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Christie Porter

Christie Porter has worked as a journalist for nearly a decade, writing about everything under the sun, but she really loves writing about nerdy things and the weird stuff. She recently published her first comic book short this year.

Jun 24
Love0

Heber’s Biggest Star: Bart the Bear

By Community

Picture this: A typical day in Heber City, Utah. Cars parked along Main Street, locals shopping, going to work or church, and a man with a mustache holds the lead, guiding his companion, a 1,500-pound grizzly bear, to the Dairy Keen for a hamburger—one of the bear’s favorite treats. 

The grizzly bear in question is animal film star Bart the Bear and the man is his trainer Doug Seus. While bears taking a stroll on Main Street is not a common scene in Heber anymore, “The people who have been here for a long time, they were used to it,” says Lynne Seus, fellow wildlife trainer and Doug’s partner in marriage and many other wild adventures. “People would say, ‘Oh, yeah, there goes Doug and their bears.’”

Bart the Bear passed away in 2000, but, he still hangs out on Main Street, in a way. At the end of 2024, mural artist Chris Peterson painted a mural of Bart across the street from Main Street’s Avon Theater. “It was like having a picture up of our kid. It was such an honor,” says Lynne. 

Bart the Bear Showing Wildlife trainer Lynee Seus some love. (He had a lot of love, as you can see.) Photo courtesy of Lynn Seus.

 Wildlife trainer Doug Seus bonding with animal actor Bart the Bear, c. 1997. Photo courtesy of Lynn Seus.

The mural unveiling event also celebrated Bart with a film festival of the movies in which he starred, alongside the likes of John Candy and Dan Aykroyd (The Great Outdoors, 1988), Ethan Hawke (White Fang, 1991), and Brad Pitt (Legends of the Fall, 1995). Friends of Lynn and Doug and longtime Heberites shared memories and stories about Bart. “That little theater was packed and it brought us to tears,” says Lynne. “Just the memories that the community had and—well, I guess, you would remember if you were in a bowling alley and somebody brought a grizzly bear in to have a hamburger and milkshake with you.”

The community event also coincided with the release of Lynne’s memoir, The Grizzlies and Us, a frank and delightful retelling of Doug and Lynne’s decades-long journey raising, taming and training a menagerie of critters to be on screen. Bears, wolves, raccoons, skunks, foxes—there doesn’t seem to be an animal that Doug has met that he couldn’t connect with. “The things he accomplished and the love and trust this man built,” marvels Lynne. “He bonded with Bart I and Bart II, two 1,500-pound bears. That is extraordinary both for the man and for the bear.”

Doug with Bart I and Zack at 3-months-old. Photo courtesy of Lynn Seus.

At this point in our conversation, Doug turns the focus away from himself and on Lynne. “She’s the one who wrote this book, and I’m so proud of her for her candidness,” he says. “I think of the honesty that she wrote about life, etcetera, and I don’t think there’s enough candor in the world. My philosophy is ‘be raw.’” It’s the same philosophy of honesty and integrity that they wish other people might glean from their wild “teachers,” as Lynne refers to the animals in their care in her book. “You have to be totally who you are—totally honest with animals,” she says. “If you put on a facade, they’ll see right through it.”

In many ways, Doug and Lynne are the first of their kind, and they might be some of the last. “We were so fortunate to be following our dream and being in the movie business with our bear, while we were,” says Lynne. Now, computer-generated graphics have replaced most wild animals on screen, with few exceptions. Naysayers aside (and there were many), there’s also a bit more red tape between a young couple and their dream of raising wildlife (alongside human children) on their private property   than there was in 1977 when they took on Bart and his brother Zack as cubs from the Baltimore Zoo. Not to mention, compared to the 1970s, there are much higher economic barriers to buying said private property—a farmhouse in Daniels Creek, Heber, Utah (where the median home listing price is now a cool $1.2 million). It’s heartbreaking to realize we’ve lost many of the habitats that support wild, young dreamers and where the odds are slim of ever having another Doug and Lynne Seus. 

The Great Outdoors, 1988, featuring Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. Photo by Mary Evans/Universal Pictures/RGA/Ronald Grant, Courtesy of the Everett Collection 

The Grizzlies and Us:
the memoir is available
at vitalground.org

Lynne still encourages people to defy the odds and “for anyone who is following a dream, don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t,” she says. Recently, following their dream led to their starting the Vital Ground Foundation, which preserves and restores grizzly bear habitats. Doug says they have already seen the grizzly make a comeback in extending its range more than has been seen in the last 200 years. “We’re seeing the ‘big open’ coming—I call the big open. The massive, beautiful ground that was once just under crops and now it’s coming back to indigenous grasses and indigenous animals that haven’t been seen for years,” Doug explains with contagious passion. “Anyhow, excuse me, if I may—I’m gonna go shovel poop,” he adds. Lynne laughs, “That’s the glamorous side of the job.” Certainly, one of a kind.  

A young Honeybump joins the Seus family along with her brother, Bart the Bear II. Photo courtesy of Lynn Seus.

The Wild Ones

The grizzlies in Doug and Lynne’s care (past and present).

Bart (I) Bart’s brother Zack preferred a quiet life, according to Lynne.
He made a new home at a zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Honeybump and her brother, Bart (II), came to Lynne and Doug as cubs shortly after Bart (I) passed away. Their mother had been baited from their den and killed by a hunter, and the cubs were rescued by Fish & Wildlife rangers in Alaska. Honeybump and Bart (II) appeared in Dr. Dolittle 2 and Evan Almighty, and Bart (II) also starred in We Bought a Zoo and Game of Thrones. Bart (II) passed away in 2021 

Tank the bear was born in captivity and has a gentle demeanor, according to Lynne. He stole the spotlight as a guest on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and in Dr. Dolittle 2.

