UDOT LCC EIS comment deadline fast approaching!

Howdy Supporters of the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance and lovers of Little Cottonwood Canyon,

The September 3rd deadline for submitting your public comment for the Little Cottonwood Canyon draft EIS is fast approaching.  If you have done so already, thank you! You have done your duty to help shape the future of transportation in this amazing canyon that is home to some of the best backcountry touring the Wasatch has to offer. If you have not submitted your comment yet, NOW is the time to take action and help shape the future of this precious resource. If you have limited time, WBA has put together a form to use as a template, but please consider adding your own personal touches. Try to be constructive and reasoned, rather than simply ranting against an option.

If possible we encourage original and unique perspectives targeted around whether the proposed solution satisfies the EIS purpose and need, while not destroying what makes LCC special as a backcountry resource and destination.  How will UDOT’s gondola and lane widening proposals affect your backcountry riding, hiking and climbing experience?

The prospect of building the world’s longest (8 miles!) and most expensive gondola in our watershed to service only 2 private businesses, and paid for with your tax dollars, is a prospect that is both worrisome and detrimental.  Multiple towers exceeding 150-200 feet will forever impact the beauty and character of the canyon, and will certainly result in worse crowding and congestion, not to mention it will do little for dispersed users who are not going to a ski resort. 

WBA, with the help of some great volunteers, put together a visual image of the gondola route and towers as it crosses and impacts countless classic backcountry runs and tours. You can see how it would look by clicking here. And we just had an OpEd published in the Salt Lake Tribune that clearly states what we would like to see in LCC.

Time is of the essence. Make your voice heard. No one is making more backcountry – it only stands to be lost once it’s overtaken by unnecessary infrastructure and development.