Congratulations to the 2034 Olympic bid committee on the successful Olympics bid. And congratulations to the committee for again keeping Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons free of Olympic events and thus avoiding the potential for excessive development in Salt Lake City’s watershed.
Meanwhile, it is ironic that while the Olympic bids have protected the canyons, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is moving forward with the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola plan — which could have significant impacts on the canyon and the watershed.
In the past, a canyon interconnect plan was proposed for building gondolas linking resorts in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons with resorts in the Park City area. The plan was abandoned in part due to concerns about the impact on undeveloped areas. But if a gondola is built to cover the length of Little Cottonwood Canyon, then a resurrection of the canyon interconnect gondola proposal would likely not be far behind.
Meanwhile, the state of Utah has recently introduced a “Stand for Our Land” media campaign — touting the state’s intention and ability to best manage undeveloped lands. Perhaps a good place to start would be to back off the Little Cottonwood Canyon gondola plan.
Ray Diehl, Murray