Read more stories like this and all of our Community coverage. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

Jun 04
Love0

Meet Catherine Raney Norman: Four-time Olympian and Chair of the Salt Lake City-Committee for the Games

By Community

Those Games individually, genuinely changed me as a person,by far,” says Catherine Raney Norman, recalling the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Games. Like many of us who were in Utah in 2002, she remembers the profundity of that moment when, during the opening ceremonies, 50,000 people fell silent as the World Trade Center Flag entered Rice Eccles Stadium. “You felt this sense of unity and hope throughout that moment,” she says. “It transformed me, recognizing it’s so
much bigger than me.” 

Unlike many of us, Raney Norman was not watching the ceremonies from the stands or from home. She was competing in the 2002 Winter Games as a speedskater for the U.S. Olympic Team. That moment showed her, “The importance and pride and responsibility you carry when representing your country. That’s really a place of privilege as an athlete to have, and we need to respect and honor that and carry that forward.” Now, she’s carrying it forward as one of the people responsible for bringing the Games back to Utah in 2034, as the Chair of the Salt Lake City Committee for the Games (SLC-UT 2034). 

The Olympic Torch will return to Utah for the 2034 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

“Throughout my entire career as an athlete, I was always deeply involved in being a voice for the athletes,” says Raney Norman. That career took her to skate in four Olympic Games, including 1998 in Nagano, 2002 in Salt Lake City, 2006 in Turin and 2010 in Vancouver, and eventually to athlete representative and Vice Chair of the Team U.S.A. Athletes’ Commission. Then, Utah set its sights on hosting a second Olympics. “We saw a lot of wonderful benefits to our community in 2002, so there was a movement afoot to lay the groundwork to bring the Games back,” says Raney Norman, who served as an advocate for athletes’ rights throughout that movement as well until the Salt Lake City Mayor called on her to do more in 2021. 

“Mayor Mendenhall, gave me a ring and said: ‘Hey, we really want you to be the chair of this.’ And I was like, ‘I’m going to daycare to pick my son up, but I’m in,’” says Raney Norman with a chuckle. “It was a tremendous opportunity to lead forward from an athlete perspective. And, female leaders in sports were far and few between in that regard.” She would be able to bring her blend of background and lived experience as an athlete and nuance to the senior leadership level. “As an athlete, we don’t get our skill sets in the classroom, per se. But, we learn international relations, marketing, communication, time management, negotiation. We learn determination and how to set a goal, go after that goal and bounce back from setbacks.” All skills she applied in securing Utah its second Olympics. And, as the chair of the SLC-UT 2034 committee, Raney Norman has nine years to make those Games happen. 

“I’m not looking at it from just what are the needs of the athletes. I’m thinking much more multifaceted around this effort,” she explains. 2002 was about getting Utah on the map, and since we’ve done that, the focus for 2034 shifts. “It’s a much bigger vision than just putting on a Games…It’s how we use these games to hopefully improve the everyday lives of Utahns,” says Raney Norman.

Salt Lake Winter Games
Salt Lake magazine photographed Catherine Raney Norman at the Coffee Garden while she was training for the 2006 Winter Games in Vancouver. Photo by Adam Finkle.

The 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are on track to have a huge impact on the infrastructure, society, culture and economy in Utah—including an estimated $6.6 billion economic windfall, and everyone should have a chance to feel those benefits. “We are trying to be inclusive of the entire state. That’s really a pillar that we’re focused on—how can we ensure that somebody in Price or Moab or Goshen feels like they can be a part of this…That requires a lot of thought and intentionality between how we are operating, engaging and embracing our people in our community.”

After all, “I live in this community. I live in this state. This is my home. This is where I’m choosing to raise my family and be a part of the community.” 

From athlete to advocate to chair of an Olympic organizing committee, Raney Norman recognizes the importance of the next nine years and getting it right for the future. 

“For so many years, I was the athlete who was out on the field of play chasing my dreams. And now, to be in a position where I can pay that forward, and hopefully create the canvas for the next generation, is really important to me.”

Read more stories like this and all of our Community coverage. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

May 27
Love0

Water Woes: The Future of the Colorado River

By City Watch

Upper and lower states in the Colorado River Basin have until next summer to decide how they will share the responsibility of managing a resource growing ever more scarce in the West: water. 

Colorado River Basin supplies 40 million people with drinking water. Photo Courtesy Colorado River Authority of Utah 

This impacts all of us. Of all water used in Utah, 27% of it comes from the Colorado River. The Colorado River supplies 40 million people with drinking water, generates hydroelectricity to power 2.3 million homes, and irrigates nearly 5.5 million acres of land. 

The Colorado River is the lifeblood of agriculture across the Western and Southwestern United States. Agriculture accounts for 70% of the river’s water usage, but the river’s flow continues to ebb, and money set aside to help conserve water from the Colorado might not make it to the farmers it’s supposed to help. The Biden administration set aside more than $4 billion as part of the Inflation Reduction Act in part to pay farmers to draw less water from the river, so there will be enough water to continue the flow downstream, but the new presidential administration halted those payments. 

At the time of this publication, some of the IRA funds have been released, which National Farmers Union President Rob Larew called “a welcome first step in ensuring USDA honors its commitments to farmers and rural communities.” He went on to say, “America’s family farmers and ranchers are facing a year of economic uncertainty, exacerbated by the uncertainty of the administration’s pause on federal funding and staff dismissals.” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall testified before the U.S. Senate that tariffs could also exacerbate the economic plights of farmers. 

Hannah Freeze, UDAF’s Water Optimization Program Manager. Photo Courtesy of fogsl.org, Hermann/ Adobe Stock

Between the chaos in Washington, D.C., the inability for lower and upper basin states to come to an agreement, and the ever-present threat of drought and a climate in crisis, the future of the Colorado River has never felt more uncertain.

With the current guidelines set to expire, Upper Basin states (Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico) and the Lower Basin states (California, Arizona, Nevada) must agree on how to manage the two biggest reservoirs in the U.S., Lake Powell and Lake Mead, as well as how to (and who should) shoulder the burden of reducing water usage. If they don’t reach an agreement, the federal government (or the Supreme Court) could make the decision for them. 

