Utah EE Award Nominations

2009 Call for EE Award Nominations
Deadline: Friday, October 23, 2009

It is time once again to think about those who have made significant contributions to Utah’s environmental education (EE) community. Nominations for Environmental Educator, Environmental Education Program, Environmental Education Business, and Environmental Education Volunteer of the Year Awards are now being accepted. Recipients will be officially recognized at USEE’s 20th Annual USEE Conference.

To submit a nomination, please read through the following information/criteria and fill out the Awards Nomination Form. We encourage you to even nominate your own EE program, business, or yourself for any of these awards. USEE members and attendees of the 20th Annual USEE Conference will vote for the recipients of these awards online.

CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE AN EE LEADER IN YOUR COMMUNITY TODAY!

Vern A. Fridley Environmental Educator of the Year Award
Awarded to an individual who has made a major contribution to environmental education in Utah. Nominee does not need to be a teacher, but must be involved in education about the environment and human responsibility to it. Review committee will consider the following criteria:

• What does the nominee do?
• What audience(s) does he/she work with?
• In what ways does this person serve as a model environmental educator?
• What important contribution(s) has he/she made to the field of EE or to improving environmental quality in Utah?

Utah Environmental Education Program of the Year Award
Awarded to a program that has made an impact in education about one or more aspects of the environment. This may include understanding, stewardship and/or management. Review committee will consider the following criteria:

• What is the mission or goal of the program and how does it incorporate environmental education?
• What is the scope of program (local, regional, statewide) and what audience(s) does it target?
• How does the program model quality and effective environmental education?
• What important contribution(s) has the program made to the field of EE or to improving environmental quality in Utah?

Utah Environmental Education Volunteer of the Year Award
Awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to environmental education specifically through volunteer (unpaid) service to an environmental organization in our state. Work may include but is not necessarily limited to teaching, group facilitation, field leadership, program development, administration, writing, speaking, presentations, or fundraising. Review committee will consider the following criteria:

• A brief description of how the nominee’s work has benefited teaching or learning about the functions, processes, sustainability, or cultural interactions pertaining to our natural local or state environments.

USEE Business of the Year
Awarded to a for-profit organization that has made a major contribution to environmental education in Utah. This contribution may include but is not necessarily limited to directly educating the public, support for other EE initiatives, in-kind assistance, employee efforts and increasing environmental awareness to the broad community.

• What does the nominee do?
• What audience(s) do they work with?
• In what ways does this business as a model for environmental education efforts?
• What important contribution(s) have they made to the field of EE or to improving environmental quality in Utah?

Also, don't forget that Conference Registration is NOW OPEN! Early bird deadline is October 23, 2009. Register today!

Border's Educator Appreication Week

Border's is giving all current and retired educators get a discount on purchases for personal or classroom use. Receive 30% off of nearly everything in their stores (in-store list price)! All you have to do is bring proof of current educator status. This starts today, September 29, and runs until October 7!

For more information, visit their educator website today!

Wild About Utah: Tales of the Packrat

One of the best storytellers in Utah's national parks is not a ranger, but the lowly packrat. Their stories of past plant communities are written in their middens. The midden is a heap of leaves, twigs, seeds and fruits the packrat discards outside its nest. Protected in a desert cave or rock crevice and preserved by the rat's own urine, this heap is a detailed and accurate time capsule of the past local flora.

Ken Cole with the US Geological Survey is a fluent translator of the packrat's stories. Ken and colleagues sampled old packrat nests around Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Capitol Reef National Park. By carbon-14 dating, the nest ages are known to span the last 10,000 years. As controls, they also collected nests from mesa tops inaccessible to livestock. Ken and colleagues then carefully translated these packrats' stories by identifying and counting the plant fragments in these fossil nests.

At both Capitol Reef and Glen Canyon, old packrat nests revealed pre-settlement plant communities that were rich in diverse grasses, wildflowers and shrubs. Then these floras changed. Beginning 150 years ago, vast herds of sheep and cattle tromped and chewed their way across the unfenced rangelands of Utah in numbers unimaginable today. We know that palatable plant species and those susceptible to trampling suffered declines, because they are absent from middens from that time period. Unpalatable shrubs multiplied. Despite curtailed grazing in subsequent decades at Capitol Reef and Glen Canyon, packrats show us that the flora still has not recovered. Like Aesop's fables, this cautionary lesson of the packrat's ecological tale remains clear and relevant today. We should all listen.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.

