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Show Viewpoints The A-15 Park Record. Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, June 1-4, 2019 editorial Time is now for residents with passion and big ideas to step up I guest editorial Swaner can continue to thrive for generations with your help STEPHANIE DOLMAT Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter board member Last week, I went swimming at the Basin Recreation pool. I stopped at the end of a lap and I heard the distinctive guttural calls, then saw six sandhill cranes flying above the pool in a V formation. I broke into a big smile — my natural reaction every time I glimpse a sandhill. The reason I could experience the sandhills’ special presence in our community is in no small part because of the Swaner Preserve. Swaner is home to over 150 bird species — not to mention 40 mammal species and 200 native plant species. It’s a vital stopover for migratory birds to replenish on their long journeys while we wait for the snow to fall or the trails to dry. And it provides a beautiful, unobstructed view for those who come to our community to visit and for anyone riding or walking along the trail on Bitner Road or Old Ranch Road. Though Swaner’s land is set aside forever, the Preserve faces ongoing costs of up to $150,000 or more each year for conservation work. And these costs don’t include the organization’s larger programs The Park Record Staff PUBLISHER ....................... Andy Bernhard Editor ................................... Bubba Brown Staff Writers ......................Jay Hamburger Scott Iwasaki Ben Ramsey Contributing ............................. Tom Clyde Writers Jay Meehan Teri Orr Amy Roberts Tom Kelly Joe Lair that benefit so many people and educate so many children in our community — summer camps, EcoClub, Saturday morning nature club walks at 8:30 a.m., climbing wall Sundays from 1-3 p.m., and traveling exhibits like the recent Nature’s Ninjas that delighted and inspired both kids and adults alike. Last year, the Swaner Preserve Conservation Endowment was created to ensure restoration, research and a home for native wildlife on the Preserve in perpetuity. The goal is to raise $2.25 million in endowed funds for Swaner’s conservation efforts before Aug. 1. Swaner has almost reached its goal, bringing in $2.05 million to date. It also has a matching grant for $100,000! I am excited that my recent gift will be doubled by this match, and I will become a founding member of the Swaner Preserve Conservation Endowment. Fifty years from now, I can drive by the Preserve and know that it is healthy and thriving because of the generosity and hard work of so many of us in 2019. I’d like to see the sandhill cranes there in 50 years, too. I hope you will join me in doing your part to give to this worthy effort. If you do so now, you, too, will become a founding member and double your impact. To donate, contact the Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter at swanerecocenter.org, 435797-8939, or peregrine.bosler@usu.edu. The Preserve inhabitants — and I — will be ever grateful to you! Conservation isn’t something that happens one time, it’s ongoing, and it’s up to us to show our kids our commitment to their future. Letters Policy Copy Editor ............................ James Hoyt Engagement Editor..Christopher Samuels Photographer .........................Tanzi Propst Circulation Manager ............. Lacy Brundy Accounting Manager ......... Jennifer Snow ADVERTISING Advertising Director ........... Valerie Spung Advertising Sales ................... Jodi Hecker Erin Donnelly Lindsay Lane Sharon Bush Events Manager ................. Julie Bernhard Production Director ..................Ben Olson Production ........................Chelsea Babbitt The Park Record welcomes letters to the editor on any subject. We ask that the letters adhere to the following guidelines. They must include the home (street) address and telephone number of the author. No letter will be published under an assumed name. Letters must not contain libelous material. Letters should be no longer than about 300 words (about 600 words for guest editorials) and should, if possible, be typed. We reserve the right to edit letters if they are too long or if they contain statements that are unnecessarily offensive or obscene. Writers are limited to one letter every seven days. Letters thanking event sponsors can list no more than 6 individuals and/or businesses. Send your letter to: editor@parkrecord.com For the record t is easy, especially in an era of intense polarization, for national politics to draw the majority of our focus. The machinations of Congress or the latest scandal erupting from the White House make for punchy headlines, fodder for late-night monologues and lively conversation around the proverbial water cooler. But the people making the decisions that have the biggest impact on the communities within Summit County aren’t the politicians we see on TV. Rather, they’re our friends and neighbors who, motivated by a sense of pride in the place they live, have taken on the responsibility of leading their communities from local elected office. Other civic-minded residents in Summit County now have an opportunity to join their ranks. The filing window for this fall’s municipal elections throughout the county opens Monday, June 3, and runs through Friday. Positions are available on the governing bodies of each of the six municipalities within the county. Each municipality is facing important challenges. In Park City, for instance, officials are tasked with confronting an affordable housing crisis, wrangling an extensive special events calendar and ensuring the town retains socioeconomic diversity amid rising housing costs. On the East Side, cities are grappling with issues ranging from managing rapid growth to fostering a vibrant tax base to preserving a rural culture that has defined that part of the county for generations. It will take people with passion and big ideas to overcome those problems. Anyone eager to enter the fray should understand the commitment required. The job is not glamorous. The winners on Election Day must be prepared to sacrifice more than a little of their time, poring over documents and attendings meetings on evenings that could otherwise be spent with family or enjoying hobbies. At times, the work is thankless, as constituents are often quicker to contact officials with a complaint than a compliment. But for those who want to make a difference in the place they live, there is also much reward to be had. Park City Councilor Tim Henney put it like this when describing the perks of the gig in advance of a recent City Hall event for people considering running for office: “It’s an honor to serve the community.” Indeed it is, and this is the time for residents to grab hold a chance to experience it themselves. The filing window opens Monday, June 3, and