States and cities are taking some independent actions to conserve water in the meantime. “Water is scarce and it’s so very, very limited and continues to become more and more limited,” says Hannah Freeze, UDAF’s Water Optimization Program Manager. “And it’s not just Utah. It’s everywhere in the West.  And so to be able to be better with the very precious resource that we have, it is worthwhile to incentivize our producers.”

Utah’s Agriculture Water Optimization Program started off the 2019 legislative session with an allocation from legislators of $3 million to help agricultural producers optimize their water use. And so it was kind of a small program. The program has now received upwards of $276 million in funding from the legislature. In short, it’s a grant program that incentivizes farmers to upgrade their irrigation systems to more efficient water-wise systems. Freeze explains, “So we’ll pay for 50% of the irrigation system improvement to incentivize the producers to take advantage of new technology and new systems and have an opportunity to upgrade their irrigation.”

Farmland in Kane County near Kanab. Photo courtesy of Kane County Office of Tourism.

So far, the program is set to fund 542 projects across the state, to the tune of about $114 million, but already completed projects total just about $41 million to those producers, “So we have a lot of projects in the queue,” says Freeze, and she says they receive more requests every time the program opens to new applications. Thus far, “We’re able to award about roughly 50% of all the applications we receive,” she says. 

The Colorado River. Photo courtesy Hermann/ Adobe Stock.

At the time of this writing, a bill in the Utah State Legislature would only require that grant recipients pony up 25% of costs, rather than 50%. The bill would also allow funds from the Agricultural Water Optimization Account to be directed toward research as well as projects. Some have noted, however, that optimization projects might not always result in more water for bodies like the Colorado River. Some water saved through optimization projects could be used to expand farming operations or grow more thirsty crops. 

Saving water to save water is not the whole story. “As Utah continues to grow as projected, we have to have a vibrant agricultural community to feed those people,” says Freeze. “And so investing in agriculture is an investment in the future of Utah to be able to have the capacity to meet the demands of an increasing population.”  

See more stories like this and all of our City Watch coverage. And while you’re here, why not subscribe and get six annual issues of Salt Lake magazine’s curated guide to the best of life in Utah?

May 21
Love0

Chris Peterson’s Wildlife Murals in Utah

By Arts & Culture

A Bonneville Cutthroat Trout, its massive dayglow-hued body painted over the length of The Neighborhood Hive building, was the first. Affectionately referred to as “The Bonnie Wall,” the 2022 mural began with the collaboration between Utah Wildlife Federation (UWF) and artist Chris Peterson. “The experience made us realize that there’s a lot of interest in this kind of project,” says Peterson. “When you do a mural, it sort of opens up a space in the public domain to have a conversation and to celebrate those animals.” Peterson and the UWF plan to bring a wildlife mural to each of Utah’s 29 counties. Right now, there are nine Wildlife Walls across the state. 

Future murals

A future mural at Antelope Island could potentially be the tenth Wildlife Wall and would especially demonstrate what art can accomplish where politics often fails. The mural would likely coincide with the grand reopening of the Antelope Island Visitor Center, which is getting a major renovation, including an additional 20,000 square feet to its footprint, the facilities to host events and field trips and a large-format theater. 

“It’s going to be the crown-jewel State Park Visitor Center in the West,” says Peterson. “I’m really excited that the mural is going to be a part of that.”

Murals in Utah
Mural Artist, Chris Peterson. Photo courtesy of Utah Wildlife Walls and chrispetersonstudio.com

The Antelope Island mural would feature three species found around the State Park, whose habitats have changed drastically in recent years, as the lake levels drop: bison, pronghorn and burrowing owl, but the mural can serve as a reminder to treasure our encounters with wildlife. 

“The Wildlife Walls are really about sharing some of the magic that I have experienced and showing other people that that’s where the magic is,” says Peterson. “Those encounters with wildlife are things that people don’t forget easily, sometimes holding onto them for their whole lives.” On a personal level, “These doses of wildlife encounters to me are high doses of therapeutic nature,” says Peterson. “I feel like it’s increasingly important in this age of anxiety for us to remember how blessed we are right now—how lucky we are right now—to have these experiences at our back door.”

As our actions as humans impact wildlife habitat, and those encounters could become increasingly rare, the Wildlife Walls provide an opportunity to not just celebrate what we have right now but, “At the same time, recognize the value that they bring to our lives and, therefore, the importance of the habitat they require,” says Peterson. 

Shared enjoyment of wildlife encounters, and art that captures those treasured experiences, has the power to unify. “People get in the weeds when they start talking about policies and my land and your land and whatever,” says Peterson. “But if can just talk about the experiences, it’s a shared value that allows us to stay out of the weeds. That’s my goal with this project.”

The Wildlife Wall endeavor would not be possible without community partners to help champion the cause. “The process of engaging Utahns across the state and figuring out which animal, which wall, what other partners would be interested in this, and each one sort of evolving in their own way has allowed us to put together some pretty spectacular projects,” says Peterson.   

The next phase

With nine Wildlife Walls now a reality and more on the way, Peterson and company are looking to launch The Celebrate Utah Wildlife Mural Trail. 

People will be able to start following the trail at the website, celebrateutahwildlife.org, where they can access the trail map and learn about each mural, the species involved and the community. “We’re going to be incentivizing that participation with some prizes, contests, social media and involving partners like The North Face and other companies,” explains Peterson. 

Peterson hopes the trail will also promote tourism to the towns where the murals are located. The trail will offer more than just views of murals, as well. 

They plan to overlay the mural trail map with a wildlife viewing map that will include places like our State Parks and DWR viewing opportunities. 

