Public Lands Volunteer Impact – 2024
2024 was an incredible year for our Volunteer Team! We had the opportunity to work with dedicated individuals and amazing groups to benefit public spaces on the Jordan River Trail, up in the Foothills, and at City parks.
New in 2024 – Volunteer Series
Foothills Stewardship Series
Foothills trails are always in need of maintenance and care! That’s why our Trails and Natural Lands Team launched a Foothills Stewardship series this year. Together we hosted volunteer events supporting trail maintenance and invasive weed removal. We were joined by hikers, mountain bikers, dog walkers, NICA mountain bike team members, Wheelie Spoked members, and caring trail lovers.
Fall Native Plant Program Series
Public Lands’ Native Plant Program raised thousands of native plants to help restore areas in Parley’s Nature Park, Fairmont Park, and Cornell Wetlands area along the Jordan River Trail. These plants, along with over thirty thousand plants from the Utah Department of Corrections Greenhouse Program, were added to Public Lands properties by some amazing groups of volunteers.
Jordan River Trail Cleanup Series
Throughout the year, we hosted 13 events on the Jordan River Trail (JRT) addressing trash, puncturevine, and other beautification needs. During these events, volunteers removed over 1,200 pounds of puncturevine (also known as goatheads) and thousands of pounds of garbage from the river and trails, making the JRT cleaner and more welcoming to trail users.
5 Special Event Highlights
Earth Day Tree Plantings and Jordan River Trail Cleanups
In partnership with South Salt Lake, we hosted a “Pedal & Pick” biking/walking trash clean-up event, where over 150 volunteers came together to clean miles of the Jordan River Trail. Additionally, the Jordan River Commission brought 35 volunteers who floated the river in canoes to remove trash from the waterway. A community-led group called SLC Love Your Block helped clear tree canopy along the Jordan River Trail to promote safety and visibility along the trail and river.
During this busy week, Tree Utah and Public Land’s Urban Forestry division came together at the Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex where 400 volunteers planted 250 trees in a single day, helping increase the urban canopy on the west side of the City.
Taufer Park KABOOM Event
In what once was an underutilized park in the heart of downtown, a new playground was installed to kick off the revitalization of Taufer Park. Partnering with Delta, the Utah Jazz, and KABOOM, more than 150 volunteers built a KABOOM playground and much more.
Volunteers installed the playground, painted benches and picnic tables, created sidewalk games, and performed landscape maintenance. The playground, completed in just five hours, includes a play structure with two slides, a zipline, and a swing set. At the ribbon cutting, Public Lands and Taufer Park were presented with a check for $10,000 from Delta, which will assist with the long-term maintenance of the playground
Fish for Garbage at the Jordan River
Partnering with the local non-profit Fish for Garbage, we co-hosted a river clean-up at Cottonwood Park. 150 volunteers removed 2,260 lbs. of trash along the Jordan River between North Temple and 700 N.
World War II Memorial Cleanup at Memory Grove
At the 145th Field Artillery Monument in Memory Grove, the active military of the 145th Artillery improved the landscaping around the memorial and cleaned and polished the monument. Memory Grove was a dedicated as a memorial to America’s fallen military men and women in 1924. On the 145th Field Artillery Monument is a bas-relief plaque featuring horse-drawn artillery of seventeen horses and six men.
Native Cactus Planting in the Foothills
To support the vision of increasing biodiversity and restoring native plants to the Salt Lake Valley, our Native Plant Program team led 40 volunteers in planting over 800 Bigroot Prickly Pear cacti near the Parley’s Point trailhead. This exciting project, more than 5 years in the making, marks the return of a significant population of the Bigroot Prickly Pear to our Foothills, benefiting surrounding native vegetation and wildlife alike.
Meet Kathy and Drew- Two Remarkable Volunteers
Kathy: Kathy grew up valuing sharing and helping others, which motivates her extensive volunteer work with organizations like Tree Utah, the Jordan River Commission, the League of Women Voters, and SLC Parks and Public Lands.
Kathy treasures the connections she has made through her volunteer work and loves discovering new places across Salt Lake City. “People that volunteer have kind hearts, they’re generous, they give time and effort. I always find nice people to talk to.”
Volunteering has given her a sense of community and she loves seeing familiar faces at different events. “You have two families – the one you’re born into and the one you make. I’m blessed to have a lot of different families here.”
Canoe and trash cleanups along the JRT are her favorite events where she’s proudly pulled mattresses from the river twice. She enjoys cleaning parks to help others feel safer using them.
Drew: Drew attended the majority of Public Lands events this year, always showing up with a smile, a positive attitude, and willing to put in 110%.
His favorite event during the season was the Taufer Park rebuild. “It was so well run, with the music and great food creating a fun, party atmosphere. The amount of work that was able to be done in just a couple of days was amazing. Plus, the 150 or so volunteers seemed to really enjoy being there and contributing!”
When asked why he enjoys volunteering so much, he said “I love volunteering because no matter how I feel coming in, I feel good when I leave – Being useful. Setting a good example. Making friends. Giving and getting hugs. Having an impact. Pretty fantastic. I love it, selfishly.”
Public Lands Volunteer Team
Learn more about the team dedicated to making every Public Lands volunteer event a meaningful, productive experience with a lasting impact.