The Provo below the Jordanelle and Deer Creek dams is open to public access. Whether you are fishing, tubing or walking, these verdant corridors are a remarkable resource that, as the populations of Heber and Provo grow, will become even more valuable.
Unfortunately the protection afforded to the lower stretches of the river is lost upstream between Jordanelle and the national forest boundary. Here the Provo winds through private property, restricting public access. Although this region of the river is natural, possessing wild fish populations, the Blue Ribbon Advisory Council will not declare it a blue ribbon fishery due to the lack of public access.
The Weber River is analogous to the Provo in that it, too, has three river stretches, separated by the Rockport and Echo dams. The Weber above Rockport is primarily closed to public access. The Division of Wildlife Resources has worked with landowners below Rockport to allow public access through entry points. Angler access is a gift from the landowners and could be revoked if it is misused or the land is sold.
Fortunately, the development pressures evident in Heber on the banks of the Provo are not yet evidenced on the Weber in the Coalville and Morgan areas, but they are coming.
The region of the Provo below Jordanelle was saved just in time. Central Utah Project mitigation funds were used to purchase these lands to maintain this river as a public corridor. It is doubtful that such lands could be bought today at current prices. Therefore, it is critical to protect the Weber now before the costs to do so become prohibitive.
What would it take to protect the Weber River corridor below Rockport to Morgan? First, it requires vision, the ability to set the clock ahead 50 years and imagine what the Weber Valley will look like. Will the river be buried underground in a culvert to allow for another row of houses, or will it be flowing within a natural river corridor? Will the river be a resource to the community, or a blight?
Envision Utah has a series of exercises that allows citizens to imagine what their communities will look like decades into the future; the Weber needs such a process.
Second, it takes the motivation of the local landowners. Much of the land in this region has been in families for generations; there is a tight bond between the two. Most do not want to see the conversion of family acreage into tract housing. They have safeguarded the river as stewards of the land; future utilization can be designed to do the same while ensuring that these landowners obtain fair financial compensation for their land.
Third, it takes motivated individuals and organizations to help purchase the land, or to assist in the deeding of conservation easements that will protect the river in perpetuity. Utah Open Lands, DWR, BRAC and Trout Unlimited, among others, need to define funds and to bring them to the bargaining table. Additionally, the Land Trust Alliance and the Nature Conservancy are two non-governmental organizations that are committed to preserving open space.
For the Weber River to be protected and available for public use, it will take the vision to see the alternatives and how uncontrolled development of the Weber Valley will only create short-term gains, not long-term value.
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* JOHN H. WEIS is a member of Stonefly Society of the Wasatch, a chapter of Trout Unlimited, and is an avid angler.
