Fishing Forum

[cool][#0000ff]Some of us on the board are more active than others in trying to preserve or restore our outdoors resources. I am in frequent communication with Dan Potts, who helps out on the June Sucker Recovery Program and is constantly working on improvements for Utah Lake and the Jordan River. Here is an email I just received from him.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I know this should be on the off topic board and expect it to be there soon.[/#0000ff]
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Hey Guys,
The wildlife of the Jordan River needs your Christmas help.
SLC Council wants to rush the effort to vote to pass support at their Jan 5th meeting at the City and County Bldg. to build an unneeded soccer complex on the last remaining large, publically owned wildlife habitat at the north end of the county.
Although the city and its mayor have repeatedly committed to protect this property for wildlife they are "blinded by the $$$" to develop this extremely valuable floodplain by filling in 167 acres for sports fields, while they have at least 5 other closer and cheaper locations.
The cost for this project has now risen to at least 4 times more than that to build other such fields - way more than the bond!
Who is going to pay the difference??
Citizens would not have passed that bond had they known that it would destroy this extremely valuable wildlife habitat.
Citizens elected Mayor Becker on his platform of being green - now he has turned his back on the most important green property in the area.
SLC endorsed Envision Utah's Jordan River Vision which opposes a sports park on this site in favor of wide citizen support for a nature center.
A coalition on Citizens for the Restoration of the Jordan, headed by Ray Wheeler, has moved ahead with a petition to stop this effort before the City Council meets .

Give local wildlife a Christmas present by taking a minute to read the rationale and sign the petition at this URL:
[url "http://www.petitiononline.com/jrsp2009/petition.html"]http://www.petitiononline.com/jrsp2009/petition.html[/url]

Dan-the-Fisherman
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what south is the location?
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[cool][#0000ff]Not 100% sure but I think it is up north, in the marshland area. That is the area with the most wildlife habitat potential.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Of course, those of us who like to hike along the Jordan River have seen plenty of "wild life".[/#0000ff]
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Do you mind if I copy and paste this on a popular duck hunting site? I think it would gather a lot if interest there, being more Marsh habitat would be lost.
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[cool][#0000ff]The more spots this can be seen, the better. Here is Dan's phone # [#000000]Dan-the-Fisherman, 801-596-1536[/#000000][/#0000ff][#0000ff] if you want confirmation or need more information.[/#0000ff]
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Thanks for spreading the word. I have signed the petition.
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Hey TubeDude,
My wife and I (and dog) enjoy the Jordan River walkway in Saratoga Springs quite often. We were a little disturbed when they started to build the new Pioneer Parkway, figuring that it would disrupt our peaceful exercise. I understand city expansion and those things need to be done to accommodate the "urban sprawl". But, for a soccer complex........NO WAY!
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Andy and Lori
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Thanks for the heads up. All this family has signed.
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Count me on the list that signed!
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Thanks Pat for bringing this up. Lets get some more signatures tho!!!!! I love soccer, but there is a place for everything!! The Jordan is not that place.

Dan....Awesome Job, n Keep it up!!!! When We going fishing again??? Shoot me a PM --Shawn Murphy
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Thank for the info Tubedue just signed it.
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Thanks for posting. What else is new?

"Oh look there is a swamp full of frogs and ducks lets build a shopping mall."

You gotta love our trusty government to bowing to thier knees to $pecial interest.
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Petition signed. I live in the West Jordan/South Jordan area, and am tired of seeing all of the development here. Where I used to see deer and foxes and skunks and any number of birds, now I see Office buildings and houses. Open spaces are becoming scarce. Lets all try to preserve some of what we have for future generations.
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Petition signed! Tired of everyone wanting to destroy the river and the land surrounding it!
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[indent]The location is the 2200 North Diverge. Here is what was written in the Deseret News a few weeks ago.

"While the site was not specifically mentioned in the 2003 bond measure OK'd by voters, there was a "common understanding" on the location, Becker said. With the $15 million bond and a $7.5 million contribution from Real Salt Lake that expires next year, the city plans to begin the first phase of a sports complex that includes soccer fields, baseball diamonds and a championship stadium."

They have to break ground by the end of January as that's when the Real SL contribution expires. My opinion is that Becker is a typical politician, do and say what the voters want during your campaign then WAMO.. Bonds and Raphly don't mix! Coun't me in on the petition!!
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Signed, we need to preserve open space. That river has already suffered enough abuse.
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[cool][#0000ff]Soccer - 1....Wildlife - 0.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The soccer complex was voted in unanimously last night.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][url "http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14177954"]TRIBUNE ARTICLE[/url][/#0000ff]
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I do hope every one took the time to research where this "last remaining large publicly owned wildlife habitat" was before signing the petition.
I also know Dan and he is a good, no a great man and works hard at what he feels, so do not take this as a slam on him.
here is the area in question.
[url "http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.817155,-111.942573&spn=0.021273,0.038409&t=h&z=15"]http://maps.google.com/...409&t=h&z=15[/url]
As you can see it is bordered on the south by a large housin development that sprawls into SLC. It is bordered on the west by Rose Park lane and interstate 215 with it's 65 MPH speed limit and large trucks. It is bordered on the North by the state OHV park with it's constant 2 stroke smell and dust and lastly on the east by the Jordon river and just accross the river by several industrial truck centers and TNT auto auctions facility and a wrecking yard.
I just do not see the wild life value in this parcel.
Now if this fight was about something west of I 215, I would join in whole heartedly.
Where was the outrage when this parcel of the Jordon was developed?
[url "http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.374274,-111.898069&spn=0.042829,0.10952&t=h&z=14"]http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40.374274,-111.898069&spn=0.042829,0.10952&t=h&z=14[/url]
This is not the "largest undeveloped parcel on the Jordon" the section at point of the mountain is and a large one exists from Bangeter Highway to 126 S and another from 90th S to 78th S.
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[cool][#0000ff]I plead guilty to not doing my own personal research. I was under the mental impression that it was a prime waterfowl marshland...by their description. Your input creates a different image. I have no reason to doubt your statements and if they are in fact true then it would seem that there is no great loss of habitat, as they would have us believe.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I guess a potential question should have occured when I saw that Jeff Salt was involved in the dispute. Got to "know" him briefly during my days in the Utah Anglers' Coalition, of which he was a part. He is "passionate" about his environmental issues and it does not take much to wind him up. On the TV news last night he was threatening to bring a lawsuit that would keep everything tied up for years into the future. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Thanks for the additional insight.[/#0000ff]
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Click on the top Google link, it shows the area.
I also know Jeff and he is off base on this one.

If it was being fought over the "spending money" issue I would get on board, but this 160 acres is not what the anti's are saying it is.

Yes there are hawks and fox that hunt there, probably a deer in the bushes too, plenty of mice and voles but they will move west to a better, bigger place over by the Rudy duck club.
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