Spring Creek Restoration Project

Rivers and wetlands are an important feature of the Utah landscape. Wetlands and streams each have unique characteristics that make them an important part of the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Riparian habitats of the stream are widely recognized as important areas of the landscape for a wide range of wildlife.

There is a great need to conserve existing wetland and riparian habitats and to develop wildlife rich valleys by restoring and creating new wetland and riparian areas. Work is required to ensure that water quality in all wetlands and streams is maintained and, where necessary improved.

The Spring Creek Ranch Habitat Restoration & Conservation Project was created to ensure the lasting protection and restoration of a spectacular Great Basin wetland and stream system and its associated biological diversity. Secondarily, Spring Creek Ranch hopes to demonstrate stream and wetland restoration efforts and educate children and other visitors about wetlands, streams, and other broader conservation issues in Utah Valley.

The Spring Creek Habitat and Conservation Program was created by a partnership between Shoreline Properties, the City of Lehi, Community Conservation, and many others in the community. The project is centered around community participation and is focused on restoring the stream corridor and surrounding areas using environmentally sound practices. The restored areas would then function as a demonstration site to educate the community about stream restoration, management, and preservation.

This restoration has several important components which include reducing accelerated stream channel erosion along Spring Creek’s stream banks, establishing a native riparian vegetated buffer, eliminating non-native flora and fauna from the area, treating the storm-water or runoff of the adjacent planned community through a vegetated bio-swale system, and restoring and enhancing the aquatic and terrestrial habitat of the stream corridor. The stream restoration will be completed in November or December of 2007.

Once established, Spring Creek Ranch will offer nature trails, community parks, family nature walks, children nature learning workshops, and volunteer walk leader-training courses.

Education Plan
Environmental education is one of the main and most important objectives of the Spring Creek Habitat Restoration and Conservation Program. We are trying to create an environment to educate about the environment. Environmental learning experiences can provide an awareness of who we are and how we relate to the world around us. Studying and exploring the environment teaches us about the earth’s natural resources while fostering a sense of respect for all living things. We need to work together to change the prevailing culture, so that all institutions-home, school, religious, government and business-reinforce the child's need to bond successfully with family and Earth. And we have to learn how to do it in an urban society.

Naturalists and storytellers will involve, amuse, stimulate and instruct children and adults with nature walks and learning workshops. Each walk and workshop will have different activities, including animal study, nature crafts, outdoor nature exploration, nature games, and much more. Spring Creek Ranch will also help provide volunteer walk leader-training courses that will teach parents and other volunteers how to teach children about nature. Local non-profit organizations will help provide workshops in water-wise landscaping, recycling, and green living. more >

"Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
-Albert Einstein