| Steven Clark and Keith Cox from the LDS Institute in Price help with the scenic byway cleanup. |
A Huntington/Eccles scenic byway cleanup was recently held in the canyons. The cleanup covered 85 miles from the Huntington Power Plant up and over to Colton with groups of cleaners scattered along the byway. The cleanup crews filled garbage sacks provided by the Utah Department of Transportation who also came along after the cleanup to retrieve the sacks. The cleanup project is just part of many activities planned for the byway.
At a recent Emery County Commission meeting, Jana Abrams, scenic byway coordinator reported to the commission on projects planned for the byway.
Abrams said that information kiosks will be constructed at the site of the mammoth find in Huntington Canyon. They are currently working with the forest service on a grant which will allow the five information panels to be placed near the site of the mammoth find. There will also be a hands on display for children. The panels will include facts about mammoth and also recall the events surrounding the find. The kiosk will be in place for the tourist season of 2006 and will be listed on all literature concerning the scenic byways of Huntington and Eccles canyons.
Abrams told of other tourism projects she is working on which include beginning a 5 or 10 k run next summer for Huntington Canyon and promoting senior citizen tourism during the month of September. “It’s amazing how much more money tourists can drop into the economy if they just stay half a day more in the communities. We are working on a map of Huntington canyon that is easy to read. We want to educate people on the front lines and when tourists stop into a gas station or convenience store, they will be able to hand out maps and let people know what there is to do in our communities. The governor has set aside $10 million to develop tourism. We are placing a sign one mile outside of Fairview advertising the scenic byway,” said Abrams.
Commissioner Ira Hatch pointed out that Huntington Canyon is more than a summer retreat with winter activities like snowmobiling, snowboarders and winter sports being very popular in the canyon. He said most of the people approach the canyon from Fairview and they stand to benefit more from the promotion of the byway than Emery County. He suggested approaching Sanpete County and enlisting their support in tourist projects.