Salt Lake City began regularly patrolling the watershed starting with Parleys Canyon in 1911, likely on horseback and foot.

Horses aren't permitted in the Cottonwood canyons today. Kaila makes his rounds in a gutless 1995 Ford Explorer. He maintains close ties with ski resorts and the Utah Department of Transportation, both of which usually have a construction project going. He ensure workers put up silt fences or hay bales to block debris from tumbling into the rivers. He also keeps an eye on erosion.

At Snowbird recently, Kaila stopped to chat with a crew installing the resort's new alpine slide. He sized up the hillside and decided everything was in order. He peeked under a tractor parked next to the rushing water looking for an oil or diesel leak.

Of all the things that could fall into the creek, Kaila says diesel fuel is among the worst. "A teaspoon of diesel goes a long way," he said, recounting one of the many times a vehicle has crashed into the river.

One of the most difficult things for people to understand is the ban on dogs in the Cottonwoods. (Canyon residents can obtain permits for their pets, though owners must confine them to their property.)

Canine waste may carry viruses or diseases that could be transmitted to humans through the water. But what about the moose and deer that inhabit the forest? It's a question Kaila frequently gets from dog owners.

"'Why don't you get after the moose?'" Kaila said, smirking at the ridiculousness of the question as he watches a cow moose and a calf graze just off Guardsman Pass. "I hear that all the time."

The bottom line is, people can control dogs but they can't control the wildlife.

"If (dogs) were allowed," Kaila said, "we'd be drinking chlorine out of our faucets."

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E-mail: romboy@desnews.com