiing seemed too good to be true.

When I had first moved here I took the mountains for granted, not realizing the threats that lurked around, threatening the majesty of the Wasatch Mountains. They weren’t too apparent to me; I was just excited to be skiing real mountains. The first major issue I noticed was Alta’s proposed lift up the Flagstaff area. This was around the time that I had invested in avalanche gear, classes, and a touring set up. I thought the idea of putting a lift in this area was crazy, as it (and surrounding areas) is one of the easiest backcountry skiing/snowboarding zones to access, even without a touring set up.

Hearing of this plan triggered me to investigate a bit, which is how I first learned about Save Our Canyons. I learned through Save Our Canyons website (at http://saveourcanyons.org/current_issues/projects/altas_flagstaff_mountain) that there were more reasons to oppose this lift than just the traffic it would bring from Alta, resulting in less fresh turns of “the greatest snow on earth”. The watershed, for instance, could be in jeopardy. I had a limited understanding of the watershed and had no idea that heavy traffic and a development of this nature could have negative effects on it.

Since then, I have wanted to learn more about Save Our Canyons. I had assumed they dealt with issues very similar to this, keeping ski areas from expanding into the wilderness. This project gave me the chance to learn more about S.O.C, and I have come to realize they do much more than I thought. After reviewing the latest bill, the Wasatch Wilderness and Watershed Protection Act, I am excited to know there is an organization and politicians here that are so passionate about keeping these mountains beautiful, yet still allowing room for recreational activities like resort skiing. It’s amazing to be able to enjoy nature’s beauty whether I decide to ride a lift at a resort or skin into the backcountry.

In an age where technology and the expansion of cities seem to be everyone’s priorities, it’s refreshing to know that there are people who still enjoy the earth as it was created. We need to keep these natural areas, so that we can continue to enjoy them for the rest of our lives, but also so future generations can continue to take pleasure in the beauty, serenity, and fun these mountains have to offer.

A Personal Experience with SOC

Why hello there,

My name is Asher Koles and I recently wrapped up a semester long internship with SOC. I also recently graduated from the University of Utah with a BS in Environmental Studies. I am a SLC native, and have grown up at the foot of the Wasatch Mountains. I could go on about how much Utah means to me, but I wanted to talk about my personal experience with SOC.

This is not my first time getting involved with SOC; in fact I was the grassroots intern in the summer of 2007. My duties changed quite drastically between then and now regarding projects and focus.

I was originally introduced to SOC through the bumper stickers that are strewn throughout Subaru's in the Salt Lake Valley. I always wondered what SOC was about, but I was too busy enjoying the mountains and the desert to care.

In 2007 I received an email from a close friend informing me about possible real world experience with a environmentally based non-profit. Low and behold it was SOC. I quickly threw together a decent looking resume, a writing sample and sent it off to the executive director (ED) at that time. Not knowing really anything about SOC, or the issues, or what I was doing, I got a call for an interview. I went into the downtown office and tried to seem as enthusiastic as possible, hoping that maybe my lack of experience and knowledge could be overlooked, and my interest, independence and dedication could shine through. After the interview was over, I decided I had no chance. The ED at the time told me that others had applied and I was the youngest candidate for hire. I thought to myself, "why would they hire a young, inexperienced, snowboard bum?"

Two weeks later I get a call from the ED and she wants me to come into the office and have a second interview. At this point I'm pretty excited, and hoping to seal the deal. I go into the office and she tells me I got the job. I was thrilled, nervous, but mostly thrilled about a new experience and working for something that actually means something to me.

The summer of 2007 was great. I was introduced to the wilderness proposal, networking with community members and tabling. I developed new relationships with members and non-members throughout the valley, who cared about the Wasatch Mountains enough to support SOC. It opened my eyes to the down to earth, grassroots battle that organizations, communities and individuals are fighting to keep the Wasatch Mountains wild.

I always knew I loved the natural world, but I never knew the specific threats to its sustainability. SOC and its members opened my eyes to a new world of activism and organizations dedicated to preserving the health and wildness of places throughout Utah and the world.

After the internship ended in August of 2007, I declared my major: Environmental Studies. It was the closest thing possible to my interests at the time, and seemed to be the right fit for my new outlook on life. I kept in touch with the SOC staff, and volunteered at several events, while enjoying the Wasatch Mountains that much more.

As school was nearing its end I knew an internship was required to graduate. I decided that I would ask Carl and Havilah if I could once again come back and work under their wing. They agreed and a new process begun.

The internship started out with a few tabling opportunities, which are actually quite fun, and can be very beneficial for SOC, interested locals and students. As the semester went on, Carl, Havilah and I began to talk about reorganizing the media side of SOC. We decided on a couple different projects that I could do some research for and get the ball rolling on. How could we get SOC’s message and relay updates more efficiently to our members and concerned local’s? One way is through the integration of Google Earth within the SOC website, and the other is how to efficiently portray SOC’s issues and updates on everything from events, to the politics surrounding HR5009.

As the internship progressed, Carl and I ended up mapping out the wilderness boundaries in Google Earth. Hopefully soon we will have an interactive, up close and personal view of the boundaries proposed in HR5009, and some testimonials from local recreationists on their favorite trails. All of this digital media work is an attempt at engaging our audience and informing the public on what is happening in their backyard.

The semester is over, I have graduated from the University, and SOC is on the road to a comprehensive information system that will keep people in the loop. I am continuing work with SOC on the Google Earth project and anything else they need help with.

SOC has been a great way to channel my energy and guide my focus. The in office work and the work I have done independently has shown me that all it takes is an initial idea. My advice to anyone who is interested in activism and fighting for what they believe in is to volunteer, and get to know the agency and the issues. I still have a lot to learn, but I know that SOC has struck a wild hair within me, and this is not the end of my environmental activism.