Murals in Utah

Aguila del Fuego’

Installed June 2023 676 W. Center St., Midvale

HawkWatch International helped bring this mural to Midvale as part of the Los Muros on Main Mural festival. The 76-foot mural features two native Utah species: A golden eagle and a rattlesnake, inspired by the Mexican flag as well as Phoenix, a golden eagle rescued from wildfire by the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah. Photo courtesy of Utah Wildlife Walls and chrispetersonstudio.com

Murals in Utah

Razorback Sucker

Installed March 2024 and May 2024 25 E. Center St., Moab

Before Peterson completed the final mural in May of 2024, he painted a “placeholder” mural to get the community excited about the new art installation and raise awareness for a cause. He adds, “It was super cryptic on purpose, meant to make people driving by ask, ‘What is that?’” The prism depicted in the placeholder is a reference to the Razorback’s ability to communicate in the murky waters of the Colorado River by reflecting UV light by rolling its eyeballs. “That unique adaptation, once I started looking into the razorback, was like the coolest little superpower,” says Peterson. The final mural, the Razorback on a field of stars painted over the placeholder, also highlights The Nature Conservancy’s Scott and Norma Matheson Wetlands Preserve’s work on behalf of the endangered fish with its Razorback nursery. Due to flood damage, access to the preserve was closed, but the mural is ready for the future reopening. Photo courtesy of Utah Wildlife Walls and chrispetersonstudio.com

Murals in Utah

The Bonnie Wall

Installed Oct. 2022.  |  2065 E. 2100 South, SLC

The 120-foot Bonneville Cutthroat mural is the result of the support from partners The Neighborhood Hive, Trout Unlimited and the Utah Division of Wildlife. The partnership also brought a tank of live baby Bonneville Cutthroat Trout to the Neighborhood Hive market, where it is cared for by the community. Photo courtesy of Utah Wildlife Walls and chrispetersonstudio.com

Murals in Utah

Bear River Cutthroat    

Installed Oct. 2024 200 East Logan River Tunnel, Logan (Merlin Olsen Park)  

The 100-foot Bear River Cutthroat mural presented a logistical challenge, as it is installed along the wall of a tunnel over the Logan River. “The thing that I’m probably most proud of was the engineering feat that I puzzled over for a while,” says Peterson. He uses a commercial paint sprayer but needed to find a way to keep paint particles from falling in the river. Peterson rigged up a system with posts, parachute cord and a roll of plastic sheeting to catch any stray paint. It went off without a hitch “When you go there and the water is running, the light will come in the morning and the evening, and it will bounce off the water and illuminate the trout with these dancing ripple reflections that are mesmerizing,” says Peterson. The big project pictures more species than any other Wildlife Wall and had the support of the Bridgerland Audubon Society, Logan City, Western Native Trout Initiative and Cache Anglers. In addition to the Bear River Cutthroat, the mural features a White-Faced Ibis, Monarch Butterflies, fireflies (which you can see on the Logan River) and, of course, another Grizzly Bear. Photo courtesy of Utah Wildlife Walls and chrispetersonstudio.com

Murals in Utah

Desert Tortoise and Gila Monster  

Installed June 2024 142 N. Main Street, St. George

This mural on the side of Zion Brewery’s Station 2 Bar features two threatened Utah Species: the Mojave Desert Tortoise and the Gila Monster. The partners behind this mural also include the City of Saint George, Greater Zion and the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. Photo courtesy of Utah Wildlife Walls and chrispetersonstudio.com

Murals in Utah

Grizzly Bear  

Installed Nov. 2024  |  81 S. Main St., Heber

The third of Peterson’s Grizzly Bears, this mural is inspired by the animal film star, Bart the Bear, who made his home with wildlife animal trainers, Lynn and Doug Seus in Heber. Bart served as the model for the other mural Grizzlies as well. The mural installation lined up with the publishing of Lynn’s new book, The Grizzlies and Us. “I wanted to do something a little more,” says Peterson. “So we did a Bart film festival where we rented a bunch of his movies and tried and they told some stories and it was epic. It was like a highlight of my life, to be honest.” (For more on Bart the Bear, turn to p. 86) For this mural, Utah Wildlife Walls teamed up with Heber City TAPS and Vital Ground, the Seus’s foundation that works to restore and protect habitat for Grizzly Bears. “I feel like for me, as an artist, it’s time to explore what it means to be a bear,” reflects Peterson. “What can they teach us? How can we understand ourselves better by thinking.” Photo courtesy of Utah Wildlife Walls and chrispetersonstudio.com 

Murals in Utah

Moose, Bison, Native Bees and Grizzly Bear  

Installed July 2024  |  Edison Street between 200 South and 300 South, SLC

Peterson restored the Edison Street mural in 2024, but it was originally commissioned by BLOCKS SLC, Salt Lake Downtown Alliance and SLC Redevelopment Agency in 2019. When Peterson restored the mural, he painted over the original black bear with a grizzly bear, instead.

Read more stories like this and all of our Community coverage. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your curated guide to the best of life in Utah.

Mar 13
Love0

Plastic Recycling: Recycle Utah’s Effort Toward Sustainability

By City Watch

Plastic is everywhere, and recycling it is not as clear-cut as we have been led to believe. But, recycling, diverting food waste and buying less plastic are still the first steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle.

This past year, two lawsuits took ExxonMobil to task over the corporation’s long-held claims about recycling plastics. The lawsuits claim that ExxonMobil purposefully misled the public for decades by falsely promoting that all plastic is recyclable by typical means, thus exacerbating a global pollution crisis. ExxonMobil makes more single-use plastic than anyone. Plastic is everywhere: our landfills, water, soil, tumble dryers and even our bodies.

Chelsea Hafer, Community Outreach Manager, Recycle Utah, Summit County. Photo courtesy of Recycle Utah.

“Plastics come from oil,” says Chelsea Hafer, the Community Outreach Manager at Recycle Utah. “So, the creation of virgin plastics is terrible for the environment.” Plastics don’t break down or biodegrade, but they do photo-degrade, meaning when light hits them, they break down into smaller and smaller plastics…the kind of microplastics that permeate everything, causing unknowable health and environmental impacts.

“The issue with using plastic is, number one, that most of it isn’t actually being recycled in the conventional way, which would be turning it into a new product,” says Hafer.

Recycle Utah is a Summit County non-profit that works to educate organizations, children, adults and communities about sustainability. At their recycling center, they recycle 45 different kinds of items, resulting in 4 million pounds of material diverted from the landfill every year.