Credits:

Text: Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon

Wild About Utah is a weekly nature series produced by Utah Public Radio in cooperation with Stokes Nature Center and Bridgerland Audubon Society. Archives of the program can be found at www.wildaboututah.org.

Celebrate Take a Child Outside Week

Take a Child Outside Week runs from today, September 24, to next Wednesday, September 30. Take a Child Outside Weed is a program designed to help break down obstacles that keep children from discovering the natural world. By arming parents, teachers and other caregivers with resources for outdoor activities, their goal is to help children across the country develop a better understanding and appreciation of the environment in which they live, and a burgeoning enthusiasm for its exploration.

To learn more about this event, please visit: www.takeachildoutside.org. There you can get ideas for outdoor activities, pledge to take a kid outdoors, and find participating organizations. USEE is one of them, and so is Wasatch Community Gardens, one of our Institutional Members. Be a part of this national movement!

Wild About Utah: Canyon Maple

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

The canyons and valleys of Utah will soon be awash with brilliant fall hues. Cascades of red, orange and gold will blanket the hillsides as the weather turns cooler and morning frost dusts the mountain ridges.

The Canyon Maple is one of Utah’s main sources of autumn color. Like most maple species, its leaves are carved into deep lobes. The leaves are medium-to-bright green now, but soon the entire tree will glow with spectacular color. Canyon maple is found throughout Utah at medium elevations between 4,500 to 7,500 feet. It tends to grow on lower slopes and canyon bottoms in the mountains in association with Douglas-fir and junipers.

Its scientific name, Acer grandidentatum, means “Big Tooth”, referring to the tree’s distinctive lobed leaves with large, toothed margins. In fact, bigtooth maple is another common name for this species.

"Some think the canyon maple is related to the sugar maple of the Northeastern and Midwestern United States,” says forestry professor Mike Kuhns of Utah State University’s Department of Wildland Resources. It’s possible that long ago, the Rocky Mountains rose up and isolated a sugar maple population that eventually evolved into a unique species.

The canyon maple rivals its eastern relatives in fall color but does it produce sap suitable for tasty, syrup-covered waffles and pancakes? Back in 1970s, a group of scientists set out to determine just that. The trees were tapped and yielded plenty of sticky liquid. The color was very light, resembling light honey and the flavor was delicate and fruity, almost like pineapple. However, it was notably less sweet than the northeastern sugar maple. Of 30 panelists from Utah who participated in a taste test, 57 percent preferred eastern sugar maple syrup but the remaining 43 percent preferred canyon maple syrup.

The researchers concluded that while canyon maple sap was not practical for large-scale syrup production it might be enjoyable for individuals to try on a small scale on private land within its habitat range.

Syrup aside, the medium-sized tree thrives in Utah’s residential landscapes, parks and urban areas, as well as in the wild. Its year-round beauty, hardiness, and manageable size make it a perennial favorite in the Beehive State.

Thanks to the USU College of Natural Resources for supporting research and development of this Wild About Utah topic.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:
Image: Courtesy and Copyright 2003 Michael Kuhns, Extension.usu.edu
Text: Holly Strand & Mary-Ann Muffoletto, Stokes Nature Center

Wild About Utah is a weekly nature series produced by Utah Public Radio in cooperation with Stokes Nature Center and Bridgerland Audubon Society. Archives of the program can be found at www.wildaboututah.org.

National Education Standards

Perhaps we are moving closer to national education standards. What would this mean for Environmental Education?

Panel releases draft of national education standards
A group of experts and educators has released a draft of its proposed national education standards for students in English and math. The broad curriculum guidelines are expected to get more specific in 2010, when grade-by-grade standards will be outlined. For now, the proposal includes an expectation that students will be able to solve systems of equations and real-world problems using math and develop writing skills based on tone and topic. The Washington Post (9/22) , Education Week (premium article access compliments of EdWeek.org) (9/21)

What is an Ox?

I attended the Utah State Fair this past weekend. I love going to the fair to see the pigs, sheep, all of the beautiful vegetables, and even the butter sculpture. I think this year, however, the best part of the fair was by far the giant steer. This cow weighed over 3,000 pounds, stood 5'5" at the shoulder (taller than me!) and can only be described in my mind as a giant, brown elephant cow. The informational sign that hung above this big guy alluded to oxen being regular steers that are trained to work. I got to thinking about this and it begs the question, "so what, exactly, is an ox?"

