A group of Utah State University professors, interest group representatives and Logan city officials are working together to create a long-range plan to manage and restore the Logan River.
The Logan River Task Force was created two years ago in efforts to restore what Chairman Frank Howe said many residents may see as a potential community gem.
“I think the long-term vision for the river is something that’s a real benefit to the community. It has the ecological values we would associate with the natural river but it also has the social values that we would want to have in something that goes through Logan as a representative of Logan," said Howe.
The task force was formed in response to public uproar after trees were removed along the Logan River Trail.
The group aims to restore the Logan River’s riparian vegetation, wildlife habitats and extensive recreation opportunities. Howe said the task force was formed in response to public uproar after trees were removed along the Logan River Trail. The group has been drafting a long-range river maintenance plan after looking at information on the Logan River and its ecological and social values.
"We know that at this point the amount of water that comes through in the summer is very low. It's too low, actually, to support the fish population in some parts of the river," Howe said. "So we would want to restore that flow to a level that would provide for fish habitat as well as provide for some of the vegetation that requires the water that would be coming through the river."
Howe said the task force is using a $600,000 grant from the Utah Division of Water Quality as well as a $400,000 match from Logan city, aiming to restore the Logan River to its community potential.