closes Friday at 5 p.m. Council seats are on the ballot in Park City, Coalville, Kamas, Oakley, Francis and Henefer. Residents interested in running for office must file in person at the municipal offices of the city in which they live. More information can be found on each municipality’s website. guest editorial Dissent is an American tradition and doing it right is something students should learn SARAH STITZLEIN The Conversation Editor’s note: This piece originally appeared in The Conversation (theconversation.com). The Park Record is republishing it under a creative commons license. In scenes unprecedented in previous school shootings, the past few weeks have been marked by students taking to the streets, to the media, to corporations and elected officials in protest over gun practices and policies. Responses to these teens have been mixed. Some have celebrated their passion. Some concluded that the students are immature and don’t yet fully grasp longstanding issues with the Second Amendment. Some questioned the voices and perspectives of the teens. Still others see the protests as an inappropriate use of time that might be better spent reaching out to loner students who may be prone to future acts of violence. Some schools have even threatened to take disciplinary action against students for engaging in protests during school hours. This has prompted universities like my own to promise students that disciplinary actions that stem from peaceful protest will not be held against them when they seek college admission. What schools should do Immediately after the Parkland shootings, some scholars urged society to consider “the nature of education and schooling in American society.” Indeed, we need an educational response to the shootings. This response should account for the purposes of our schools within American democracy and offer students opportunities to learn, even in the face of tragedy. As the author of a new book on how schools can get students to become more civically engaged, and a 2012 book on how schools can cultivate the skills necessary for political dissent, I contend that the student protesters that have emerged in the wake of the Parkland shooting offer insight into a worthwhile response. While seldom acknowledged, students have a right to engage in political dissent and, more significantly, the entitlement to an education that nurtures their ability to do so. In the 1969 landmark Tinker case, the Supreme Court ruled that students do not “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” But, the court held, it is reasonable to limit protest activities that interfere with the opportunity for others to learn. The right to dissent is not explicitly stated in the Constitution, but rather is a civil right that arises out of how we understand good citizenship and thriving democracy. Dissent allows for a proliferation of views on the good life. It sparks conversation and ignites change to better align practices and policies with the wishes and needs of the people. It keeps democracy vibrant. Dissent is an American tradition Often, we think of student protest as a type of public self-expression that should not be hindered as long as it meets certain criteria, like not preventing other children from learning. In America, our democracy requires the consent of the governed. Our Declaration of Independence even says that when we are not in agreement or when our well-being is in jeopardy, we have a duty to speak up. It’s the American way and has been from the time the nation began. It is only with the opportunity and capacity to dissent that we can determine if our laws and systems guiding us are good or just. Further, in order to invoke our right to dissent, citizens have to know how to dissent, which calls into play the role of schooling. As a scholar in the philosophy of education, I would argue that our children, as burgeoning citizens, are entitled to such an education in our schools. There, they should learn the skills of dissent, including consciousness-raising, coalition building, persuasion, public demonstration and pursuit of traditional government avenues for change. This type of instruction is happening in some schools, but not systematically enough across all schools, as courses in civics and social studies have been cut in order to focus on testing and such. Students receive even less of this kind of instruction in poorer schools. And, our students must learn about the responsibilities of citizenship that correlate with their right to dissent. This includes learning how to evaluate the justice of laws, how to distinguish effective dissent from simple rabble-rousing, and how to protest in ways that do not unduly infringe on others. Teaching children how to dissent in response to a violent situation that they feel threatens their well-being is aligned with the purposes of democratic schooling. Indeed, a flourishing democracy depends on such an informed and active citizenry who will speak out when they find laws to be unjust. Sarah Stitzlein is a professor of education and affiliate faculty member in philosophy at the University of Cincinnati. Photos by Christopher Samuels Asked on Main Street What is your advice to the class of 2019? Betsy Gerth Salt Lake City “It’s OK not knowing (what to do). I had no idea what I wanted to be until this year, and I graduated (from high school) five years ago. I’m in nursing school right now.” Chris Zollinger Salt Lake City “Do what makes you happy and don’t worry about money. I feel like a lot of kids worry about what job they can get to make money, and I don’t think it’s as important as people think it is at that age.” James Morgan Sacramento, California “The biggest thing to me is stay in school, stay married, especially if you have kids and keep your job. Ben Shapiro says it all the time, you’re going to move up in the success ladder if you just stay married, don’t have kids out of wedlock and get a job.” Meg Harris Salt Lake City “Find your passion and follow it. I think a lot of focus and stress gets put on the monetary and material side of life and that gets really empty if you don’t have passion.” Deena Jaime Harlingen, Texas “Don’t go to college just because society says you have to. We have three daughters; our oldest chose college and did fantastic, (but) our middle chose college and it wasn’t the right fit for her. I think 18 is so young to make your life decision. I feel if you need to take time to evaluate life, evaluate life.” See these photos and more by following The Park Record on Facebook.com/parkrecord and Instagram.com/parkrecord Joe Jaime Harlingen, Texas “Find what you love and do 110 percent to do what it is that you love and fuels your passion and whatever gives you fulfillment. I got a great job and it’s gotten us everything we wanted to get, but if I could go back and do something else, I would. If you’re not happy and fueling your misery, then you failed.” |