Essentially, Oxen are mature, castrated males belonging to the domestic cattle family that are trained to work. Sometimes these beasts are also used for meat at the end of their lives. A steer, by contrast, is also a castrated male, but is a younger animal that may not be trained, or may not be strong and mature enough for hard work. In the United States a steer is not considered an ox until it is four years old, by which time it is considered large enough and mature enough for any work required of it. If a steer is taught to work before it is four years old, it is called a "working steer."

Female cattle can also be oxen, but they are generally used more for producing milk and more calves. Steers are often larger and can pull more weight than female cattle. Oxen are generally bigger than most cattle. This is due to the fact that most steers are slaughtered before they reach maturity and their full size, while oxen are live for much longer. This is interesting since steers/cattle are not even considered oxen until reach their full size and maturity at four years.

Oxen also have very large horns compared to many steers. This is also due to the age and maturity of steers vs. oxen - Their horns grow as their bodies grow. Their horns are also useful when working. When people are choosing oxen to use, they look for cattle with horns as their horns keep the yokes on their heads when they back up. Any breed of cattle can be trained as an oxen, but some breeds are better than others and training can take longer depending on temperament and other factors.

I have limited cattle experience. Growing up, one of my best friend's grandfather had a ranch on the Utah Arizona border and I often went down with her family to help them heard the cattle in the spring and fall. Other than that, my only experience with oxen is on the "Oregon Trail" computer game that was all the rage in elementary school. Who knew that they were essentially the same animal?

Photo Credits:

Scottish Highland Oxen
Oxen Munchin

Bash Recovery

Thank you to all of our members, fans, supporters, donors, board members, volunteers, staff, and every one who helped make this year's Annual Benefit Bash such a success! The band was rockin', the silent auction items were fabulous, the food was delicious, and everyone had a great time. Thank you all for your continued support!

Questions/comments about this year's Bash? Email me at nicole@usee.org. We'll be sure to incorporate your suggestions into next year's bash.

My apologies for not updating the blog for most of last week. We were all on high alert in getting everything ready for the fundraiser. Now we are recovered, I look forward to writing some excellent posts this week!

Wild About Utah: Bugging Marbled Godwits

In the name of curiosity and hunger, man has tracked the migrations of animals for centuries. The first record of the use of leg bands to track birds is from 1595 when one of Henry IV's Peregrine Falcons was lost in France. It showed up 24 hours later in Malta, about 1400 miles away. John James Audubon tied silver cords to a brood of phoebes and identified two nestlings that returned the next year. In 1899, Hans Mortensen added identification numbers and his return address to the plain leg bands and modern bird banding was born.

In the United States, anyone who finds a bird band is encouraged to report it to the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland. Banding provides us with limited information, however. There is no data about the bird’s life between the time of banding and its recapture or death.

But recent miniaturization of satellite transmitters used to track larger animals is now proving valuable in bird research. In 2006, Bridget Olsen of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and Adrian Farmer of the US Geological Survey started placing tiny satellite transmitters on the backs of Marbled Godwits, a hefty sandpiper that rests at the refuge during its migration. The Marbled Godwit is in decline throughout its range. This large shorebird was chosen by scientists from Mexico, the United States and Canada as the focus for an international shorebird conservation effort. The solar-powered transmitters periodically record the bird's GPS location. The transmission is picked up via satellite and returned to the researchers. Comparing two transmissions indicates travel time and speed.

Olsen and Farmer work with wildlife officers across North America to track the Marbled Godwits from their wintering grounds in Baja California, through their migration to nesting grounds in the Great Plains, Alaska and Canada.

This is Linda Kervin for Bridgerland Audubon Society.
Credits:

Photo: Courtesy US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Digital Library
Text: Lyle Bingham, Linda Kervin, Jim Cane, Bridgerland Audubon

Wild About Utah is a weekly nature series produced by Utah Public Radio in cooperation with Stokes Nature Center and Bridgerland Audubon Society. Archives of the program can be found at www.wildaboututah.org.

