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Show February 15, 2023 The Ogden Valley News 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 Photo by Sam Crump. Community Meeting on Incorporation Slated for February 28 at OV Library Community Invited to Ogden River Watershed Meeting Feb. 13 @ OV Library It’s been twenty years since Ogden Valley residents made the initial effort to incorporate this high mountain valley—to switch from a county-wide governing body to one locally governed by elected local officials who understand local issues and represent local constituents. While residents since then had hoped for greater representation and decisions made that better reflect the needs and desires of the community, many gaps remain in the current political administrative process. This is why an incorporation feasibility request was recently submitted by the residents of Ogden Valley to the State of Utah’s Lieutenant Governor’s office in accordance with Utah Code Section 10-2a, Incorporation of a Municipality. This effort has been made, once again, as a means of building an inclusive community dedicated to the unique quality of life that separates Ogden Valley from the remainder of the county—its historic core values and the community’s rural character and traditional communal cohesiveness. Through incorporation of Ogden Valley, community challenges will be addressed through active collaboration and public engagement and by accommodating growth in a sustainable way that maintains our rural integrity and tradition while enabling people who live and work here to thrive. This can be achieved by Ogden Valley becoming its own municipality—a self-governing Political Subdivision of the State with a governing body elected solely by local residents. The proposed boundaries of the new town Residents of Ogden Valley are invited to a watershed meeting this coming Monday, February 13 at the Ogden Valley library in Huntsville from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The meeting relates to the watershed planning project the Weber River Partnership (WRP) received funding for last fall. The focus of this meeting is to get people’s actual information about water quality concerns on the Ogden River watershed; thus, WRP wants to focus on folks who have firsthand knowledge of hot spots and critical areas where the quality may be getting compromised. Anyone is welcome to attend, especially if they have input on this question. What is the Weber River Watershed going to look like in 5, 10, or 50 years? Will we have enough water to support booming growth while still protecting and restoring water quality and fish habitat? Kari Lundeen says these are the kinds of questions she wrestles with as a watershed scientist for the Weber River Basin. She states, “Fortunately, I have the privilege of working closely with local stakeholders that share these concerns and are eager to work on solutions. A few years ago, two dedicated fisheries biologists—Paul Burnett from Trout Unlimited and Ben Nadolski from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources—approached me with a proposal to pool our resources to improve water quality and fish habitat in the river. The Weber River Partnership was born. The Weber River Partnership includes representatives from local governments, water purveyors, utilities, conservation districts, special service districts, and other private, state, INCORPORATION cont. on page 12 “Emma,” waiting for Patio Springs mail delivery as the snow continues to pile up. Picture submitted by Dave Garland, Eden. Huntsville Woman Named Weber County American Mother of the Year County Commission Reinstate ZOOM Service at County Meetings For more than 80 years, Chapter of American American Mothers, Inc. has Mothers invites two or been honoring moms who three mothers to join make a difference! Since the their chapter. This year first National Mother of the the new mothers of the Year was named by the American Mothers year are Patti Child Committee and Honorary Chairman, Sara from Weber County, Delano Roosevelt in 1935, American Mothers Laura Ward from North has honored inspirational mothers from across Ogden, and Sue Ann the country every year. And the Utah chapter of Burton from Ogden. American Mothers has been honoring our state’s They were honored mothers since 1946. January 21 at the Utah American Mothers educate, inspire, and recState American Mothers Patti Child ognize mothers through programs that teach, program, along with support, and honor moms, empowering them to five other honorees from other chapters in the positively impact their families and communities. state. Cheryl Ferrin of Eden, and former Mother Locally, each year the Utah Ogden/Weber MOTHER cont. on page 8 The use of ZOOM for general public attendance at the Weber County Commission work session meetings has been restored. These work sessions are public meetings and not public hearings, and while public attendance via ZOOM was terminated for a time, it has now been restored by the Weber County Commissioners. Please note that the decision to provide public attendance via ZOOM at the commissioners’ work sessions is strictly up to the discretion of the Weber County Commissioners. A Weber County policy on the use of ZOOM and other electronic DWR Implements Emergency Statewide Restrictions for Shed Antler Hunting