Utah

1
Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space
ProjectInstitute for Outdoor Recreation and
TourismUtah State University

• Utah Division of Parks and Recreation
• Board and Public Meeting
• Logan, Utah
• July 17, 2000

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space
ProjectTonights Presentation

• Purpose of the Project
• Three Phase Process
• Project Results and Findings
• Major Themes and Recommendations

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space ProjectProject
Purpose

• Identify open space needs, priorities, and
  initiatives for each Planning District in Utah.
• Focus on issues related to
• outdoor recreation
• amenity values
• ecological services

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space ProjectProject
Purpose

• Seek input from key stakeholders
• land management and planning
  professionals
• state and local officials
• community leaders and residents

• Identify action strategies for addressing open
  space needs.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space ProjectThree
Phase Process

• Phase 1
• Phase 2
• Phase 3

Utahs Great Outdoors Conference
Statewide Key Informant Mail Survey
Public Meetings--Presentations of Findings and
Opportunities for Stakeholder Input
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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Utahs
Great Outdoors Conference

• Participants responded to these two
  questions
• What are the most pressing outdoor recreation and
  open space needs in your region of the state for
  the next 20 years?
• What are the most pressing outdoor recreation and
  open space problems or needs for specific towns
  and communities in your region?

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project
Statewide Key Informant Survey

• To further validate and prioritize outdoor
  recreation and open space needs for each Planning
  District that were identified at the Conference.
• To obtain stakeholder attitudes toward 25 open
  space protection tools.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Public
Meetings

• Present prioritized listing of outdoor recreation
  and open space needs for each Planning District.
• Seek out stakeholder comments on these findings.
• Ask participants to identify existing and
  potential projects addressing outdoor recreation
  and open space needs.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project
Results of Public Meetings

• Over 300 specific outdoor recreation and open
  space projects identified for the seven Planning
  Districts in Utah.
• A broader picture of the social and political
  context in which open space planning must occur.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Two broad types of open space needs

• Specific Purpose Projects
• individual trails water projects
• visitor centers heritage sites
• parks

• General Concerns
• funding education
• partnerships planning needs

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Addressing these two broad types of open
  space needs will require different approaches
• State and federal agencies need to work
  directly on General Concerns.
• Specific Purpose Projects will require local
  initiatives and local, state, federal, and
  private stakeholder collaboration.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• There are two different orientations toward
  open space values.
• Some major differences exist between stakeholders
  in urban/suburban and rural planning districts
  regarding the purpose and value of open space.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Stakeholders in rural areas feel the key values
  of open space are for outdoor recreation and
  tourism use.
• To help meet local economic development needs
• To retain public access
  for outdoor recreation
• To retain traditions of multiple use of
  natural resources on public lands

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Urban/Suburban stakeholders emphasize protection
  of open space for non-use or intrinsic values,
  along with recreational and access needs.
• For community aesthetics and amenities
• For controlling growth and development
• For providing ecological services
  -wildlife habitat -wetlands protection
  -water
  quality

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Key challenge to successful, long-term
  statewide planning and funding efforts...

providing opportunities to enhance both the use
and environmental protection roles of open space
simultaneously.
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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Linking these two orientations is
  possible.
• Will require an explicit and balanced effort to
  bring these together.
• Especially important to encourage support and
  collaboration with rural areas of the state.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Open space linear corridors and
  water-related resources are critical.

• Linear corridors mentioned most often
  -trails and paths
  -bikeways -OHV routes

• Corridors implied by projects mentioned for
  -parkways -riparian corridors
  -riverways -wildlife corridors
  -canyon protection access
  -corridors linking
  communities towns

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Water-related projects are considered important
  throughout the state.
• In rural areas, focus in on providing or
  improving reservoir and river recreation.
• In urban/suburban areas, wildlife habitat,
  wetlands protection, and water quality are of
  equal or greater importance.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• To enhance long-term benefits from statewide
  coordination and funding will require Specific
  Purpose Projects to be designed to simultaneously
  meet recreational development and use goals along
  with resource protection goals.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Funding, funding, funding
• Stakeholders throughout the Planning Districts
  view funding as a key role for state agencies.

• Not simply providing funds,
  but also providing technical advice and
  coordination for identifying and acquiring funds.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Key concerns related to funding
• for maintenance and improvement of
  existing but dated facilities
• long-term, consistent sources of funds
• increasing awareness
  of funding opportunities
• prioritizing project needs
  with funding opportunities
• technical assistance with grant proposals

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Provide a larger portion of funds to rural
  Planning Districts.
• Distributing funds on per capita basis is
  problematic.
• Many urban/suburban residents travel to rural
  areas of the state for recreation.
• Puts a higher level of pressure on rural
  resources and infrastructure.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Long-term and consistent sources of funding
  important for rural areas.
• Long-term resource protection and
  amenity/ecological service values are statewide
  concerns.
• Funding should be used to encourage planning
  districts to help protect these broader social
  values.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Local Control--State Coordination