City Greek Featured in Newspaper

City Greek Express, located on 660 South State Street, was featured in the Salt Lake Tribune last week. The "Dish of the Week" was gyros, and the City Greek Express' gyro placed in the top five.

City Greek Express is going to be catering our Annual Bash on Friday, Sept. 18. Don't forget to purchase your tickets so you don't miss out on this fun and festive event with some awesome Greek food!

Take a Break - Lake Blanche

Over Labor Day weekend I finally hiked to Lake Blanche. Lake Blanche is 3 miles up a side canyon up Big Cottonwood Canyon, just below the big S-curves. I regret to say that I have lived in Salt Lake City my entire life and this is the first time I have ventured here. I have been missing out! The trail is incredibly steep, which is part of the reason why I have shied away from it for so long, but it actually wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

The trail is absolutely beautiful and winds mostly through mixed pine and aspen trees. At the top there is steep red rock ridge that runs across the canyon. Lake Blanche is perched just over the ridge and Sundial peak (about another hour and a half to the top) looms above the lake. If you keep hiking west along the ridgeline, there are two smaller lakes beyond Lake Blanche. A small waterfall cascades from Lake Blanche into the first lake, and a slightly larger waterfall comes out of the last, and smallest, lake into the river that runs down the canyon.

As I was hiking up the trail, a few hundred yards from the top of the ridge, a friendly hiker informed me that there were some mountain goats on the cliffs past the smaller lakes. After resting up and eating my lunch, I set off to find them. After exploring for about an hour, I finally found them high on the cliffs above the lakes. Unfortunately, they were too small to see with my camera - so no pictures of them, but I enjoyed watching them bound up and down the cliffs with the greatest of ease - definitely a treat to see.

The trail switches back through many aspen groves.

First view of Lake Blanche

Lake Blanche with Sundial Peak high above.

The two smaller lakes west of Lake Blanche.

View down the canyon from the ridge line - the trail goes up this canyon.

Even though it took me way too long to get up there, I'm glad I finally did now rather than later. If you live in the Salt Lake Valley, or close by, I highly recommend this gorgeous excursion.

Zucchini Insights

Even though it is September and the height of the Zucchini season has passed, I still feel inspired to write about these delicious and diverse vegetables.

I heard somewhere the other day about "Zucchini Day," or otherwise known as "Sneak Some Zucchini on to your Neighbor's Porch Day," which I think was aptly named. The holiday is celebrated by stealthily disposing of excess zucchini and summer squash by leaving them in neighborhood yards, cars, and porches. (Check out some fun ways to do so here.) Unfortunately I missed this summer harvest holiday, on August 8, but I will look forward to it for next year.

As I was looking up information about Zucchini Day, I also came across the National Zucchini Bread Day. I checked it out and was surprised to discover that this holiday is on April 23. Why isn't it in August? I don't know about you, but unless you have shredded and frozen vast amounts of zucchini, I think zucchini bread isn't exactly on your mind in April - or is it? Maybe by the time April rolls around, the urge for some tasty zucchini bread is prevalent six months after the creative and frantic vending of zucchini and summer squash.

Finding out about "Sneak Some Zucchini on to your Neighbor's Porch Day" and "National Zucchini Bread Day" was inspired by a chat with my mom the other day. She mentioned that she had to go to the store to buy some zucchini in order to make a zucchini cake that she wanted to try...This made me feel terrible: I have so much zucchini I don't even know what to do with it all! I've been making (or eating other people's stuff as they try to use their zucchini as well) zucchini cake, chocolate chip zucchini cookies, zucchini bread, feta and zucchini pancakes, sauteed, raw, grilled, and even pasta made out of zucchini. I have four giant freezer bags full of shredded zucchini in my freezer to use this winter - And here is my mother, buying zucchini at the store. Guess I need to remember to bring some over next time I stop by for dinner.

Photo Credit

USEE September Green Bag

Communicating Online: The Social Networking Craze
September 15, 12:00 - 1:30 pm
The USEE Offices, 466 E 500 S, SLC, Downstairs

Can you Twitter or Facebook your way to program and fundraising success?

Social networking--especially recently Facebook and Twitter--have become all the rage. Board members or program participants may suggest you should have a Facebook page. Your young 20-something assistant may insist you need a Twitter account. And then there is blogging--Blogspot, TypePad, WordPress--and you think you should blog, but what about it and how do you carve out time to do it? And more importantly, what does it mean to your fundraising efforts, programming, and constituent building to use Facebook, Twitter, or a blog?

