OREM — After 10 years of dissolution, the Sierra Club is slowly being resurrected in Utah County by a group of environmental enthusiasts.

It's been about six months since the environmentally conscious group re-activated the Utah Valley Sierra Forum, but already the organization is growing in number and purpose. The county is seen as one of the most conservative in the state, but Mapleton resident Bepe Kafka, a leader in the county group, which counts some 200 people among its ranks, says the group's monthly discussions have been piquing the interest of people from all kinds of backgrounds.

"I think we're on the cusp of a wave because everybody's starting to be worried about global warming," Kafka said. "People from all over come to our meetings, from Lehi on down. ... Our membership has the full spectrum of people."

The group, which meets in the Provo City Library at Academy Square on the third Wednesday of every month, is considered a forum — not a chapter — of the Sierra Club because members aren't charged dues to participate.

Each time the group meets, a different contemporary environmental issue is discussed and information posted on the organization's Web site, uvsf.blogspot.com.

This week, the group plans to discuss nuclear waste with a representative from EnergySolutions — but the organization is also interested in issues that are of local concern.

"I hope we'll have a good influence," said Jim Westwater, chairman of the Utah Valley Sierra Forum. "Our main priorities are wilderness, energy and clean air, the preservation of public lands, transportation, sprawl and nuclear waste. Local government has input on a number of these issues."

Kafka said members of the forum recently participated in a rally against the Mountain View Corridor, which has been proposed by Utah's Department of Transportation. UDOT says it may connect its Salt Lake County portion of the road to Utah County via 2100 North in Lehi.

Lehi officials and residents have opposed the 2100 North alternative of the corridor because of the impact the road will have on residents and the environment, but Westwater and Kafka say transportation and road construction are ongoing issues that should be dealt with wisely.

UDOT Region 3 spokesman Geoff Dupaix said the state organization is interested in receiving feedback from groups such as the Utah Valley Sierra Forum.

"We're willing to talk to any group that's out there," Dupaix said. "If they have concerns and want to discuss them, we're open to that. That's part of the public dialogue that's needed for (road) projects."

As a new resident of Spanish Fork and longtime member of the Sierra Club, Westwater says he brought the group back to Utah County so he could meet other people who cared for the Earth. Now that the group is organized, Westwater says he hopes to help move rapidly growing Utah County in an environmentally friendly direction.

"We're not here to say we know all of the answers, but our objective is to help move this valley into a better, smarter, healthier, sustainable direction for the good of all of those people who live here — for present and future generations — and for the good of nature, too," Westwater said. "We just think it makes sense to try to behave in a responsible, intelligent, healthy way. After all, this is our home, right? If you don't take care of your home, you're going to be in trouble. We all know that."

---

E-mail: achoate@desnews.com