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Show The Ogden Valley News February 1, 2021 Your Community Newspaper USPS MARKETING MAIL POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 11 EDEN UT POSTAL PATRON EDEN-LIBERTY-84310 HUNTSVILLE-84317 OGDEN CANYON- 84401 HCR 843AO Photos by Doug Wewer. WSU Outdoor Adventure and Welcome Center Opens Weber State University’s new Outdoor Adventure & Welcome Center will hold a grand opening ceremony February 3 at 4:00 p.m. The public is invited to join the event via Facebook Live at <facebook.com/WeberState/ live> Located directly north of the Wildcat Village residential complex, the new facility will provide easy access to students and community visitors. In addition, the 17,000-squarefoot building will host a Welcome Center to help students get oriented and make connections on campus. “The new center will be an incredible resource for WSU students, faculty, staff and the Ogden community,” said Daniel Turner, Campus Recreation associate director. “It will be a beacon, helping to recruit students to Weber State by leveraging our incredible outdoor resources and helping students create healthy, active lifestyles and lasting memories.” The new center will allow WSU’s popular Campus Recreation Outdoor Program to expand their equipment rental center, making room for new equipment and improved efficiency for rental pickup and drop offs. The Welcome Center portion of the facility will serve as a hub for the Office of Admissions to host visitor experiences that showcase Weber State’s connection between education and the environment. A unique component to the new Adventure WSU OUTDOORS cont. on page 6 Photo by Miranda Menzies of Eden. Eden Woman Checks Off Another Bucket Huntsville Town Holds Mock Emergency Preparedness Drill List Item: Graduates from college By Shanna Francis I’ve known Mary Spencer for about 36 years now. That’s why it didn’t surprise me to hear that this extraordinary woman had recently graduated from college at the age of 80 with a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University-Idaho in Marriage and Family Studies. Good for her, and good for anyone who takes on the arduous task of disciplining self and sacrificing a lot of time and resources to make it happen. Was it worth it? Of course! And it’s worth it at any age. As Mary notes, we’re all going to age— with or without a degree! She then demurs when talk Mary Spencer begins about her accomplishment, and states, “I feel I haven’t done anything beyond what thousands of others have already done, except that I did it much later in life.” Mary explains that she was only 19 when she dropped out of college over 61 years ago after marrying her husband Steve, who was also attending school. She was enrolled at St. Benedict’s School of Nursing in Ogden, which required students to live on-site at the hospital. The two agreed that it was more important for Steve to complete his degree first so she left school. Fortunately, Mary never lost sight of her goal. Her son Mitch, also of Eden, stated, “She’s a goal setter and she’s tried to instill that in us.” Mary and Steve have two sons. Graduating from college wasn’t Mary’s only goal. She explains, “When I was forty, I felt GRADUATION cont. on page 13 Nordic Valley Open Resort’s First High-speed Six-person Lift intermediate (blue) trail Valkyrie. Mountain teams expect to open extreme (double black) trails Show Me and Great Odin’s Raven along Nordic Valley Ski Resort officially opened with advanced (black) trails TBS, Pine Creek, its first high-speed chairlift Sunday, January 2020, and others later this season. Nordic Valley 24 with at least six brand-new trails. These NORDIC VALLEY cont. on page 7 improvements are a part of the largest expansion project in the resort’s history. The new six-person chairlift, named the Nordic Express, is the resort’s first new lift in over ten years, and Nordic Valley is now just one of three Utah resorts to offer a lift of this type. Manufactured by Leitner Poma, it is 4,213 feet in length with a vertical of 1,400 feet. The high-speed lift is located on a newly-opened mountain area—300 skiable acres owned by Nordic Valley but never developed. In addition to the Nordic Express, the resort is opening at least six trails that have never been previously open to the public before: beginner (green) trails Lolly Lolly Lolly, Hiccup, Wasatch, Viking Highway, and Bifrost; and Nordic Valley’s new high-speed chairlift. Has anyone noticed that the familiar, friendly face of Smokey the Bear has been missing from Ogden Canyon for a while? According to the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest Service Public Affairs Specialist Kathy Pollock, the Ogden Canyon icon, for more years than can be remembered, was damaged late last summer and was taken down. However, Pollock stated that friends of Smokey need not be dismayed; a new Smokey has been ordered and will return once winter is over. erators, lights, radios, etc.