Public Lands department builds a prickly defense against erosion in Salt Lake City's foothills

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

Volunteers and officials plant 1,500 prickly pear cacti to restore fire-damaged foothills.
The cacti stabilize slopes and benefit local wildlife by providing food and habitat.
Future volunteer events will focus on wildfire mitigation; residents can check online for updates.

SALT LAKE CITY — Volunteers and Salt Lake City Department of Public Lands officials are working to restore foothill areas damaged by the Bonneville Fire, planting vegetation to help stabilize hillsides and improve habitat for wildlife.

The fire, which burned above Red Butte Garden and threatened nearby areas, left a significant burn scar on the city's eastern foothills.

"Some of the Gambel oak is just starting to recover," said Blake Wellard, restoration ecology program supervisor with Salt Lake City Public Lands.

As cooler temperatures move in and rain is expected, officials say conditions are ideal for restoration work.

Last week, Wellard said crews planted 1,500 prickly pear cacti across the burn scar.

"Prickly pear has a very shallow root system, so it can spread out wide in these dry and rocky soils and really help stabilize these slopes," Wellard said.

The hillsides above Red Butte Garden are considered vulnerable to flooding and erosion following the fire. City officials hope the cactus will help reduce those risks while also benefiting local wildlife.

"They make a really large, showy flower that provides nectar and pollen resources for pollinators utilizing this space," Wellard said. "This particular species makes a large, edible red fruit that also has edible seeds, so getting a species out like this is really helping to support that greater food web."

The restoration effort includes volunteers from University of Utah Greek Life chapters.

"They said it was a service project for planting, and I honestly thought it sounded really fun," volunteer Kendall Cook said.

The city has also partnered with the Utah Department of Corrections greenhouse program, where inmates helped grow sagebrush that is now being planted in the burn area.

Wellard said restoring habitat for wildlife is a key goal of the project.

"There's a very large herd of elk that uses this space, so any extra assistance we can give to rehabilitate this land for the benefit of wildlife is a big goal of ours," he said.

Salt Lake City Public Lands plans to host additional volunteer events in the coming weeks, with future efforts focused on wildfire mitigation work. Officials encourage residents interested in helping to watch the department's website and social media channels for upcoming opportunities.

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