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Show Volume XXV Issue XXI The Ogden Valley news Page 3 December 15, 2019 Editor’s View Letters to the Editor Life Elevated… or Polluted? Eden Resident Volunteers to Help Protect Local Mural Several years ago, in 2013, Love Communications and Struck agencies were hired by the state to develop and launch an aggressive media campaign—the Mighty 5— for one reason: to bring 1000s and 1000s of tourists to Utah. It worked! The campaign highlighted five of Southern Utah’s parks—Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef—and Utah’s “Life Elevated” logos and visitutah.com web address were also launched to bring traffic (equals dollars) to Utah. The campaign was so successful that overcrowding is now a major problem in many of Utah’s national parks. Unfortunately, this shortsightedness did not concern itself with budgeting enough money to deal with the overwhelming overcrowding and associated costs—improved infrastructure to handle the crowds, the wearand-tear on limited resources, and the need to hire additional rangers. Should the state concern itself with this now-a-national-problem? Three years after launching this “successful” tourism campaign, it is estimated that roughly 500,000 additional visits (above the previous baseline numbers) to Utah’s national parks occurred as a result of the advertising. The state’s massive marketing success seems to have generated interest at the county level, too, with many individual counties jumping on the bandwagon, even hiring their own consulting firms—Weber County included—to lure additional tourism and business interests to their own “neck of the woods” for a “cut of the economic pie.” While the state has been extremely successful, overall, at creating interest in Utah, including the luring of, not only tourists, but new business and industry, and new move-ins from other states to this great state that has so much to offer, I would argue that there can be a tipping point when rapid, unchecked growth isn’t balanced with accompanying planned and built infrastructure and the adequate resources needed to successfully cope with and keep pace with rampant growth. When state and local leaders’ primary focus and consideration becomes overwhelmingly economic, without adequate consideration and investment in physical, social, institutional, environmental, and other quality-of-life infrastructure, communities and their support systems begin to falter, suffer, ail, decay, and even die if infrastructure and resource demands can’t keep pace. It can be a vicious cycle, and the costs to revitalize “sick” and dying communities is much more expensive than trying to address growth issues up front—however politically unpopular they may seem to be, due to associated costs. While legisla- tors are quick to see the infusion of dollars growth seems to spur, they often see and weight the associated costs (not always just economic), pushing them on down the road to future generations. Given the options of slow-and-steady growth or rapid growth, slow-growing communities are typically much more stable and sustainable, and can better prepare for and adapt to low-growth pressures. Slower-growth communities continue to support and enhance a community’s sense of place—not replace it by default. Jonathan Lash wrote in the National Academy of Engineering, an enlightening article—“Sustainable Communities” (2008). He wrote that the President’s Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD) found seven characteristics found in the most sustainable communities: 1. It is important that sustainability efforts serve, invest in, and respect people, recognizing that the crisis is one of vision and commitment, and that everything depends on empowered people and successful coalitions of common purpose. 2. It is essential to respect and invest in places, because place is the key to community, a unique and irreplaceable social asset. 3. It is essential to align with or create market forces for sustainability. Community sustainability is not an alternative to economic development, it is an advanced form of economic development and must succeed within the reality of our market. 4. It is essential to leverage ecological and social, as well as economic, assets of communities. Think of it this way: When you are thinking of moving into a new community, what do you look at? Is it solely a set of economic considerations? 5. It is essential to address issues of race and class to embrace the reality that we are an astonishingly diverse community, and to realize the potential strength that diversity can offer. 6. It is essential to build regional alliances. Sprawl has created interjurisdictional interdependence. 