While recycling plastics is not always as straightforward as tossing them in the blue curbside bin, recycling centers like Recycle Utah’s center do what they can to divert plastics from landfills. But, it all comes down to the type of plastic, designated by numbers 1–7: PET (1) and HDPE (2) are high enough quality to be recycled into something else. “Sometimes that’s another bottle, and sometimes that’s a Patagonia fleece or a kid’s toy, something like that,” explains Hafer. Meanwhile, plastic bags and styrofoam can only be diverted when dropped off at centers like Recycle Utah, but processing them is just not economical.

Recycling plastic is not as sustainable as we have been led to believe. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Recycle glass at designated drop-off centers in Utah. When recycling bottles, remove lids, caps and corks. Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.

Recycled aluminum cans can be turned into road signs. Help out by crushing your cans before recycling them. Photo courtesy of Recycle Utah.

After reducing plastic use, such as avoiding plastic shopping bags, water bottles or packaging, the next step to a more sustainable lifestyle is diverting more of our food waste. “We push a lot for diverting food waste because, in our landfill in Summit County, it’s a big, big problem. Like 30 to 50% of our landfill is food waste,” explains Hafer. “And that releases a lot of methane.” Compared to carbon dioxide, methane is 82 times more potent in contributing to climate change over 20 years. Food waste can be diverted through composting or anaerobic digestion. An anaerobic digester, like the one Park City Community Foundation enlists as part of its zero food waste initiative, breaks down food waste with bacteria but captures the resulting methane and converts it into natural gas. 

As far as what else can go in the blue curbside bin, there are a few ways to ensure it doesn’t end up in landfill. “I think one of the big issues with curbside recycling is people will put it in a trash bag,” says Hafer. “You cannot put your recycling in a plastic bag…If anything is in a plastic bag, they’re going to assume it’s trash.” Contaminates are the other concern—contaminates such as food. “What I do is I just put all of my peanut butter jars, yogurt containers or whatever, in the dishwasher,” says Hafer. “That actually saves water and it’s way less effort. And then you can just recycle it after that.” The same often applies if, lacking curbside pickup—especially for things like glass—you’re personally dropping off materials at a recycling center, but check the specific guidelines for your municipality. 

“The three R’s—reduce, reuse, recycle— are in that order for a reason,” says Hafer. “Recycling is great, but hard plastics and paper and cardboard, they can only be recycled so many times, before they lose their quality. Glass and metal can be recycled forever because they’re just really strong, high-quality materials.” In short, “Recycling is the last step. People really need to think about reducing their waste first.”

Cardboard is baled or compacted on-site at Recycle Utah. When recycling cardboard, remove any paper, plastic or styrofoam. Photo courtesy of Recycle Utah.

Plastic Recycling Tips

Recycle in the blue curb side bin
PET (1): drink bottles that can be recycled into fiber fill, carpet fibers or rope.
HDPE (2): milk and juice jugs that can be recycled into other containers. 
Drop-off at certain recycling centers 
LDPE (4): plastic bags that can be ‘recycled’ into energy. Shopping bags may also be returned to some grocery stores for reuse.
PVC (3)
PP (5): food packaging
PS (6): styrofoam—expanded styrofoam (EPS) can be densifed and recycled. 
Other plastics (7)
Call ahead to see which materials your local recycling center accepts.

Mar 06
Love0

Three Spots for Epic Stargazing in Southern Utah

By Travel

Come March 14, 2025, a total lunar eclipse—or blood moon—will be visible to stargaze in Southern Utah. While it might be a bit too chilly to camp out under the stars in Northern Utah, the southern end of the state will be starting to look mighty inviting. March–April is also the time to get great views of Mars, Venus and Jupiter. The spectacular Lyrid Meteor Shower peaks the evening of April 21, and Southern Utah has no shortage of ways to take in the celestial show. 

View the most spectacular astronomical events of the season from Lake Powell. Photo courtesy Aramark Destinations.

Viewing deck on the water—Lake Powell

Lake Powell was created when the Glen Canyon Dam was built in 1963. The lake’s shore is the red rock spires of what was once Glen Canyon and all those nooks and undulations add up to 2,000 miles of shoreline, which is more than the combined states on the Pacific Coast. It is best explored on the water, and, come nighttime, the deck of a rented houseboat becomes a viewing deck for thousands of stars, shining back from their reflections in the water all around. The Lake Powell Resorts and Marinas, situated lakeside with two locations at Wahweap and Bullfrog, can get you started on your houseboat stargazing adventures with rentals (and even grocery delivery!). 

Walk among the stars—Bryce Canyon

On clear, nights, the Milky Way spills out across the sky, visible above Bryce Canyon National Park. The International Dark Sky Association named Bryce an official Dark Sky Park in 2019, and it boasts a yearly Astronomy Festival, packed with programming, every summer. Year-round, Bryce also hosts Dark Ranger Telescope Tours, a nighttime trek through the sky with a powerful telescope, guided by “astronomers, dark sky advocates and astronomy entertainers.” One of the quintessential places to stay (in a tipi, if you like) is Ruby’s Inn Campground and RV Park—which also hosts events during the Astronomy Festival.

The annual Astronomy Festival returns to Bryce National Park June 25–28, 2025. Photo courtesy Annual Astronomy Festival.

Under the Dome

Camp out under the dome! Not to be confused with the “Capitol Dome,” the 180 million-year-old magnificent mound of Navajo sandstone in Capitol Reef National Park (which isn’t even a true dome, by the way). Resorts, campgrounds and hotels have started capitalizing on Southern Utah’s brilliant stargazing reputation by allowing visitors to stay in retro-futuristic, transparent geodesic domes, in full view of the night sky, from the comfort of a luxury mattress. For a dome close to Capitol Reef, there are skylight domes at the modern-art-infused Skyview Hotel in Torrey. Outside of Canyonlands National Park, is the homey, rustic-chic Canyonlands Domes in Monticello. Finally, putting the “glam” in glamping with its high-concept interiors, is Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon in Cannonville.

Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon in Cannonville, with proximity to Bryce Canyon National Park, offers modern-chic glamping domes to spend an evening under the stars (inside). Photo courtesy of Clear Sky Resorts.

