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Town's Recreation Tourism Bid May Sacrifice Environment

Posted by: Nate Berg

19 January 2007 - 12:00pm

The town of Ogden, Utah, hopes to beef up its economy by promoting itself as an outdoor recreation capital. But some in the community fear that the tourism campaign may further encourage exploitation of the area's decreasingly pristine environment.

"Once a major hub during the days of the Transcontinental Railway, Ogden fell on hard times with the loss of rail travel. The city is now pursuing an aggressive campaign to increase growth and tourism based on its desired identity, in the words of Mayor Matthew R. Godfrey, as 'The high-adventure recreation world capital.' Some community members, however, including the group Smart Growth Ogden, question the wisdom of proposed development projects at the expense of the local environment."

"Two ski resorts—Snow Basin and Powder Mountain—already stud the surrounding Wasatch Front, and a proposed project would add a third, as well as 400 new residential homes, a redesigned golf course and a gondola connecting the new resort to downtown."

Full Story: Stewardship and Recreation
Source: E, The Environmental Magazine, January 1, 2007
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