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Show Chapter 5 Recommendations • Recommendation: An education partnership between Salt Lake City and the United States Forest Service will be formalized. Implementation: Begin immediately after the plan is adopted. Explanation: In order to efficiently and effectively launch a watershed education campaign, the two largest jurisdictional agencies in the watershed must formalize an education partnership. A Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU) will be drafted between the two agencies to solidify an agreement to work together in offering effective watershed education programs. This MOU would also foster greater coordination of education efforts between each agency. This coordination would rnmimize duplication of programming along with maximize sharing of staff and resources for educating the public about the watershed. • Recommendation: Seek help from the congressional delegation for watershed management funding. Implementation: Begin immediately after the plan is adopted. Explanation: The funding shortfalls relating to watershed protection and recreation management are in part the result of federal budget cutbacks. Salt Lake City will work with the congressional delegation to enhance the federal commitment to public land resources in the Wasatch Canyons. Continual budget cuts in recreation management and watershed education require the Forest Service to rely more heavily on volunteers who may not have the training to properly educate visitors. The health of the water supply for over 400,000 people in Utah depends in large part on Forest Service management practices. The Forest Service needs additional funding on a line- item basis for new facilities, additional rangers, facility maintenance, and interpretive programs. For this reason, a lobbying effort highlighting watershed awareness and funding shortfalls needs to be conducted. Decision makers will be taken on watershed education tours. These tours would allow the decision makers to view the problems first hand. The land managers Page 60 |