Protect Indian village site in Draper with easement, groups say

DRAPER — With just weeks left in office before becoming U.S. ambassador to China, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. could sign into easement a piece of ecologically sensitive land atop a 3,000-year-old American Indian village, protecting it from becoming a mixed-use development with a commuter rail station.

"If Gov. Huntsman is going to take action, time is of the essence," said Ted Wilson, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council.

The Rivers Council, Utah Open Lands, archeologists and a handful of elected officials toured Thursday afternoon the site the Utah Transit Authority is considering for a future FrontRunner South station, at roughly 13500 South near the Jordan River.

UTA is building commuter rail to connect Salt Lake City to Provo and plans to have a station in the south end of Salt Lake Valley after trains are running and when demand calls for it. Currently UTA is considering four spots — 14600 South, 14000 South, 13500 South and 12800 South — with 13500 South the most favorable because of Draper City Council support and because the lay of the land does not require UTA to build a pedestrian overpass to get riders to their vehicles, said Steve Meyer, manager of engineering and construction for UTA's commuter rail.

Wilson acknowledged the awkward situation the environmentalists were in, fighting against a public transit station when they ultimately see public transit as a solution to poor air quality.

"We're transit people and they do need a site," he said. "But it's my conviction and the conviction of many people here that this is the last site" UTA should consider.

The Jordan River is a corridor for birds migrating from far-flung locales such as Argentina and Canada, said Bruce Heath, director of the Great Salt Lake Audubon. Since most areas along the Jordan River have been developed, the 13500 South site is one of the last for birds to rest and nest, he said.

Land surrounding the river, which biologists call the riparian zone, is necessary for water purity since they act as a buffer to surface and subsurface runoff, said Arthur Morris, an ecologist and stewardship director with Utah Open Lands. The riparian zones are the most biologically diverse. For instance, each of Utah's 18 bat species can be found around the Jordan River. "This is really a hot spot for wildlife," he said.