Feb 21
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The Olympic Flame Burns Brighter in Utah

By Community

Salt Lake City is an outlier among American Cities in that most residents want to host another Olympic Games. Polling shows that 82% of Utah residents were in favor of hosting future games. Meanwhile, those other potential host cities demonstrate disdain via actual demonstrations as citizens rise up in opposition over climate change impact and exorbitant costs. (In 1976, Colorado voters outright rejected Denver’s invitation to host.) 

Perhaps other cities raise legitimate concerns about the myriad challenges facing host cities, but Utah has not lost our sense of pride after hosting the successful 2002 Winter Games. (A pride that can only be expressed by having our young, unpaid athletes dominate other countries in televised feats of physical prowess.) 

Where other cities ask, “Who will pay for the Olympics? Where will the Olympians live during the games? How will we prepare the infrastructure? How will we address climate issues so we will still have snow in 2034? What about air quality? What about transportation? And, oh yeah, the homeless population?” 

Utah exclaims, “Bring it on! Here we come, 2034!” We have nine years to put our shoulders to the wheel.

While the honor of hosting the Olympics in Utah twice is truly priceless, we are also prepared to put our money where our mouth is. The Salt Lake City-Utah Committee for the Games released a budget proposal that, in true Utah boot-strap fashion, plans to raise the entire operating budget from commercial and private sources, with no use of state or local taxpayer dollars.

Aside from the golden glow of the spotlight, analysis from the University of Utah estimates an infusion of $6.6 billion into Utah’s economy from the 2034 games. Subtract the estimated cost of $4.1 billion, that leaves us with a cool $2.3 billion!

Compare that to the $8 billion Paris spent to have athletes swim in the Seine. It’s the first Games since Sydney to keep costs under $10 billion, and they still went over budget, like most host cities. Five of the past six Olympics had cost overruns of more than 100% (adjusted for inflation). We’ve planned for $210 million in expense contingency. That should cover it, right? 

After all, the Olympic flame burns brighter in Utah. We still have the cauldron to prove it (the University of Utah lights it on game days). We have maintained our Olympic facilities since 2002, where other cities have not. In 2002, the Olympics in Utah brought us public transportation expansion, including 100 miles of new track for light rail, and then-state-of-the-art road traffic improvements. And everyone agrees we will get something like that again, probably, maybe, eventually. While we don’t exactly have answers to all the questions, yet, we do know the 2034 Olympics will be bigger and better. Especially bigger.

The 2002 Games were the largest in history. (We also say the best in history.) Organizers expect the 2034 Winter Olympics in Utah to be 40% bigger. According to our math, that means they’ll also be 40% greater, and we’ve got nine whole years to figure out exactly how. 

We got this, right? 

Feb 06
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Willard Bay Sauna is a must-visit hotspot in Northern Utah

By Adventures

A new addition to Willard Bay State Park will elevate any winter visit to Northern Utah. While the reservoir itself already attracts visitors to the area, even when the weather turns nippy and the sky to icy gray, there is now a place for a warm and relaxing reprieve—a sauna—that makes the perfect ending to the perfect winter day. 

Wildlife on the Water

Willard Bay is a freshwater reservoir quartered off from the Great Salt Lake. Boating and fishing are popular year-round, but nature and wildlife viewing in Willard Bay peaks in the cold months.

Anglers braving the chilly waters of the reservoir have been known to catch channel catfish and yellow perch. They can also take a non-motorized boat out onto Willow Peak Pond, which is stocked with bluegill, channel catfish and largemouth bass. Boat rentals are available at nearby Club Rec. They also offer ATV rentals to sight-see around the park. 

February is the best time to spot Bald Eagles in the wild at Willard Bay. In winter, bald eagles descend from frigid Alaska to Utah and often nest in Willard Bay State Park. By February, hundreds of eagles are typically in the state, and they stay until March. 

To spot nesting eagles at Willard Bay, top viewing spots include the mile-long hike on the Linda C. Higley Nature Trail and the hike near Pelican Beach. Be sureto bring binoculars and a camera.

The Sauna 

The Sauna at Willard Bay State Park overlooks the Wasatch Range. Photo courtesy State Park Saunas.

The new softwood structure stands close to the shores of Willard Bay, facing the water and sweeping views of the Wasatch Range. The Willard Bay Sauna is modeled after the ancient Finnish tradition.

In that tradition, there is a bit of a ritual to the sauna: Shower in advance (there is an outdoor shower on site if needed); strip down and enter the sauna, typically heated between 150–175° Fahrenheit; breathe deep and stay as long as you are comfortable; when you need a break, cool down with a dip in the snow or water…then repeat. 

After booking a session in the sauna online, visitors can access the sauna via a keyless entry system. On a practical note, be sure to drink plenty of water and bring a towel. 

After-Sauna Tradition

Keeping with tradition, after the sauna it is customary to lounge and enjoy a sausage, along with beer. The Willard Bay Sauna has both a dressing room and lounge on-site. Afterward, continue the custom at Maddox Ranch House in nearby Perry. Sit in the classic log cabin’s dining room and order up a classic burger, famous fried chicken or steak and potatoes with all the “fixins.” Don’t forget to try the house-brewed birch root beer—a fine, American-style alternative, we feel, to the Finnish sauna tradition of beating oneself with a birch tree frond (called a Viht), but why not both? 

Willard Bay Family Events 

Big events at Willard Bay State Park include the family-favorite annual holiday light display, Fantasy at the Bay Light Show, as well as the New Year’s Day Hike on the Linda C. Higley Nature Trail and the upcoming annual Easter Egg Hunt. This year will be the first that the annual egg hunt is held at the relatively new Willard Peak Pond area. Willard Bay State Park Manager Benjamin Meraz says, “It’s a big-time event. Last year, we hid over 10,000 eggs,” and hundreds of children hunted for them. For more information, visit willardbay.utah.gov. 

Jan 21
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2025 Sundance Film Festival—What We Are Excited For

By Sundance

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival begins this week! For two weeks starting in January, Park City and Salt Lake City feel culturally relevant in a way we can’t normally achieve without shameless forays into the salacious world of reality television (hello, Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City) or ripped-from-the-headlines true crime series (Murder Among the Mormons, Under the Banner of Heaven, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, etc.). 