7. Successful alliances are locally created, led, and driven. They cannot be created from outside but they can be supported and catalyzed from outside. As Utah leaders hypnotically continue on with their narrow focus on the mesmerizing drumbeat of economic growth, concerned voters should be willing to coalesce and vocalize their concerns in a non-confrontational manner to their representatives at both state and local levels, with the message “Not so fast!” Let’s all insist that proper plans are in place to address the issues associated with growth—especially along the Wasatch Front and Back—water quality and supply, air quality, and adequate infrastructure—so we can continue to truly live “life elevated,” and not polluted and overcrowded, within the great state of Utah. Note: Information on sustainable communities found at <www.nae.edu/7509/ SustainableCommunities> Rachel Mika is the local hero who has protected with extra coatings the dark sky mural on the old Fuller barn across from Valley Elementary school in Eden. Thanks to her efforts, the mural is protected against the ravages of winter cold and summer sun. Thank you, Rachel. Ogden Valley Starry Nights Community Foundation of Ogden Valley Says “Thank You” by Hosting BIG GIVE Sips & Sweets: Presents checks to local nonprofits Our community has so much to be grateful for as the year comes to a close. Community Foundation of Ogden Valley (CFOV) celebrated the many generous people who made this year’s OVer Drive campaign a success by hosting the Annual BIG GIVE Sips and Sweets. On November 18, members of the CFOV board served members of our community who raised over $50,000 this year to provide matching funds (up to $3,000 per local organization) for Ogden Valley’s charitable nonprofits. At the annual celebration, hosted by the CFOV board, representatives from Valley nonprofits partnering with CFOV, and recipients of matching funds; major donors to the Match Fund Campaign; and sponsors of CFOV events gathered to recognize the efforts of the community. Out-going co-chair Brian Nielsen led the presentation of Match Fund checks to the participating nonprofits, along with Nonprofit Coordinator Jim Morgan and Treasurer Paul Delong, who helped with the “thank yous” to CFOV’s main sponsors and match donors. This year, Community Foundation of Ogden Valley was able to match a portion of the funds (up to $3,000) raised by each of our 16 nonprofit organizations (NPOs) who CFOV supported. Each NPO raises their own funds during a defined matching period then reports the amount collected to CFOV, which then gathers monies from generous Match Donors. CFOV then matches these nonprofit-collected funds—in full or in part. So far, in the ten years CFOV has been in existence, incredibly, well over one million dollars have been infused back into Ogden Valley through these nonprofit organizations; thus, donating to CFOV is giving back to our Valley and the organizations that serve us. The Community Foundation continues to look for board members who might be interested in being on this team of philanthropists and OVer Achievers. Please contact any current member of the CFOV board, or Melissa Lewis at 801-4302088, if you have an interest in learning more about joining the efforts of CFOV. And, again, a hearty thank you to our Match Donors and CFOV board members, current and past, who have worked so diligently to make this organization so successful in its support of the community and its local nonprofit organizations. You may also visit <cfovoverdrive.org> Politics In 2020 Clear vision in the coming election year is needed to sort out the confusion and rancor currently existing. There is so much “news” that is not trustworthy, and conflicting stories pop up daily making it nearly impossible to know what is real news. So let’s be clear about a few things, starting at the top with President Trump—who is loved and hated by about the same number of citizens. His detractors point to his faults and some believe he is the devil incarnate. A few even suggest that he should be killed, a smaller number offering to do the deed. President Trump has a style much different than any of his predecessors. He can be somewhat crude in language and his braggadocio, rambling style can be off-putting. His hairstyle seems to offend the coiffed sensitive. He can be difficult to like, even by people of the same political persuasion… and that’s ok. However, and this is critical, he is a pragmatist and believes in getting results, the right results, and keeping promises when it comes to our national wellbeing. This may be his one saving grace; without it, he would have no chance of being re-elected. His long and rambling campaign events would not draw the huge crowds if his supporters did not think that real progress is being made. Trump’s opponents, of which there are many, including main stream media, know his strengths and that it doesn’t appear there will be a significant change in the coming year. This is why they have been frantically pushing one “scandal” after another. They know they don’t have a current candidate or one in the wings who can stop Trump. We can’t have clarity of vision for America unless we address some of the apparitions of the past, primarily those of his opponents. This includes the roles of President Obama, the Clintons, the Bidens and other individuals and agencies that appear to have been involved, sadly, in skullduggery of one form or another, which focused on questionable dealings that lined their pockets or would undermine the incoming GOP presidential administration. John W. Reynolds, Pleasant View Come Join Us Thinking of Christmas Gifts? Subscriptions are only $18 annually. 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