Utah
Preserving and Preparing: Getting Utah Ready for the Winter Olympics and Beyond
By Clara Jane (CJ) Blye, PhD
The Winter Olympics are returning to Salt Lake City in 2034. After experiencing the excitement of the 2002 games, Utah is looking forward to hosting the world once again.
Are we ready? When it comes to venues for Olympic events, we’re well-prepared. We also need to think about preparing our wild spaces for an influx of visitors.
The Outdoors: Essential for Utahns, and Utah’s Economy
Utah’s stunning natural beauty and range of outdoor experiences are a big draw for tourists and the Olympics. Our economy is driven by the outdoors, with 10.6 million tourists visiting the state every year to see one of the “Mighty 5” national parks.
Many more come to ski on our slopes, raft or kayak our rivers, and hike and camp in our backcountry and public lands. Tourist recreation brought in about $12 billion to the Utah economy in 2022. This benefits businesses across the state with jobs and tax revenue.
To be clear: That money is not guaranteed for the Utah economy. It is from tourists who come seeking access to beautiful wild places. Healthy, intact ecosystems are vital to our economy. Conservation and preservation are good for nature—and they’re good for business.
Giving Everyone the Chance to Experience the Outdoors
My core memories are shaped by my childhood visits to national parks and wild places in my native Canada. I suspect the same is true for those of us who grew up or visited Utah as children.
These experiences with nature are a vital part of the human experience. Parks and wild spaces can help create a sense of belonging and welcome for everyone who visits. We all deserve to feel that connection, along with enjoying clean water, clear air, and abundant wilderness. Many people come here on vacation seeking just that.
Yet, with Utah’s exploding population, those natural spaces will be a little less wild and a lot more crowded. How do we let everyone experience these wild spaces while still keeping them…wild? How can we ease crowding while encouraging access? How can we open the outdoors to everyone without ruining natural places?
These are the kinds of questions I address as an assistant professor of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism at the University of Utah, where my research focuses on sustainable tourism. I believe the answers will come from education, awareness, and proactive management.
With major events like the Olympics attracting people from all over the world, finding those answers is more important than ever.
The Opportunity and Challenge of Hosting the Olympics
The Winter Olympics welcomes people who might not have come to Utah otherwise.
We’re in a unique position to ask: What exactly do we want visitors to experience? Fortunately, we have lots of knowledge in this area, not just from the 2002 Olympics but also from smaller regional events across the state.
We have a golden opportunity to show the best version of Salt Lake City to the world. We can help people have a positive and memorable experience. We do this by letting them know what to expect and how to engage with the city and its surrounding wild areas.
As part of the Leave No Trace Science Committee, I help oversee the Leave No Trace Gold Standard Program. Achieving this designation offers several advantages. It recognizes tourism destinations and cities like Salt Lake City for their commitment to environmental stewardship. This standard also helps protect our natural resources. It uses enhanced visitor education to reduce environmental impacts, leading to more resilient natural areas.
Achieving this standard requires building community pride and awareness. For Salt Lake City, the Leave No Trace Gold Standard designation can:
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Enhance Visitor Experience: Educate tourists on sustainable practices, ensuring our natural areas remain pristine and enjoyable.
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Show Leadership: Highlight our city’s dedication to environmental responsibility on an international stage.
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Foster Sustainable Tourism: Align with global sustainability goals, attract conscientious visitors, and promote long-term economic benefits.
Now is the Time to Prepare for 2034
We have several years left until the 2034 Winter Olympics. Let’s use this time to prepare and embrace the challenge. While we cannot know everything that will happen before then, we do know the Olympics will bring an influx of people to Utah. We know that many will be experiencing it for the first time.
We know this can be the best Winter Olympics yet, and it can support efforts to preserve Utah’s wilderness for future visitors and residents alike.
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ST. GEORGE, Utah (KUTV) — One person was hospitalized at the St. George Regional Hospital after a car rolled and caught fire just south of the Utah-Arizona border.
The Beaver Dam and Littlefield Fire Department in Arizona said its crews responded to the crash near the Black Rock Road exit – roughly two miles south of the state border – on Sunday night.
Upon arrival, crews put out the car fire and found the driver had left the scene. A single occupant, who was able to get out of the car on their own, was transported to the hospital by a Beaver Dam ambulance.