In general, stakeholders see great value in
statewide coordination of open space planning and
funding efforts, but at the same time want to
retain local control.
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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Focus on projects that meet local needs.
• Large pool of existing and potential open space
  projects in all planning regions.
• Priorities can be identified
  by local stakeholders.
• Local needs should be a starting point for
  statewide planning and funding priorities.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Funding criteria should recognize both use and
  non-use values of open space.
• Funding should help meet local needs as well
  as broader state level needs.
• Open space planning and funding must be a joint
  effort between local and state agencies and
  stakeholders.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Provide a logical, consistent, and open process
  for prioritizing projects.
• Clear and explicit criteria, application
  guidelines, and
  technical assistance are
  needed so local communities and
  district level planners have an
  equal opportunity for success.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Planning and funding criteria for a project might
  include evidence that it
• Meets both local and state level needs
• Has local community support
• Is part of larger scale planning efforts

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Planning and funding criteria for a project might
  include evidence that it
• Meets objectives related to amenity and
  ecological service values... even if
  the project focuses on use
• Is part of a collaboration or partnership
• Has an educational component.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Develop project criteria collaboratively with
  local officials and stakeholders.
• State agencies (DPR / DWR) could draft
  application requirements.
• Sent out for review and evaluation by potential
  stakeholders (AOGs / IORT).
• Develop final criteria and procedures combining
  both content and process elements--most fair and
  acceptable for all.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Implement formal collaborative planning and
  decision processes.
• Designate a statewide recreational lands and open
  space committee or task force.
• To make final process and content decisions on
  project proposals.
• To recommend and approve funding and
  planning criteria.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Provide state coordination and technical
  assistance in the more General Concerns of
• planning
• collaborative partnerships
• public involvement
• education
• research

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project Major
Themes Recommendations

• Open space protection tools should focus on
  easements, but also be tailored to local
  concerns and circumstances.
• Generally, local control and private owner
  initiatives are preferred.
• Need for careful evaluation of these tools.
• Controversies may require creativity and
  flexibility in identifying acceptable tools.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space
ProjectInstitute for Outdoor Recreation and
TourismUtah State University

• In cooperation with
  Utah Division of Parks and Recreation
  Department of Natural Resources
• Principle Investigators
  Dr. Dale Blahna, Dr. Steve
  Burr Mr. Michael
  Butkus, Ms. Judy Kurtzman

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project
Examples of Identified Needs and
Specific Projects

• Bear River Planning District
• Preserve lands we have...
• Cache Valley plan to minimize development along
  roadways
• Wetlands protection project for Brigham City and
  Box Elder County
• Develop a plan to protect open space around Bear
  Lake.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project
Examples of Identified Needs and
Specific Projects

• Wasatch Front Planning District
• Protect and improve riverways...
• Develop riparian parkways along area streams and
  rivers.
• Weber River Greenway/Parkway
• Wildlife viewing/study areas along Jordan
  River--Murray, West Jordan, Bluffdale

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project
Examples of Identified Needs and
Specific Projects

• Mountainland Planning District
• Preserve good open space in and around towns
  for use as parks...
• Purchase of 80 acres from state for Adventure
  Park in Highland.
• Acquisition and development of Zone 1 park in
  Lindon.
• Develop new community park next to Charleston
  town building.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project
Examples of Identified Needs and
Specific Projects

• Uintah Basin Planning District
• Develop an area wide plan for development,
  management, and protection...
• Strengthen partnerships (cities, counties, state,
  federal, tribal).
• Develop inventory of resources and plan to
  protect the most critical places.
• Identify and prioritize recreation needs and
  wants for each town.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project
Examples of Identified Needs and
Specific Projects

• Central Planning District
• Develop outdoor recreation opportunities to
  help support local economic development...
• Expand whitewater use in Marysvale Canyon on
  Sevier River with private operator.
• Continue to develop and open beaches at Yuba
  Lake.
• Develop an interpretive effort at ghost towns and
  gold mining sites on Tushar Mountain.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project
Examples of Identified Needs and
Specific Projects

• Southwest Planning District
• Better cooperation and communication to plan
  and execute recreation programs for the
  future...
• Towns and cities adjacent to federally managed
  areas need to acquire conservation easements.
• Kanab needs grants for funding trail development
  for all-terrain vehicle users and hikers.
• Recreation and state park potential for Kolob,
  Sand Hollow, and Gunlock Reservoirs.

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Utahs Great Outdoors Open Space Project
Examples of Identified Needs and
Specific Projects

• Southeast Planning District
• Address the need to obtain land and funding for
  parks and recreation facilities...
• Plan to transfer federally managed land to state
  ownership to maximize potential.
• Develop a plan for more equitable distribution of
  sales and room taxes to rural areas.
• Develop incentives for private businesses to help
  preserve open space areas.