The Sundance Film Festival is different. It’s when Hollywood comes to us, rather than the other way around. This year’s festival will be as star-studded as ever, with films featuring the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Benedict Cumberbatch, Diego Luna, Conan O’Brien, Olivia Colman, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe and many, many more.

For locals, there’s a number of free screenings you can attend. For everyone, here’s what has the editors, critics and contributors at Salt Lake magazine, as well as the festival programmers, excited for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. 

Film highlights at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival

Sally Ride appears in SALLY by Cristina Costantini, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by NASA.
Sally Ride appears in SALLY by Cristina Costantini, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by NASA.

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space and a powerful advocate for STEM education. The Sundance documentary SALLY shows a portrait of Ride, incorporating the perspectives from her once secret partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy and rare archival footage of NASA training and missions and Ride’s press appearances.  

SALLY also received the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize—an award for a Festival film that incorporates science or technology into the storytelling. 

“It’s an incredibly inspirational film about a real-life hero who’s no longer with us,” says Heidi Zwicker, a Senior Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival. 

“I’m not at all surprised that the Sloan jury was moved by this detailed accounting of what it meant to be the first woman in space and what it took,” says Zwicker. “It’s incredibly powerful.”

A local filmmaker has his debut film at Sundance this year.  Cole Webley directed Omaha, about a family’s unexpected cross-country journey following a tragedy. Some of the film was shot in Utah, and it will be shown among the handful of free screenings for Utah locals. 

John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, and Wyatt Solis appear in Omaha by Cole Webley, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis appear in Omaha by Cole Webley, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“I think about this film when I think about films that speak to the current moment in the United States,” says Zwicker. “It’s about a family struggling, houseless, and how they’re going to get by. It’s incredibly heartstring-pulling and definitely a tearjerker.”

Omaha stars actor John Magaro, “who I think is an amazing actor and, after Past Lives, is getting his due. I’m really excited for that one,” adds Zwicker.

Among the international films at Sundance this year, Zwicker draws attention to a film shot in North Macedonia, DJ Ahmet. The filmmaker, Georgi M. Unkovski, previously had an entry in Sundance’s shorts competition, and now he’s back with his first feature. 

Arif Jakup and Agush Agushev appear in DJ Ahmet by Georgi M. Unkovski, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Arif Jakup and Agush Agushev appear in DJ Ahmet by Georgi M. Unkovski, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“This feels like the movie I could recommend to anybody,” says Zwicker. The story follows a teenage boy who was growing up in a very rural shepherding village. He struggles to express his love is music, while navigating his father’s expectations in a conservative community. 

“So it’s kind of like Footloose in North Macedonia,” says Zwicker. “But it’s really about this battle between tradition and modernity, and it’s just such a good time.” 

When it comes to a star-studded feature premiere, look no further than Kiss of the Spider Woman, a film adaptation of the Tony-winning stage musical and a previous 1985 film. It stars a scene-stealing Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna and is directed by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls), including showstopping musical and dance numbers.

Tonatiuh and Diego Luna appear in Kiss of the Spider Woman by Bill Condon, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.

“It’s just exciting to have big, cool talent come to the festival,” says Zwicker. “So I have to mention Kiss of the Spider Woman with Jennifer Lopez. She is so incredible in this movie. And so I’m really excited for that premiere.”

As far as themes and trends that emerge this year at the Festival,  the focus seems pulled in a variety of directions as filmmakers attempt to broach the myriad challenges in the current moment, including the challenges of the economy, the environment and political conflict. 

Sundance 2025 Recommendations 

From Jaime Winston, Salt Lake magazine contributor: 

Samantha Mathis, Juliette Lewis and Robin Tunney appear in By Design by Amanda Kramer, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Patrick Meade Jones
Samantha Mathis, Juliette Lewis and Robin Tunney appear in By Design by Amanda Kramer, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Patrick Meade Jones

While Sundance is giving us many worthwhile films this year, the festival program’s description for By Design definitely sticks out: “A woman swaps bodies with a chair, and everyone likes her better as a chair.” The idea alone says dark comedy, but it also offers commentary on social interactions, friendships and self-worth. Juliette Lewis plays Camille, who becomes the chair. Amanda Kramer writes and directs. 
Other films to look forward to include Third Act, which tells the story of filmmaker Robert A. Nakamura’s career and battle with Parkinson’s in a documentary by his son, Tadashi, and Dead Lover, Grace Glowicki’s Midnight film about a lonely grave digger resurrecting the man she loves.
If in Park City, Top of Main Brew Pub for lunch and a pint of beer is also recommended.

From Salt Lake magazine contributor Phillip Sevy:

Looking at the Sundance Film Festival from a high-level, the thing I always look forward to the most is discovering something new and great. With no trailers, sparse descriptions, and almost no buzz to go off of, it’s always exciting to pick movies you hope are good and seeing what happens. Often, my favorite films of every festival are unexpected (Freaky Tales 2024, Infinity Pool 2023, Cha Cha Real Smooth 2022). Who knows what I’ll love this year! 
On a more specific examination, I’m really looking forward to seeing Didn’t Die—which sounds quirky, smart, and something I haven’t seen before (a podcast during the zombie apocalypse)—and OBEX (which sounds so unique and potentially weird, it could be brilliant). I’ve got a lot of films I’m trying to see this year, so we’ll check back with reviews, but the slate of films this year has a lot of potential for hidden gems. 

