Ted Wilson, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert's senior adviser on the environment, is leaving government to join Talisker Mountain Inc., the real estate investment and development company that owns the Canyons Resort near Park City.

A longtime Democrat and former Salt Lake City mayor, Wilson has advised Herbert for nearly two years on such controversial issues as wilderness, energy policy and public lands. And, while he said Friday he will miss working with the Republican governor and his staff each day at the Capitol, he is looking forward to being Talisker's director of government affairs.

"The position combines everything I love," said Wilson, "working with private and public interests in land-use policy and advocacy for the Wasatch Mountains, which I've loved and respected all my life, and a chance to boost Utah's position internationally as a great resort destination."

A news release from Talisker said Wilson will oversee "interaction with stakeholders involved in land-use issues with the company, with an emphasis on projects at Canyons Resort."

The parent company of Talisker Mountain Inc., Toronto-based Talisker Corp., operates real estate interests in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. In Utah, the company's resort communities include Tuhaye, Empire Pass and Red Cloud in Summit County, and it owns and operates Canyons Resort, the third-largest ski resort in North America.

"Ted's knowledge of government and his familiarity with state and federal politics make him the perfect fit for this position," said company chairman and CEO Jack Bistricer in announcing Wilson's appointment Friday.

In a news release on Wilson's departure, Herbert called the environment adviser "a collaborator."

"With his vast public service experience and inclusive leadership style, Ted has been a tremendous asset to our team and the entire state," the governor said. "We brought people together on some of the most difficult issues, from RS2477 roads to the creation of county-by-county resource-management plans for our public lands."

For his part, Wilson praised the governor for his work on environmental and energy issues. And he noted that he will continue to serve on Herbert's Balanced Resource Council and the Energy Task Force.

"I still support the governor very strongly," Wilson said in an interview.

Wilson also led the governor's Energy Task Force, which wrote a 10-year strategic energy plan that the Herbert administration calls the cornerstone of priorities to strengthen the state economy.

Lynn Stevens, a former San Juan County commissioner and member of the Balanced Resource Council, said he hopes Wilson's even-handed diplomatic style continues. He cited as an example the environmental adviser's role in leading negotiations between Iron County, the state and the U.S. Interior Department on rural roads.

"He brought enormous credibility, and he was enormously fair," said Stevens.

Carl Fisher, director of the advocacy group Save Our Canyons, said his group, which sat in on many Balanced Resource Council meetings, found the move surprising.

On one hand, Wilson was a strong advocate for such things as the creation of the Lone Peak Wilderness in the Wasatch.

On the other hand, Talisker has been a supporter of such controversial proposals as linking Park City ski resorts to the Cottonwood Canyon resorts with gondolas or tunnels.

"We hope he continues his legacy of stewardship and love for the Wasatch in this new position," Fisher said.

Herbert is expected to name a replacement in coming weeks. Meanwhile, under an executive order signed by Herbert last year, Wilson is barred from lobbying his former executive branch colleagues for two years.

Chief of staff for the late U.S. Rep. Wayne Owens from 1972 to 1975, Wilson served as Salt Lake City mayor from 1976 to 1985. After that he was director of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics through 2003. He was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1988, losing to Republican Gov. Norm Bangerter.

An avid skier, road cyclist, motorcycle rider and mountaineer, he pioneered many mountain climbing routes along the Wasatch Front. Wilson also served in the nonprofit sector with Intermountain Healthcare, the Utah YMCA, Friends of Alta and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, and he was executive director of the Utah Rivers Council.

fahys@sltrib.com