April 2016

– By Amy Brunvand A new report by researchers at Utah State University says that proposed development of the Bear River could turn the Great Salt Lake into an environmental catastrophe like the Aral Sea or Owens Lake. Consumptive uses have already decr …

– By Katherine Pioli From the annual Audubon backyard bird count to the microplastics charting research by Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation, citizen science projects, using average citizens to collect and report field data, is becoming an in …

– By Sophie Silverstone GREENbikes, downtown’s bikeshare program, has been growing exponentially. It kicked off its fourth season on March 17, its earliest date to open yet. The system has grown to 24 stations and 250 bikes and will expand again in May …

– By Z. Smith Dented Brick Distillery opened its doors for business in South Salt Lake Easter weekend. Head distiller Ethan Miller says he is committed to crafting liquors that create community and respect the environment, using all natural (and often …

– By Rachel Robertson Entrepreneurs and longtime Utahns Shere and Dylan Brunjes recently opened the doors of a Sport Clips shop in Sugar House. Shere says the Sport Clips mantra is “do what’s right, do your best and treat others they want to be treated …

– By Sophie Silverstone While Rye was certainly making a splash in the Salt Lake early-morning-to- late-night dining scene since they opened their doors May 2014, as of late February they are focusing their energy and hours on the meal that perhaps Sal …

– By Amy Brunvand In March, the Wallace Stegner Center released a fourth report analyzing the transfer of public lands idea, which has this to say: “Respectful dialogue, collaborative relationships, adequate agency funding, and locally supported land e …

– By Amy Brunvand On March 2, the Utah Wilderness Coalition staged a people’s hearing on Congressman Rob Bishop’s (R-UT-1) Public Lands Initiative (PLI), giving a voice to people who were excluded from the official process since PLI hearings were never …

– By Amy Brunvand Alternative to Lake Powell Pipeline Washington County needs water, but not as much as Lake Powell Pipeline advocates claim. A 2015 audit of the Utah Division of Water Resources found that the proposal for a $2.4 billion pipeline is ba …

Playing dirty with coal. —by John deJong You can forgive Utah’s citizens if we feel like we’ve been dry-gulched by the Coal Brothers and their hired guns. As Brian Maffly revealed last month in the Salt Lake Tribune (March 28, 2016) the people who fina …

Environmental news from around the state and the West. —by Amy Brunvand Utah Legislature, 2016 Environmental Round Up The 2016 General Session of the Utah Legislature ended on March 10. A few good bills passed, but, mostly, environmental causes suffere …

Can’t miss: “Next big things” that we didn’t really need. —by Dennis Hinkamp Other than the 15%-off breakfast specials, one of the few benefits of aging is perspective. Just like you can’t appreciate the size of a Bullmastiff without having a Chihuahua …

Visiting teacher addresses Buddhism and mental health. —by Cynthia Shumway On January 1, 2005, I went to my friend Blake Spalding’s house in Boulder, Utah. At the time, I had no idea what a life-changing event that little visit would turn out to be. Bl …

Creating beneficial insect habitat: Lacewings, lady bugs and mantis, oh my! —by James Loomis Now, this is not another article about bees, or any other pollinators for that matter. Bees get entirely too much press when it comes to insects in the garden. …

The disappearing art of mindful communication. —by Charlotte Bell In 1992, George H.W. Bush committed what was considered a fatal error during a debate with Bill Clinton and Ross Perot. As an audience member was asking him a question, he glanced at his …

– By Z. Smith Husband and wife team Dusty and Joann Williams recently opened Ogden’s newest craft-beer innovator, Talisman Brewing Co. Talisman offers high point craft beers ranging 4.0%-10% ABV. Their current selection includes “Bel’s Fury” red ale, “ …

Allow me to tell you a story, one that serves as an analogy for the awkward conversation that often ensues when a white person and a person of color discuss the topic of race and racism. It goes something like this: A woman, standing at a train stop wi …

It’s time to talk. —by Anna Brower Last October, I had the honor of introducing Mychal Denzel Smith, the final presenter in The Nation Speakers’ Series at Salt Lake City Library. Mychal Denzel Smith, if you’re not familiar, is a prolific writer and soc …

A longtime real estate broker shares what she’s learned from working with stagers, cleaners and feng shui experts to make a house more hospitable. —by Babs De Lay I’m a person who chose not to have television for a decade. But when I went out with clie …

For most of us, that seems like a strange and perhaps unproductive question. Of course not, should be the obvious answer. Time goes on, we age along with every other living thing (and even non-living things if you consider phenomenon like erosion a sig …

Overcome unproductive patterns. —by Suzanne Wagner Osho Zen Tarot: New Vision, Totality, Letting Go Medicine Cards: Blank Shield, Snake Mayan Oracle: Harmonic Resonance, Eb Ancient Egyptian Tarot: Ten of Swords, The Fool Aleister Crowley Deck: The Hang …

Can poetry save the Earth? Frankly, I think it’s a splendid idea. Lately I’ve spent quite a lot of time out in the streets trying to save the Earth,3 and it’s clear to me there has been a communications breakdown. The potential for catastrophic environ …

A monthly compendium of wisdom for the home, garden and natural world. —by Diane Olson APRIL 1 All Fools’ Day. In some French-speaking countries, this is April Fish Day, when people attempt to stealthily attach paper fish to people’s backs. APRIL 2 Thi …

Print-out and save! Our 2016 Planting Guide is here! Planting times, depths, spacing, first and last frost dates, and more! A comprensive CATALYST guide to getting your garden in gear. Use the link below or click here to download the attached PDF! plan …