On May 16, 2019, Mayor Biskupski hung the first of 164 emergency marker signs along the Jordan River Parkway Trail. Each sign will have a unique location code that will be loaded into SLC 911 Dispatch’s database. These codes will help emergency responders quickly identify a caller’s location and determine the fastest response route. The […]

Do you know the City has a dedicated Graffiti Removal team? This team, comprised of 6 full-time Graffiti Technicians, responds to approximately 1,000 graffiti service requests each month. So far in May, their team has completed 779 service requests – in just 11 days!! The Graffiti Removal Program will remove graffiti from all residential, commercial, […]

Earlier this year, the Trails & Natural Lands Division hired a part-time botanist, Blake Wellard, to create a native plant propagation program and to provide general botanical assistance for the management of the Division’s open space properties. Wellard is a local botanist who has dedicated twelve years of research to studying Utah plant species and […]

Salt Lake City Regional Athletic Complex and Cemetery Recognized as Best of State Awardees Two Salt Lake City Public Lands programs recently received recognition from Utah’s annual Best of State Awards program. The Salt Lake City Regional Athletic Complex (RAC) was named the best sports complex in Utah by Best of State. The RAC offers […]

Salt Lake City’s meandering, tree-lined section of the Jordan River is arguably the most enjoyable section of flat water for paddlers anywhere in the Salt Lake Valley. Incredibly, this section of the Jordan River has almost no infrastructure to support canoeist, kayakers and rafters looking to experience this unique amenity. The Salt Lake City Boat […]

Unknown to many, city cemeteries are often considered unique and appreciated public parks.  Similar to a traditional public park, these green spaces are developing into desirable places to exercise, bicycle, walk dogs, watch wildlife, and simply reconnect with nature. Historically, cemeteries and city parks were not distinguished for different purposes. In fact, in the mid-1800’s […]

The Salt Lake City Cemetery is an integral component of Salt Lake City’s green infrastructure, encompassing 122 acres of the Avenues neighborhood and serving as an important place for remembrance, peace, and enjoyment of nature. Its hallowed grounds hold 130,000 graves containing the final resting places of politicians, pioneers, artists, inventors, outlaws, educators, activists, and […]

In January, 2019, Salt Lake County began dredging the pond at Sugarhouse Park. Dredging ponds in parks helps reduce algae and the likelihood that botulism will occur in water that is shallow and stagnant. Through this process, approximately 18,000 cubic yards of soil will be removed. Under normal circumstances, the removed soil would be delivered to […]

This spring Parks and Public Lands will be replanting the Washington Square Water Wise Garden. This garden is located in front of the east side entry to the building between the U-shaped parking area. As the primary entrance garden, this space provides an opportunity to demonstrate the City’s commitment to water wise landscapes that are […]

House Continuing Resolution 4, adopted by the Utah House and Senate in February, begins with an unpleasant warning: “Scientific research shows that children … are increasingly distanced from nature…” The trend of children’s disconnect from the natural world, often referred to as “nature deficit disorder” after the phrase was coined by author Richard Louv in 2005, is […]

The Salt Lake City Cemetery has a lot of trees! In fact, it has enough tree species to qualify as a tree-focused public garden and to become an accredited arboretum. Through ArbNet, a community of registered arboretums and botanical gardens, the Salt Lake City Cemetery can be added to the Morton Register of Arboreta (a […]

On July 25th several staff members were in the Parks and Public Lands Building back lot and storage area when they noticed smoke rising in the back forty acres. Within minutes, 10 foot flames were rising from just beyond the hill. The flames quickly spread through the dry grass. After the fire was contained, we […]

Salt Lake City Parks & Public Lands recently implemented a warehousing software tool called Fishbowl. Over the past few months the software has been integrated into the daily inventory procedures. Fishbowl increases our capability to track the cost of supplies, creates an efficient system with fewer accounting errors, and ensures more accurate tracking of fiscal […]

The Regional Athletic Complex (RAC) recently began using a fertilization product called Agri-Inject. The fertilizer is distributed to the sports fields through the RAC’s regular irrigation system during normal watering times. Agri-Inject distributes fertilizer by connecting an injection valve to the irrigation system then a liquid mix of fertilizers is dispersed evenly throughout the irrigated […]

On Sunday, August 18, 2018, in the early morning before sunrise, a large irrigation pipe broke on a hill on the west side of Memory Grove Park. This happened at approximately 3 AM and Salt Lake City staff were unable to turn the pipe off until 5:30 AM. Throughout the two-and-a-half hours, before the water […]

On July 25th 2018, a fire broke out in a neighborhood above the Salt Lake City Capitol burning approximately 50 acres of Open Space Land. After the fire, Kevin Bajenburch of the National Weather Service, cautioned residents that there could be a significant risk of flooding as a result of the fire, particularly to the […]

So far in 2018, Urban Forestry has planted 681 trees. These trees are planted in City Parks, Natural areas, and in park strips throughout residential neighborhoods and the city. Urban Forestry Arborists plant a variety of tree species ranging in size and character. Each tree has an important maintenance need in common – a protective […]