—for their continued viability. Also during the mock exercise, new CERT members and community leaders were able to get some hands-on training on emergency equipment, and test their skills. During the exercise, traffic into both town entrances on Huntsville Town roads were narrowed to one lane. Mayor Truett, speaking for the entire town, stated, “We want to thank all of the many volunteers who participated in the emergency preparedness exercise, and also all who work so hard to keep our community safe and prepared.” Winter Parking at Cemetery Point Now Limited Hello residents and lovers of winter recreation! Huntsville Town has been experiencing heavy traffic and parking at Cemetery Point. The gate to the large beach parking at Cemetery Point has been open during the winter in prior years; however, due to a change in Forest Service vendors, the gate to this parking lot is currently locked and no parking is allowed in the beach area. The Town Council has approached the Forest Service and they are unable to accommodate the desire of the Town Council to open the gate. This has impacted parking on the main road and in Huntsville Cemetery. There are now safety and access concerns at Cemetery Point due to the popularity of winter recreation and lack of available parking. After discussions with the Weber County Sheriff, the Town Council has decided to enforce the no parking signs on the road to the cemetery. We recognize that in past weeks, parking on the road has not been enforced as we have been working to resolve this issue. We want to make all residents and visitors aware that the no parking zones on the main road (1st Street) will now be enforced and tickets will be issued. The no parking areas are clearly marked. Please note, also, resident parking passes are not valid in these areas in any season. Please be aware that you can receive a parking ticket if you are a resident of Huntsville Town and parking in the area of 100 South at Cemetery Point, even if you have a pass. Parking enforcement will be by the Weber County Sheriff’s Department. For more information, please visit <https:// huntsvilletown.com/news-detail?item_id=8046> Saving a Legacy: Ogden Valley’s Hinckley Ranch A Land Conservation Deal to Withstand the Test of Time By Brandi Hammon, Broker & Owner of Mountain Luxury Real Estate & Lodging attorneys, and two real estate brokers. The Hinckley Ranch was established in 1957 when Robert and Abrelia Hinckley purchased the ranch. The ranch ultimately ended up in the care of their youngest granddaughter Kristin Whitaker. I first met Kristin while serving on the board of Ogden Valley Land Trust. Some years later, Kristin called to ask for help in finding a new owner for the ranch. Even after that call, I wouldn’t list the ranch for another two years. This process of letting go of a piece of your soul—memories of warm summer nights, of treaHINCKLEY RANCH cont. on page 8 Not all real estate sales are joyful. Some are actually emotionally painful as a lifetime of memories and generations of history are left behind by the seller. Sometimes the legacy is passed to a new steward, and other times it is left to the highest bidder. As the large ranches and open lands of the valley are sold, one beautiful soul went the distance to protect her family’s legacy with the help of Ogden Valley This isn’t the first time Smokey has disap- Land Trust, an equally thoughtful buyer, two peared. According to a December 27, 1993 article published in Deseret News, the Ogden Canyon life-sized plywood cutout of Smokey the Bear turned up missing Labor Day weekend of 1993 after Forest Service officials believe “pranksters” kidnapped him. One-time Forest Service District Recreation Supervisor Rick Vallejos stated, “We figured he was at the bottom of Pineview Reservoir. He’s had a tough life. Two years ago his head was broken off, and now somebody kidnaps him….” Fortunately, Smokey did not drown after all; he was found Christmas Eve atop the water pipeline suspended across the mouth of Ogden Canyon! Fortunate, too, he was eventually rescued and able to be return to his custodial watch further up the canyon near the Indian Trailhead. Unfortunately, no one chose to claim the $500 reward offered for his safe return and, even worse, Smokey had to be left dangling from the pipeline high above SR-39 from the Friday he was found, and on through the Christmas holiday until being saved the following Monday workday. Sadly, there was no Christmas celebration for Smokey in 1993 or 2020. Yes, life can be rough—even for someone as special as Smokey the Bear. The Hinckley Ranch. Photo courtesy of Mountain Luxury Real Estate. Where’s Smokey? By Shanna Francis Tuesday evening, January 26, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., Huntsville Town, in coordination with CERT, the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, and Weber Fire District, conducted a mock emergency preparedness drill. The drill was a preparedness measure undertaken for planning purposes in the unlikely event of a natural disaster or other emergency, and was organized as an extension of Huntsville’s CERT Program. During the event, new emergency preparedness equipment was able to be tested while older equipment was evaluated—such as gen- |