The use of these technologies is definitely on the increase, but organizations should think carefully about a strategy that contributes to their missions and aligns with the resources they have to dedicate to such practices. Third Sun Productions will lead us in this discussion of the pros and cons of implementing social networking from an organizational standpoint and how you might measure success.

RSVP to nicole@usee.org by September 14th to reserve your spot. The cost is $5 for members, $15 for non-members and includes a light lunch. Cancellations must be made 24 hours prior to the event or you will be billed $5 to cover lunch costs.

Wild About Utah: Hummingbirds

Hi, I’m Holly Strand from Stokes Nature Center in beautiful Logan Canyon.

Depending on where you are in Utah, fall is just around the corner. Or it may already be here. That means it’s time for many of our Utah birds to migrate south to warmer temperatures and more abundant food sources. Here in Logan Canyon, we’re getting ready to bid farewell to our charismatic little friends, the hummingbirds.

Hummingbirds are a New World phenomenon, living only in the western hemisphere. They are primarily tropical. Of the 330 species we know about, 95% live south of the US-Mexico border. Ecuador has 163 species--more than any other country. Colombia is next with 136 including a new species discovered just 5 years ago. Hummingbirds are known by a number of different names in Spanish including the generic term colibrí, picaflores meaning flower pickers, and the more poetic term, joyas voladores or "flying jewels."

In spite of its great size, only 16 different hummingbirds are regularly found on the North American continent. Interestingly, except for the Ruby-throated Hummingbird—all of these species breed west of the Mississippi River.

In Utah, roughly comparable to the size of Ecuador, 5 species are regular visitors. Broad-tailed hummingbird and the black-chinned hummingbird are the most common and most widespread. They both overwinter in Mexico.

The calliope hummingbird is also seen in Utah. It is the smallest breeding bird in North America weighing about as much as a penny! The calliope is also the smallest long distant migrant bird in the world traveling up to 5600 miles in a single year. The rufous hummingbird is another long distance migrant seen in Utah, traveling from as far north as Alaska all the way down to central Mexico .

There is some controversy over whether or not you should continue to feed hummingbirds in fall. Some say you should quit feeding by late August or the hummingbirds won’t migrate. This is not true. In fact, many hummingbirds begin migrating when their natural food sources are still intact. According to the Audubon Society's website, you should keep your feeders up for two weeks after you see the last bird using it in the fall. The tiny birds need to double their body mass before migration, and a bit of extra nectar can only help.

Thanks to the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation for supporting the research and development of this Wild About Utah topic. And thanks to Corrine Thul for supporting both hummingbird conservation and educational programming in Logan Canyon.

For Wild About Utah and Stokes Nature Center, I’m Holly Strand.

Credits:

Image: Courtesy and Copyright 2009 Corrine Thul
Text: Holly Strand, Stokes Nature Center

Wild About Utah is a weekly nature series produced by Utah Public Radio in cooperation with Stokes Nature Center and Bridgerland Audubon Society. Archives of the program can be found at www.wildaboututah.org.

Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water

Photo Credit

(The following information is taken from a USU Water Quality Extension publication. To see the entire article, click here)

When cleaning out your medicine cabinet, what do you do with your expired pills? Many people flush them down the toilet or toss them into the trash can. Although this seems convenient, these simple actions may be contaminating your water supply.

Recent studies are generating a growing concern over pharmaceuticals and other personal care products entering surface and ground water. Pharmaceuticals include chemicals such as over the counter medicines, cosmetics and other personal care products, as well as antibiotics and growth hormones used with livestock.

Starting in the mid 1980’s, studies began to sound the alarm. In the US and in Europe, aspirin, caffeine, nicotine and biproducts of soaps, shampoos and other personal care products were showing up in rivers below waste water treatment plants. A sampling program in the 1990s found 30 different pharmaceuticals and related chemicals in surface water samples (Ternes, 1998). More recently a study published by the U.S. Geological Survey found a broad range of chemicals downstream from urban areas. Of the 95 chemicals the USGS measured, one or more were found in 80 percent of the streams sampled and about one-third of the streams contained 10 or more of the chemicals (USGS 2002). Recent work by Colorado State Universityhas also found elevated antibiotics in surface water downstream from livestock operations and manure fields ( Davis, 2004).

