Plus: A perspective on what patriotism really means and why it is at the heart of what can help us overcome polarization and cynicism.
Forest management critics call for tree thinning to prevent wildfires, improve watersheds |
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| | A controversial proposal that first surfaced in the 2023 Utah legislative session is once again being pushed by GOP Salt Lake County Council member Dea Theodore, who contends bush and tree thinning in the Great Salt Lake watershed will reduce the risk of wildfires, boost public safety and increase water yield. Theodore’s most recent request implores Gov. Spencer Cox, and other state leaders, to shepherd a number of strategies, including: Establish a statewide program to eliminate non-native trees that consume excessive amounts of water, particularly in the Jordan River watershed. Install equipment that measures results in areas that have been treated. Work with private landowners to advance aspen restoration. Allocate $100 million a year in funding to the Utah Watershed Restoration Initiative, beginning in 2024 and continuing for five years. However, Theodore's efforts have had a mixed reception. Scientists have been critical of her assertion that vegetation management will result in any quantifiable extra water. In February, the Great Salt Lake Strike Team Report released by the Kem Gardner Institute of Policy at the University of Utah noted: “In the past decade or so a growing body of research has shown both increases and decreases in streamflow following canopy reduction,” stressing that the impact of tree thinning to help the world’s eighth largest terminal lake or its tributaries is unclear and would likely to be minimal or could potentially even decrease flows. But Theodore remains committed to her assertion that strategic thinning of trees, including non-natives and, yes, conifers, will provide ecological benefits. Theodore said her proposal has the support of representatives of 22 of 29 counties in Utah, private landowners and several lawmakers, as well as Mike Styler, who headed up the Utah Department of Natural Resources, is a former legislator and helped develop the Watershed Restoration Initiative into a robust program. |
Read more about the potential pros and cons of tree thinning. |
| Jim Dalrymple II isn't sure when his sense of patriotism began slipping away. But whatever the cause, for many years he experienced a creeping sense of cynicism about his home country of the United States of America. "Patriotism is out of fashion for many Americans, and cynicism is in," Dalrymple writes for the Deseret News. "The United States is not a perfect country. Far from it. But what I’ve gradually realized — or, maybe, remembered — is that patriotism doesn’t require perfection. What it requires is faith in a place and its people." He continues: "I lost my own sense of patriotism because I believed my country had too many problems. I regained it when I realized solutions are within our grasp. And at a time when progress on any issue seems painfully hard to come by, patriotism offers a way for Americans to come together and reach for a better future." After exploring the reported decline in American patriotism and the elements of American culture that could revive it, Dalrymple concludes: "I often think about that Independence Day at this time of year, and about the fact that for all of our differences and disagreements, most of the time we do tend to get along. And that gives me hope for this country, and for the idea that it’s possible to be a patriot while still grasping for a better world." Read Dalrymple's entire piece about what patriotism means and why it is at the heart of what can help us overcome polarization and cynicism. | Faith and Family Religious liberty should ‘benefit society as a whole,’ says President Oaks (Church News) Church of Jesus Christ invites Utah young single adults to unique summer conference (KSL) Family and Education Life is in the pictures: Practical strategies to organize your family photos (Deseret News) Lisa Halverson and Glori Smith: Utah high school students are getting creative with civic engagement projects (Deseret News) Salt Lake County The Farm at Gardner Village rescues animals ... and humans (Deseret News) Photo: How the Salt Lake airport prepares for an emergency (Deseret News) Utah County Photo: Journey gives fans at Stadium of Fire a lot to believe in (Deseret News) Payson High students pushing to get Kevin Bacon to prom (KSL NewsRadio) The West Judge awards $152 million to ex-FLDS members in lawsuit against Warren Jeffs (Fox 13) ‘It’s a disaster’: California farmer faces ordeal as pistachio farm sits underwater (Los Angeles Times 🔒) The Nation The remarkable week: Did you miss the four key rulings made by the Supreme Court? (Deseret News) One of largest Christian churches in US departs Southern Baptists following vote to ban women from pulpit (Fox News) The World Europe's Euclid space telescope launched on mission to explore 'dark universe' (Reuters) Smoke will keep pouring into the US as long as fires are burning in Canada. Here’s why they aren’t being put out (CNN) Sports Everything you need to know ahead of Utah Jazz summer league action (Deseret News) Where the Utes rank in The Athletic’s statistical and simulation top-25 rankings (Deseret News) ESPN projects difficult first season in Big 12 for BYU (Deseret News) Anderson Julio and Real Salt Lake get late winner to down Toronto (ESPN) |
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