We don’t need to go back — we need to build something better.
For too long, belonging here has felt conditional. Conditional on who you worship. Who you love. Whether you fit into a narrow mold. And while we argued over who belonged, something precious slipped through our hands — our connection to each other and to the land itself.
As a generational gardener — and director of a local community garden — I know how quickly good land can be lost. Soil takes generations to build and only moments to erase. And it’s not just farmland we’re losing. Utah’s wetlands are being drained, developed and fragmented. Native plants are vanishing. Pollinators, birds and beneficial insects are disappearing alongside them.
The truth is, our relationships with people and place are inseparable. Healthy soil grows healthy communities. But right now, both are eroding. We’re losing biodiversity, ecological resilience and the places where memory and community take root.
In just 20 years, we’ve watched the fertile orchards and family farms that once fed this valley vanish. Wilkerson Farm in Orem is preparing to shut down as the landowner looks to sell the 14-acre property to developers aiming to build housing on the site.
Bunnell’s Fork — a cherished natural area in Provo — is also under threat, prompting residents to urge the city council to protect it through a conservation easement.
We spent millions cleaning up Utah Lake, only to see plans approved for inland port developments near sensitive wetlands, raising serious concerns about the future of this fragile ecosystem and the Great Salt Lake.
And now, in a desert facing record droughts, there’s a proposal to relocate Splash Summit Water Park to the base of Slate Canyon in Provo, a plan that includes building a resort and entertainment amenities — further straining our precious water resources.
Meanwhile, Rep. Celeste Maloy has introduced a proposal to sell off approximately 11,500 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in southwestern Utah, including parcels in St. George and Washington and Beaver Counties — public lands that belong to all of us.
What does it say about us when we pave over the land that feeds us? When we sell off our common ground to the highest bidder? When we lose not only our soil but the roots that once held our communities together?
It doesn’t have to stay this way.
We can choose to tend the soil and our relationships. To restore what’s been depleted. It starts with remembering that we belong to each other — and to this land. It starts with planting a garden, sharing a meal and starting a conversation. It starts with caring — radically, stubbornly and together.
Because when we heal the land, we heal ourselves. And that’s the Utah I want to live in. How about you?
If this vision resonates with you, here’s how you can help:
Contact your representatives. Tell them you oppose the sale of public lands and unchecked development.
Support local conservation efforts. Get involved with Conserve Utah Valley and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), organizations dedicated to protecting our shared landscapes.
Stay informed. Attend city council meetings and public forums. Pay attention to development proposals and voice your concerns.
Foster community connections. Join a community garden, host a neighborhood meal, or simply reach out to a neighbor. Strong communities grow from shared ground.
Together, we can nurture both our land and our relationships—and build a future rooted in care, not consumption.
(Rachel Gardner) Rachel Gardner is a lifelong Utahn, a graduate of Utah Valley University and director of the Spanish Fork Community Garden.
Rachel Gardner is a lifelong Utahn and a graduate of Utah Valley University. As Director of the Spanish Fork Community Garden, she carries forward the legacy of her early settler ancestors by working to protect public lands, strengthen community resilience and promote sustainable food systems across the state.
The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.