Weber County Sheriff’s Office is implementing a new dispatch program alongside Weber Area Dispatch 911 with the goal of shortening emergency response times and providing more efficient response times and providing more efficient service to the communities we serve. This technology, which allows first responders to hear 911 emergency calls in real-time and immediately identify caller location, was designed with the sole purpose of saving more lives. Its advantages have already been noted by the Weber County Sheriff’s Office. “We went live with this program recently, and we are already seeing the benefit of having it,” says Lieutenant Colby Ryan. “At least The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources announced a statewide emergency closure to “shed hunting” Tuesday, February 7 in an effort to help wintering big game, particularly deer populations. The antler gathering restrictions are effective through April 30, 2023 across Utah—including on both private and public lands. DWR biologists have been monitoring the condition of the deer—as well as snow depths and winter temperatures—across Utah since early December. These monitoring efforts include body condition and health assessments conducted during the big game captures that take place each December. Biologists measure and record overall deer condition, body fat levels and fawn weights of the animals going into winter. Biologists also place GPS collars on deer to monitor animal migrations and survival. Data from these monitoring efforts and GPS tracking show that the extreme cold and increased snowpack across the state are starting to impact mule deer fawn survival rates and may ANTLER HUNTING cont. on page 12 --Applicants Needed for Ogden Valley Dark Skies Committee-The Weber County Commissioners are taking applications for the Ogden Valley Dark Skies Committee. The Dark Skies Committee will be looking at ways to help inform and educate the public about the importance of having dark skies. We need two (2) people from the Ogden Valley and two (2) representatives from the Ogden Valley Businesses. This committee will not be doing any type of enforcement. WATERSHED cont. on page 13 attendance tools was recently developed—in late December. Below is a summary on the use of ZOOM for Weber County Commission meetings. Weber County Commission Work Sessions • ZOOM for public attendance has been restored. Public attendance is also allowed via in-person attendance at the work sessions, which are usually held in the Weber Center ZOOM MEETINGS cont. on page 8 Weber County Sheriff’s Office Implements New Dispatch Program two lives have already been saved because of this program, and we anticipate many more in the future.” While dispatch operators act quickly and efficiently to obtain information from their callers, an inevitable time lapse occurs from when a 911 call is placed to when the operator types out details and enters them into the CAD for a radio operator to broadcast the call to officers. This process can take 90 seconds to two minutes before an officer even becomes aware of a critical situation. When a new 911 call comes in through Live911, the system will send it out simultaneously to first responders in the field. Officers will then have the ability to hear the call as it happens, much like scanning DISPATCH cont. on page 8 Applications can be found at www.co.weber. ut.us/mediawiki/images/7/75/Weber_County_ Board_Application.pdf Please drop off your completed application at the Weber County Planning Division office, 2380 Washington Blvd., Suite 240, Ogden, UT 84401. You may also forward applications to: jnelson@webercountyutah.gov Call June at 801-399-8374 for further information. Applications will be accepted until March 10, 2023. WSU to Host 38th National Undergraduate Literature Conference Literature students across the nation will have the opportunity to present their work at the National Undergraduate Literature Conference hosted by Weber State University from March 30 to April 1. Originally founded in 1985 by WSU professors Mikel Vause and Michael Meyer, NULC is the longest running national undergraduate conference in the United States. This is the first year the conference will be held fully in person since 2019. “The idea started as a quiet little in-state gettogether but after 38 years it’s now a national conference,” said Mikel Vause, English professor. “Weber State is very fortunate to have had the support of so many sterling writers and talented students.” Submissions for students to present at the conference close Feb. 14. Information on qualifications, presentation categories and submission instructions can be found on NULC’s website. This year’s keynote speaker is Louise Glück, who won the 2020 Nobel Prize in literature— the first woman in 27 years to do so. She is the author of 12 poetry books including Faithful and Virtuous Night, winner of the National Book Award, and Poems 1962-2012, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. “The NULC remains a vibrant and significant part of students’ educational experience,” Vause said. “The conference is changing and growing, setting up the NULC for hopefully another three decades with the same underlying purpose, to ensure all participants come away excited about the world of words.” Traffic jam on Highway 158! Photo courtesy of Nico M. Vilgiate of Eden. |