SOC is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt conservation
organization, founded in 1972, as a consequence of escalating
development threats to the Wasatch Mountains. It has about 1,200
members, a staff of three, a ten person Board of Trustees and more than
100 volunteers every year.
90-95% of SOC's funds comes from its members as individual donors. The majority of its resources, however, come from dedicated volunteers who contribute volunteer hours equivalent to more than SOC's total annual budget - a classic grass-roots endeavor.
There have been many positive initiatives over the years, among them:
The designation of Utah's first Wilderness Area,
Lone Peak
in 1978 was due to the initiative of SOC. SOC also played a key role in
creation of Utah's only other Wilderness Areas
including, Twin Peaks, Mt Olympus, Mt. Timpanogos, Mt Nebo, Deseret
Peak and
the Wellsvilles. SOC has been credited for keeping the 2002 Olympic Games venues out of
Big and
Little Cottonwood and
SOC is
interested in preserving the wildness of the entire
SOC's role is to protect the beauty and wildness of the Wasatch Range. This often takes the form of vigorous opposition to schemes that it finds to be destructive, an overall role it regards as positive. For example, to achieve effective opposition to a real estate development scheme or ski resort expansion a strong "no" response is required. Development threats to the Wasatch are constantly arising. It is not SOC that is proposing harmful development schemes, but it is SOC that often steps into the fray to protect the Wasatch.
Commonly the criterion is whether or not a proposal, if it were carried out, would permanently change the character of the Wasatch. Buildings, roads, expanded ski resorts, and real estate development all impact the Wasatch in a permanent manner. What will the Wasatch be like in 100 years?
Most SOC members, volunteers, trustees and staff are skiers and snowboarders at resorts as well as in the backcountry. SOC has been intimately involved in the public processes required during the Forest Service's consideration of ski resorts' Master Development Plans. (Remember that many ski resorts are mostly on federal land.) This has been a major undertaking involving thousands of volunteer and staff hours. Through the years, SOC has opposed only a small number of ski area development proposals.
Roughly 20% of
the land area in the
Dogs in the Wasatch can present a watershed problem and can create user conflict, but the presence of dogs in the Wasatch does not result in a permanent change in the character of the land. Local governments and the Forest Service need to manage watershed problems and user conflict arising from dogs in the Wasatch. SOC carefully watches the dog debate, but has not found it to have a significant enough impact to become engaged.
While the use of mountain bikes does create potential user conflicts, there are well-established rules for the right-of-way on Forest Service paths. SOC believes that the presence of mountain bikes does not represent any irreversible change in the character of the canyons or mountains. Local governments and the Forest Service need to manage user conflicts. Using the best preservation tool at hand, SOC is actively working toward the expansion of the boundaries of the wilderness areas in the Wasatch and bikes are not allowed in such areas. Mountain bike enthusiasts, when they review SOC's wilderness proposal, will find that the proposed restrictions on mountain biking are minimal.
The use of helicopters in the Wasatch is not the same as the construction of a building, widening a road or cutting a new ski run, but helicopters do represent an intrusive and noisy recreational use. The central Wasatch area is very small in size and is the most heavily used of Forest Service lands. Heli-skiing represents a disproportionate and cumulative negative impact on all other recreationists using the Wasatch's limited backcountry resources. It also significantly threatens the nesting success and continued survival of Golden Eagles in the Wasatch.
Call the SOC office (801) 363-SAVE or sign up for our action alerts here or our volunteer alerts here. There is always a task or initiative that is in great need of your volunteer labor, whether or not you have specialized skills. Without a dedicated and active membership, Save Our Canyons would not be able to do the work we do. Please consider joining SOC by clicking here. You can also stay informed of what SOC is doing by regularly visiting our webpage.