Who's minding the shore? Nature preserve turns wasteland into a wetland

NORTH SALT LAKE — The Great Salt Lake shoreline west of the city here is a palette of dull yellows and browns, a contrast from the rich greens that are brushed through the wetlands farther north.

For decades, the land was overgrazed and used as a dumping ground by local farmers and developers, turning it into a dry wasteland. The aim now, however, is to restore it to the wetland it was 100 years ago and protect it as the Legacy Nature Preserve.

As crews this summer prepare to do heavy work on the Legacy Parkway beginning around November, environmental activists have joined with the state to oversee construction plans. The environmentalists also are helping the Utah Department of Transportation with a plan to create and enhance the adjoining wetlands in the preserve.

It wasn't always such a cooperative relationship.

"The biggest problem over time was with the wetlands and lake," said Marc Heileson, regional representative for the Sierra Club. "People were unaware of just how valuable a resource was out there."

The plan for Legacy and its proximity to the Great Salt Lake wetlands had been bitterly opposed by environmentalists since it was announced by Gov. Mike Leavitt in 1996 as the 120-mile-long "Legacy Highway." The first phase was planned as the Legacy Parkway, a 14-mile stretch from North Salt Lake to Farmington.

But in January 2001, the Sierra Club and Utahns for Better Transportation sued to stop construction of the Parkway. Salt Lake Mayor Rocky Anderson filed a friend of the court brief supporting the action. Nine months later, a judge ordered that work stop until UDOT did further studies of environmental impact. The studies cost the state $6 million.

The state's expenses in defending itself in the lawsuit were far greater: about $17 million. Those costs are included as part of the $685 million price tag to build the road. That's about $230 million more than the road's price five years ago, when the lawsuit paused the construction.

Last year, the state signed a settlement agreement with plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Provisions in the settlement include an agreement by the state to fund a study of the effect of noise from the road on birds in the area. UDOT is also required to build Legacy with a "soft" pavement that reduces noise and to make the road "meander" around wetlands, according to the settlement.

The legal agreement marked a transition for the two long-time opponents, from foes to collaborators.

A revised approach

UDOT officials admit that a shift in their thinking came during the five years when work on Legacy was delayed.

"The delay gave UDOT the chance to evolve into projects like this," said Angelo Papastamos, context-sensitive solutions director for UDOT.