UT Leads with Formal Volunteering Efforts in AmeriCorps' Latest Research

by Alex Gonzalez, Utah News Connection

Garfield Commission: Commissioner reports, the school voucher bill, a road access issue involving unincorporated residences outside Antimony, approval of recommended actions of the Planning Department, and up to $155K to go towards a land exchange to procure additional property for Garfield Memorial Hospital discussed.

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According to the research, about 23%, or 60.7 million people, formally volunteered with organizations between September 2020 and 2021.

UTAH - According to AmeriCorps' latest research, Utah was the state with the highest number of residents volunteering with nonprofits in their communities from September 2020 through 2021.

Michael Smith, CEO of AmeriCorps, said those in the Beehive State and across the country had to find innovative ways to give back to their communities during the height of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the data, about 40% of Utahns regularly volunteered with nonprofit organizations, which classifies as formal volunteering. Smith pointed out the number jumped to 61% when looking at how people from Utah helped in informal ways, such as doing favors for neighbors.

"To put that in context, we got 23% for formal and 51% for informal," Smith reported. "Those rates were pretty high, and it shows why we need to do this research. We need to study what was happening. What was the secret sauce?"

The research is conducted every two years in a joint effort between AmeriCorps and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Smith emphasized the research showed cause for concern and celebration. For the first time since the agencies started tracking the data in 2002, there was a 7% dip in the number of Americans engaging in formal volunteering. He added informal help remained strong and steady. Smith admitted he was a bit nervous in receiving the numbers from the latest research, since he knew the COVID-19 pandemic would likely mean many were not able to volunteer as in previous years. He explained AmeriCorps was not shocked to see a dip in formal volunteering, but it was greater than expected.

At the same time, he added he was pleased to see when the going got tough, Americans really showed up for one another.

"We saw neighbors creating learning pods so that children of first responders could have a place to go and learn in a safe place," Smith recounted. "We saw folks saying 'I'm going to the grocery store. Anyone who can't get out to the grocery store in my apartment building, I'll go and get that done.' " pass. Pollock said the bill may provide larger counties with a way to give teachers a raise. But for small Class 5 and 6 counties (such as Wayne and Garfield), the voucher bill is detrimental. He encouraged school board members to come to Salt Lake or at least reach out to Senate leaders prior to their vote. An exemption for Class 5 and 6 counties may now be the only remedy available. Pollock is also promoting SB114 to secure permanent funding for inmates. He also favors Rep Phil Lyman’s “Yellow Cake Caucus,” and its proposal for fixing Utah’s water problems: thinning out Utah’s forests. By eliminating the overgrowth of water-sucking trees and removing all those “straws” into our aquifers, “that alone will fill the Great Salt Lake.” Public Works, Dave Dodds: The Kane/Garfield/ BLM coordinating meetings will be rescheduled for next month. Dodds pleaded for patience on road issues. It’s been a great snow year, but drifting and freeze/thaw on dirt roads is causing access problems for both residents and equipment.

Smith hopes formal volunteering will rise again, but stressed AmeriCorps will be looking at ways to remove barriers to get even more Americans volunteering and civically engaged. He noted the need for volunteers within nonprofits is at an all-time high, which can also become a pipeline for employees in the social sector.

The longest discussion of the meeting was a road access issue involving unincorporated residences outside Antimony in conflict with the recorded private roads that are part of City Limits Ranch subdivision. County resident Noah Bennett said he has used Carriage Lane to access his home since 2002, whereas the subdivision’s roads were approved in 2016. A 2019 court case filed by Garfield County was inconclusive, mainly due to lack of proof showing continuous use of the road on behalf of the unincorporated residents. In the meantime, the subdivision filed a 2020 quiet title on the roads in questions. Another resident noted some history related to the access road: that it offers access to Rainbow Trail, which is the oldest documented Garfield County portion of the Old Spanish Trail. It connects to the American Discovery Trail, which runs from Sacramento to New York City, and intersects with the Great Western Trail. Also, the road was the original access road to the antimony mine (an activity that resulted in changing the town’s name from Coyote to Antimony.) The Commissioners agreed that they hadn’t heard of this issue but would like another month or so to review the details. Commissioner Pollock suggested that the residents themselves probably possess adequate proof of 10-years continuous usage and to gather that documentation.

Next, the Commission approved Planning Department’s recommended actions:

1) Ordinance 20231, Agricultural Protection Area Amendments, which incorporates state-mandated revisions that include mining and critical infrastructures and materials, and establish a Protection Area Advisory Board.

2) Zoning Ordinance Amendments that add a new chapter covering Redevelopment Zones. This new zone, created to clean up problematic, pre-ordinance subdivisions, allows dry camping (no connection to any infrastructure) for 30 days as a permitted use and allows short-term rentals as a conditional use.

3) Resolution 2023-1, Amending County Fees, adds the Protection Area fee raised to $500

4) Resolution 2023-3, establishing an Emergency Management Coordinator position.

5) Five subdivision rezonings along Hwy 89, all of which were created decades before a subdivision or zoning ordinance existed, resulting in numerous unbuildable and/or inaccessible lots. Hidden River Estates (west of Panguitch), Hercules Subdivision, Sevier River Estates, Shangri-la (east of Hatch), and Panguitch View Estates were all rezoned as Redevelopment Zone.

The Commission approved a business license for Rustic Charm Pest Control, LLC.

The Bryce Valley 6th graders reported on their Dec. trip to D.C. Twenty students participated, including laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Following a closed session, the Commissioners approved Resolution 2023-2 appointing Alexa Wilson and Amy Golden as Ticaboo Utility Improvement District members. County board positions were also approved.

Finally, the Commission authorized up to $155K toward a land exchange to procure additional property for Garfield Memorial Hospital.

The Garfield County Commission meets on the second and fourth Monday of each month starting at 10 a.m. All meetings are held in the County Courthouse in Panguitch. There is no set up for electronic participation, but all meeting recordings are uploaded to the Utah Public Meetings Notice board, https://www.utah.gov/ pmn/.

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Leases: BLM Utah is committed to processing applications and leases for generating renewable energy on public lands, which provides jobs and generates clean electricity for our homes.—Cindy Ledbetter, BLM

Fillmore Field Manager

Leases

Cont'd from page 1 more Field Manager Cindy Ledbetter. “We will continue to work closely with our partners, Tribal Nations, communities, and local governments to ensure any energy development maximizes efficiencies and minimizes environmental impacts for the benefit of current and future generations.”

The competitive lease sale summary and results, list of registered bidders, and parcel descriptions are available on the BLM Utah geothermal energy website at https://on.doi. gov/3QVMw7F. Environmental planning documents, including maps and stipulations from the respective BLM resource management plans are available on the ePlanning website at https://bit. ly/3JbfjmG.

The BLM manages vast stretches of public lands having the potential to make significant contributions to the nation’s renewable energy portfolio. To promote our clean energy goals, the BLM provides sites for environmentally sound development of renewable energy on public lands and new transmission routes to connect into the grid. Geothermal was the first renewable energy the BLM approved for production on public lands, with the first geothermal project approved in 1978. Replenished by heat sources deep in the Earth, geothermal energy is a renewable resource that generates electricity with minimal carbon emissions up to 24 hours per day. Learn more at https:// on.doi.gov/3RdgbJL. —Bureau of Land Management