MORE | Crashes
Their condition has not been publicly released.
Details on what led to the crash and the condition of the driver were not immediately available.
The Beaver Dam and Littlefield Fire Department said law enforcement investigated the scene.
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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz missed out on the NBA Playoffs, but still scored a big win thanks to a coin flip.
In Monday’s tiebreaker coin flip to determine who had the fourth-worst record in the league last season, the Jazz came out winners over the Sacramento Kings, who had the same 22-60 record.
Had the Jazz lost the coin flip, they would have been fifth in NBA Draft Lottery odds. Only the worst four teams are guaranteed to remain within the top eight of the lottery.
If Utah had fallen to fifth, there would have been the chance they could have dropped out of the top 8 teams in the lottery, and owed the draft pick to Oklahoma City, which was top-8 protected in a previous trade.
The Jazz now have an 11.5 percent chance to win the first overall pick in the NBA Draft Lottery, which is scheduled for Sunday, May 10.
The Utah Jazz are rolling into a big offseason before they into what’s projected to be a wildly different-looking 2026-27 campaign from what they had just seen this past 22-win season.
But before that season is able to get underway, the Jazz have some priorities to address in the offseason––both in terms of constructing their roster and retaining a few key pieces from last year’s group into next year.
That makes their salary cap situation and everything around it important to be aware of in the next few months. So with that in mind, we’ve put together an offseason cap tracker for a glimpse of what the Jazz are dealing with in terms of cap space, contracts, and any of their own free agents hitting the open market.
Let’s break it down:
Maximum Possible Cap Space: $24.7M
The Jazz are currently projected at just under $25 million in cap headed into the summer. That’s without any additional moves made to the roster from how they’re entering the offseason, and without factoring in any free agents’ pending cap holds.
That number is bound to get smaller once the Jazz hash out their contract situation for Walker Kessler, but it could also see an uptick if Utah were to shed salary with some of their non-guaranteed deals, or any other player they wanted to pivot from.
As of now, it allows the Jazz to make a couple of moves around the edges in free agency, but the main focus will lean on signing Kessler to a long-term deal.
Contracts
A glimpse of the Jazz’s contract values for the 2026-27 season, and when they’re slated to hit free agency from their current deals:
– Jaren Jackson Jr.: $49.0M, ’29 PO
– Lauri Markkanen: $46.1M, ’29 UFA
– Ace Bailey: $9.5M, ’29 RFA
– Keyonte George: $6.5M, ’27 RFA
– John Konchar: $6.1M, ’27 UFA
– Cody Williams: $6.0M, ’28 RFA
– Brice Sensabaugh, $4.8M, ’27 RFA
– Svi Mykhailiuk: $3.8M*, ’28 UFA
– Kyle Filipowski: $3.0M, ’28 RFA
– Isaiah Collier: $2.7M, ’28 RFA
– Hayden Gray: $2.1M*, ’27 RFA
– Bez Mbeng: $2.1M*, ’27 RFA
– Blake Hinson (two-way), ’27 RFA
Total: $142.1M
*- non-guaranteed
The biggest chunk of the Jazz’s salary leans on their top two veterans, Markkanen and Jackson Jr., each making a combined $95 million next season alone.
However, the rest of the roster isn’t taking up much money. No one else will be making more than $10 million, and their payroll is a little less than $150 million in total.
Another noteworthy fact: the Jazz’s key roster pieces outside of George and Sensabaugh are all under contract through the next two seasons.
Both of the aforementioned names are also bound to see extension discussions take place this summer, which might lock in their future for even longer.
Free Agents
A look at who from this season’s roster is set to hit the free agent market in July:
– Kevin Love (UFA)
– Jusuf Nurkic (UFA)
– Walker Kessler (RFA)
– Oscar Tshiebwe (two-way)
– Elijah Harkless (two-way)
The biggest name of note is, of course, the Jazz’s restricted free agent big man, Walker Kessler, who Utah is bound to hand a big payday, but it remains to be seen how much that contract––or offer sheet from another team––will be.
Jusuf Nurkic and Kevin Love have also expressed their desire to return to the roster as they hit free agency. Re-signing both likely wouldn’t cost much for the Jazz financially, but instead relies on a question of whether the roster space is readily available to keep both.
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