The 2023 NASCA and National Watershed Coalition (NWC) Joint Meeting took place the first week of October year in beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah. This year’s meeting attracted close to 200 attendees.

While Utah is considered one of the driest states in the country, the group experienced heavy rain on Monday during the field trip, but that didn’t stop everyone from having fun. The first stop on the tour was at the Dry Creek Dam and Debris Basin Rehabilitation Site. Attendees learned about the enhanced dam safety, flood control, and irrigation water storage. The Provo River Delta Restoration project is a man-made channel and wetland ponds created to help recover the June sucker, an endangered fish only found in Utah. At the third stop, the Wallsburg Watershed, Daniel Gunnell shared stories from his 10-plus years of restoration and maintenance work in the watershed. Finally, the last stop of the tour was at Heber Valley Artisan, a family-owned dairy nestled in the Midway area. The group learned about their conservation easement, thriving herd, and how the whole family contributes to the dairy’s operation.