From Christie Porter, managing editor at Salt Lake magazine:

Lili Reinhart, Mark Ruffalo and Cooper Raiff appear in Hal & Harper by Cooper Raiff, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Doug Emmett
Lili Reinhart, Mark Ruffalo and Cooper Raiff appear in Hal & Harper by Cooper Raiff, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Doug Emmett

The writer, director and star of one of my favorite Sundance films in recent years, is returning to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival with an episodic entry. Cooper Raiff surprised the Festival in 2022 with Cha Cha Real Smooth, a painfully authentic romantic dramedy—starring Raiff and Dakota Johnson, with the incomparable Leslie Mann in a supporting role—which also won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award that year. 
This year, Raiff’s entry is Hal & Harper, a series starring Raiff as Hal and Lili Reinhart as Harper, two siblings who share inside jokes, past wounds and co-dependency. Mark Ruffalo plays their father as the siblings explore the “balance between children on the precipice of damage and adults mired in self-made messes.” Raiff has demonstrated his ability to weave wit, charm and humor into a piece without undercutting the film’s heavier themes or emotional resonance. I’m curious to see how he takes on a series. (The first four episodes of Hal & Harper will be screened in-person at the festival, and all eight episodes of the first season will show on Sundance’s online platform.)

Getting to the 2025 Sundance Film Festival 

The 2025 Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 23–February 2, 2025, in person at venues in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. Over half of the projects will be available online from January 30–February 2, 2025. 

Single Film Tickets for in-person and online screenings are available for purchase at festival.sundance.org/tickets. If the screenings are sold out for the film you would like to see, be sure to keep checking as more screenings could open up, and get on the eWaitlist for the film by clicking “join waitlist” next to the aforementioned screening. For more information about this year’s Sundance films and Beyond Film programming, there’s the Festival Program Guide. 

Need help navigating this year’s festival? Check out our top tips here and our list of where to eat while attending Sundance in Park City!

Get the latest on arts and entertainment in and around Utah. And while you’re here, subscribe and get six issues of Salt Lake magazine, your guide to the best of life in Utah.

Jan 17
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What to Expect from the 2025 Legislative Session in Utah

By City Watch

Leaders in the Utah State Legislature tried to take away the right of voters to shape their government. Utah Justices checked the effort, but the 2025 Legislative Session will bring more attempts to seize power from the people. 

This last November, Amendment D appeared on the ballot but votes “for” or “against” it were never counted. The Utah Courts ruled the language on the ballot was deceptive and voided the amendment. How that misleading text ended up on the November ballot and how it could have undermined the will of the people goes back to another ballot in 2018.

Enshrined in the Utah Constitution is the right for Utahns to reform their government through ballot initiatives. “In 2018, they exercised that right to try and get rid of gerrymandering, which plagues our state and makes it so that many voters have no tangible say in their representation,” says Katie Wright of Better Boundaries, an organization that supported 2018’s Proposition 4, which Utah voters passed. Rather than respecting the vote, the Republican majority in the Utah State Legislature repealed the measure, weakened the Independent Redistricting Commission created by the proposition and, instead, drew their own voting district maps. 

Utah Legislative Session
Better Boundaries protest at the Utah State Capitol. Photo courtesy of Better Boundaries.

The League of Women Voters of Utah and partners then sued the legislature, asserting that the legislature’s Congressional maps were illegal. “We believe that every voter should have a voice,” says Katharine Biele, president of the League of Women Voters of Utah. “What the Legislature did diluted other voices. If you divide Salt Lake County into four different Congressional Districts that go down to Southern Utah, you’re not only diluting the voices of urban Utah, but you are diluting the voices of rural Utah.” 

While the District Court still has not yet ruled on the redistricting process itself, in August 2024, the Utah Supreme Court did rule that the Legislature violated the state constitution by repealing and replacing a citizen initiative. The unanimous Justice opinion read, “We hold that the people’s right to alter or reform the government through an initiative is constitutionally protected from government infringement, including legislative amendment, repeal, or replacement of the initiative in a manner that impairs the reform enacted by the people.”

Utah Legislative Session
Senate President J. Stuart Adams at an August 2024
press conference on the bill that would become Amendment D. Photo courtesy of Utahreps/Flickr

Legislative leadership responded immediately to the ruling. “We were surprised at their reaction, which I will call hysterical,” says Biele. The Legislature called itself into emergency Special Session (a relatively new power that once was held only by the Governor), and lawmakers passed S.B. 4003, the bill that put Amendment D on the ballot. 

Senate President J. Stuart Adams (R-Layton) and House Speaker Mike Schultz (R-Hooper) claimed the amendment “prohibits foreign entities from contributing to ballot propositions,” and that “The initiative process will remain unchanged.” In actuality, Amendment D would amend the constitution to allow the Legislature to repeal and replace voter-backed initiatives, in effect weakening the ability of citizens to shape their own government. “It’s too bad because they [the legislature] need to just calm down and remember who they represent,” says Biele. “They represent the people of Utah.” 

The Utah Courts voided the amendment because the language on the ballot neglected to inform voters of what was at stake. (Adams and Schultz drafted the Amendment D ballot language under a 2024 law that took that responsibility once held by the legislative general counsel.) With their power once again checked by the judicial branch, the same lawmakers could try to retaliate during the upcoming 2025 Utah Legislative Session. 

Utah Legislative Session

“We know that our judiciary is going to be under attack because legislative leadership has been saying that out loud,” says Wright. “Their response has been to degrade our judiciary system. And we think that that’s really dangerous.” 

Biele fears legislative leadership will continue to erode the current merit-based system for judiciary appointments. “We actually have a very good system right now,” she says. “Nothing is perfect, but it’s a good system. And then we have a retention election every three to five years for all of the judges.”

Legislative leadership could also try for another amendment like Amendment D. “We expect that we will see bills this legislative session that try to undermine that constitutional right to ballot initiative,” says Wright.  “And we’re going to fight really hard against that.”

The League of Women Voters will be physically at the Capitol every day of the session. Citizens can track online the bills introduced on the Hill using the legislative session website and call their representatives and tell them how they want them to vote. Biele implores the public, “Please be educated on what is happening up there.”  

Redistricting challenge

The anti-gerrymandering case of the League of Women Voters against the Utah State Legislature is currently in the Third District Court. “The district court will figure out how to redistrict,” says Katharine Biele. The district court could take several different paths, including accepting one of the Congressional District three maps proposed by the Independent Redistricting Commission. Regardless of what the District Court decides, it could be some time before they have a decision. Biele says, “We won’t have new districts one way or the other before 2026.”