Today’s the Summer Solstice: traditionally the “first day of summer” and the longest day of the year. That means we can expect temperatures to steadily rise over the next few weeks and we should prepare for potential wildfires!
This week’s episode covers the current fire danger, promotes upcoming community events, recaps the development of new voting districts, and warns about an ongoing outbreak of bark beetles in Summit Park.
Alright, let’s get into the news!
– Summit County Fire Danger Increases to “Moderate”
With the lack of rain and increasing temperatures drying things out over the past week, Summit County’s Fire Danger Level has increased from Low to Moderate. As a reminder, the following activities are prohibited in Western Summit County:
*No open fires of any kind except within established public facilities in improved campgrounds, picnic areas -OR- in permanently constructed fire pits at private homes where running water is present.
*No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, trailer or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area that is paved or free from dry vegetation.
*No discharging or using any fireworks, tracer ammunition or other pyrotechnic devices including exploding targets.
*No cutting, welding or grinding metal in areas of dry vegetation.
*No operating a motorcycle, chainsaw, ATV, or other small internal combustion engine without an approved and working spark arrestor.
Visit summitcountyutah.gov and click the fire restriction alert at the top of the page to see a map of the restricted area.
Text SCFIRE to 91896 for updates on Summit County’s fire outlook, Red Flag Warnings, fire conditions, prescribed burns & more.
– One Book, One Community
Speaking of wildfire, this year’s focus for the One Book One Community partnership between Summit County Library and Park City Library is the appropriately titled “Fire Weather” by John Vaillant.
There are several community events spreading awareness of the dangers of wildfire and educating the public on fire trends leading up to a book signing and author’s visit on July 29th.
On Saturday, June 28 from 10 am to 1 pm there will be a safety fair at the Information Center Parking Lot (1794 Olympic Parkway in Park City). Organizers include Park City Fire District, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Health, both library systems, and more! There will be free kids activities, food trucks, prizes, and crafts to promote community safety and fire awareness.
On Monday, June 30 starting at 6 pm there will be a public lecture on “Learning to Live with Wildland Fire on the Wasatch Back” hosted by Park City Library in their community room (1255 Park Ave). Listen to presenter J. Bradley Washa, assistant professor of wildland science and expert in wildland fire management from Utah State University.
Come check out these great events and get in the know about wildland fires! Everybody has a role to play in preventing human-caused fires and making our community more fire-safe.
– Districting Commission Holds First Meeting to Draw New Voting Lines
County council didn’t meet this week, but one development local residents should know about is the first meeting of the Summit County Districting Commission. To comply with the requirements of Utah House Bill 356, Summit County must divide its population into voting districts of roughly equal population.
Each district will elect a representative to sit on the county council and this new system will replace the current “at-large” system where all five seats on the county council are open to and voted on by residents throughout the county.
To decide how the voting lines are drawn, the council created a districting commission composed of mayors from all six municipalities in the county plus the mayor of Hideout (since they annexed land in the county in 2024) and one representative for unincorporated areas in serving as the commission chair.
At their Monday meeting, the commissioners began drawing preliminary maps using school district boundaries and existing voter precincts for local offices. That means trying to keep communities and municipalities intact as much as possible.
The “magic number” for each district is a population of about 8,500, with a 10% margin either way to accommodate the aforementioned restrictions. For example, the commissioners plan for now is to leave the South Summit School District as its own district: and it has a total population of around 8,980.
North Summit would need to absorb some of the population in unincorporated Snyderville Basin, and Park City municipal boundaries may serve for its own district given the relatively high population density. The remaining two districts would divide the remaining unincorporated areas in northwest and central Summit County.
The districting commission will meet again on July 17 from 6-8 pm, with at least five more meetings scheduled between the 17th and their deadline to present a final proposal on Oct. 1. Information about the location and format of future meetings will be available at https://summitcounty.info/agendacenter.
– Douglas-fir beetle outbreak
We want to once again remind our listeners that you can help us curb an outbreak of destructive bark beetles in Summit Park!
Earlier this year, foresters discovered a cluster of dead and dying Douglas-fir trees off Matterhorn Dr in Summit Park. The affected trees were discovered on privately-owned vacant lots and a small portion of open space.
The county lands and natural resources department is teaming up with the local HOA as well as state forestry experts to notify homeowners in the surrounding area and stop the infestation in its tracks.
Join us for a Douglas-fir beetle education and mitigation workshop at 385 Matterhorn Dr on Thursday, June 26 from 46 pm. Hear from PJ Abraham, northern area forester, and Colleen Keyes, forest health coordinator with the Utah Division of Forestry Fire and State Lands.
Participants will learn how to:
- Identify Douglas-fir trees and their bark beetles
- Spot signs of beetle damage on trees
- Manage affected trees
- And prevent future attacks
The workshop will conclude with a question-and-answer session. Summit Park HOA is able to provide a non-toxic pheromone repellent to homeowners. The repellant is proven effective at protecting healthy trees from beetle attacks.
If you live in or near Summit Park, we hope you’ll attend and learn how to protect the trees on your property and warn your neighbors about the dangers of the bark beetle. If you’d like to learn more and get involved, visit summitcounty.info/foresthealth
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