Mahala Kephart and Kelly Goff walk Ding and Queenie on the Bonneville Shoreline Access Trail in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. (Photo credit: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill to help build and expand trails around Northern Utah is going to get some federal funding after it passed the House unanimously.
The bill, Bonneville Shoreline Trail Advancement Act, was proposed by Representative John Curtis. It’s designed to allow more people to quickly access the mountains from the cities and connect already existing trails.
Furthermore, it aims to clear paths for trails along the Wasatch Foothills and make more trails bike accessible.
However, there has been some opposition locally from groups who say the plans undermine conservation efforts.
The opposition is due to the 326 Acers of designated wilderness in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest that would be impacted to construct the trails.
To offset the loss, land in Millcreek Canyon would be added to the Mt. Olympus wilderness area.
“My bill would release very small and target parcels of wilderness often where the trail already has been constructed, and in turn designate other more deserving lands for protection,” said Curtis.