Are humans or the natural environment affected?

The levels of most of these chemicals measured in streams and groundwater are very low (parts per trillion) and therefore below the prescription dosage. However, evidence is mounting that these chemicals are finding their way into humans. For example, one study looking at household and industrial chemicals found that over 80% of American children contained residue of at least 1 pesticide. Scientists are concerned that these chemicals may disrupt human hormone systems, may cause lower sperm counts, and may be linked to increased rates of breast, testicular, and prostate cancer, and increased incidence of hyperactivity. Antibiotics in our environment create a different type of problem. Disease causing bacteria exposed to low levels of antibiotics over extended periods of time may lead to resistant strains which cannot be treated easily.

Around the world, changes in fish, amphibians and other organisms have been noted. These range from premature spawning in shellfish to the inability of fish to repair damaged fins (Reynolds 2003). In all cases, low levels of these chemicals are a prime suspect.

How do these chemicals get into the water?

Sources of pharmaceuticals and personal care products include pharmaceutical industries, hospitals, medical facilities, households, and agricultural areas. Because up to 90 % of oral drugs can pass though humans unchanged, many of these drugs enter the environment through human and livestock waste. Improper disposal of unused products is also a factor. Many of these drugs and care products do not biodegrade and may persist in the groundwater for years.

The amount of these chemicals released into the environment is also a concern. The amount of personal care products and pharmaceuticals released to the environment is estimated to be about the same as the amount of pesticides used each year. Furthermore, the U.S. accounts for about half of all pharmaceutical use in the world.

What can we do?

Unfortunately, clean up and removal of these pollutants is a difficult task. Wastewater treatment methods used in the U.S.aren’t designed to remove many of these chemicals, and much of the contaminated water is from nonpoint sources and is never treated. This means that much of what goes down our toilets and our drains finds its way to our streams and groundwater.

Drinking water treatment plants can remove many of these chemicals, but the technologies that are most effective are not common in the U.S. The most effective treatment methods include advanced oxidation, membrane filtration, and nano-filtration, while the least effective method is chlorination, which is the most common technique in the U.S.(Reynolds 2003).

Prevention is always the best strategy for reducing contamination. Individuals can minimize overuse and misuse of drugs and return unused medications to pharmacies, rather than dump them down a drain. Industries are working to produce more environmentally friendly chemicals and increase point of use treatment.

The good news is that the concentrations currently being detected are very low, and there is time to develop new treatments and modify our current practices to protect our waters. All these actions to keep drugs and care products from finding their way into your water will ultimately protect you and your family.

For references and more information, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.

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In addition to the wonderful information supplied by USU Water Quality Extension, you can also check out http://www.medicationdisposal.utah.gov/ where you will find drop off locations and events, or plan to come to the Be Well Utah Fair on Saturday September 12th from 10am - 4pm at the University of Utah to drop off all of your unused medications.

USEE Receives UWABC Community Building Award

We are thrilled to announce that USEE has been chosen as a recipient of the Utah Women's Alliance for Building Community Community Building Award. This award recognizes individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution for building community in Utah. Thank you for all of your contributions to help USEE build the Environmental Education community over the past year! We especially want to thank Julie DeLong for bringing the award to our attention and Mary Migliorelli for nominating USEE.

The awards ceremony will be held October 20 at Westminster College Jewett Center for the Performing Arts. Thank you for all of your contributions that have helped USEE build the Environmental Education community over the past year!

-The USEE Staff

Take a Break - Snowbird Hike

Several weeks ago USEE received a few Tram tickets for tabling Snowbird's National Get Outdoors Day festival. We took a staff meeting field trip to ride the Tram and hike down from the peak. Here are some pictures from our fun outing:

View of Big Cottonwood Canyon from Snowbird Tram

View from the Snowbird Tram, going up.

From left to right: TJ, Jason, Andree', and Nicole
Picture taken from the top of the Tram at Snowbird

Looking West from the top of the Tram

From left to right: Jason, Andree', and Nicole
Hiking down from the Tram

From left to right: Jason, Andree', and Nicole
Still hiking down, Fun!

A special thank you goes out to T.J. for taking these pictures on this fun day!
Photo credits: All photos are courtesy of T.J. Adamson