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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, October 28-30, 2020 The Park Record W AY WE WERE A-9 Green Tips Whatever happened to the Silver Mine Adventure? Yard waste: bad news Popular attraction that doesn’t have to be allowed visitors to enter Ontario mine HEATHER CURRIE Recycle Utah Yard waste can be a big problem in our landfill, but there is something we can do about it. Bad news: When yard waste goes to the Summit County Landfill, it generates methane that is released into the air. According to the EPA, methane is 25 times more harmful than CO2 when released into the atmosphere. Our landfill is currently the largest generator of methane in all of Summit County. Good news: Herein lies the opportunity. It doesn’t have to be this way! There is so much we can do about this. When yard waste is composted, there is no methane generation; rather, it breaks down into carbon. And better yet, when composted, the carbon is not released into the air — it’s sequestered into nutrient-rich compost DALTON GACKLE Park City Museum research coordinator It was only open for a few years, yet the Park City Silver Mine Adventure, where visitors were lowered into the old Ontario silver mine to get an “authentic” mine experience, left a lasting impression — especially on the children lucky enough to become miners for an hour or two. Now grown up, those kids come into the Park City Museum asking if this was the place they got to go down in a mine (we aren’t). We get calls, too, asking about tours of the mine. “Unfortunately,” we reply, “the Silver Mine Adventure has been closed for a long time now.” In fact, the Park City Silver Mine Adventure was only open between December of 1995 and probably 1998. Interestingly, when the attraction closed, there was no report or article written. Not from The Park Record, nor any of the Salt Lake-area papers. Ask one person who was in Park City at that time — they will say it closed in 1998. Ask another — they will say 1999. The last article I could find about the Silver Mine Adventure being open was from Oct. 13, 1998: a review from the Daily Universe (BYU’s student paper) about the Halloween programming at the mine. Perhaps no closing article was written because it was expected that the attraction would re- PARK CITY MUSEUM, PCHS POSTCARD COLLECTION This postcard from the Silver Mine Adventure shows the logo, the exterior, the mine train going into the mine and the museum interior. open at some point. The Park City Silver Mine Adventure Inc. last filed as a domestic for-profit corporation in 2003. All of this is surprising, not only because someone should have noticed and thought to write a story about it, but because the attraction was popular. But there was a time when the Silver Mine Adventure faced some backlash. In 1997, the attraction decided to unveil their aforementioned Halloween programming, which they billed as the “Tunnel of Terror.” The description of the Tunnel of Terror included that “various dead and decaying miners and their ravenous rat friends will greet our guests.” Some locals and mining veterans were not very happy. The Ontario, where the Silver Mine Adventure resided, is part of the worst mining disaster in Park City’s history. An explosion at the adjoining Daly West Mine led to a gas leak that killed nine men in the Ontario shaft. Fred Lupo, then president of District 22 of the United Mine Workers of America (which includes Utah), told the Deseret News “It’s very offensive, very distasteful to families who have lost people.” He also explained that sites of major mining disasters are usually treated as sacred; some even become memorials. Randy Sella, the general manager of the Silver Mine Adventure, disagreed saying, “There’s no way it is in any way demeaning or an attempt to disrespect miners or their families.” He added that the programming stemmed from the same historical information as the regular tours offered during the rest of the year. The Park Record reported that the programming was meant to commemorate those who had died, but did not cover the controversy. Perhaps the Tunnel of Terror spelled the beginning of the end for the Park City Silver Mine Adventure, with the spirits of the men who died not happy about an attraction in their final resting place. Don’t get buried in news you don’t need. Call 435–649–9014 to get the news you care about where it belongs. So — what can we do about this? Join Recycle Utah for Dumpster Days Oct. 29-31. You are invited to bring your yard waste to Recycle Utah where it will be taken to be composted. Rent a wood chipper! Add this nutrient-dense material to your backyard compost so it can become carbon-sequestered soil. Don’t have a backyard compost? That’s OK. There are plenty other uses for woodchips: Free mulch! Sorry, Home Depot! Use in your chicken runs, build up raised garden beds, livestock bedding, path material for landscaping projects and so much more. Recycle Utah, your community nonprofit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit its website for more information — recycleutah.org. Rapid testing will be used for lawmakers ASSOCIATED PRESS SALT LAKE CITY — Lawmakers in Utah have added safety precautions in preparation to hold the 2021 Legislative session in-person, which is set to begin in January. House of Representatives and Senate leaders plan to implement daily, rapid testing for lawmakers and staffers physically in the chambers during the 45-day session, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. Senate President Stuart Adams said there is still some concern despite adding plexiglass dividers between each desk. The Republican said lawmakers and staff will also have the option to work virtually. Studies show rapid DNA testing is not as accurate as standard COVID-19 tests, and can miss a high number of infections. However, when given day in and day out it can also help prevent large outbreaks. Lawmakers have held four special sessions since the regular session ended in March, including two almost entirely virtual and another with mixed attendance online and in-person. Legislative leaders and staffers have suggested other alternatives for the upcoming session including relocating to a larger venue where social distancing could be enforced or replicating the NBA and its so-called bubble that would isolate legislators. SUMMIT LAND CONSERVANCY MOUNTAIN TRAILS FOUNDATION TRAILS & LAND go hand in hand |