Issue no. 105
Download the Spring 2025 Newsletter
Winter 2024–25 Recap
The Alta Environmental Center brought the classroom to the slopes with 40 on-mountain educational events led by our non-profit partners. More than 400 curious participants joined us as we invited skiers and snowshoers to explore Alta’s ecosystems, landscapes and rich history—offering regulars and newcomers a unique way to connect with the mountain and our community.
Left: Journey Through Historical Snowscapes tour with UCSS, Right: Ski With a Ranger| Photos: Rocko Menzyk
This winter's educational programs included:
- Ski with a Ranger: Weekly tours on Sunnyside each Thursday, led by volunteer Rangers from the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, sharing insights into Alta’s ecology, geology, history and more.
- Snowshoe with a Naturalist: Monthly tours along the Summer Road, guided by the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation's volunteer Naturalists, exploring the canyon’s natural and cultural landscapes.
- Trees and Skis: Biweekly ski tours on Sunnyside, led by a TreeUtah volunteer arborist, highlighting the vital role of Alta’s forests in the ecosystem.
- Birding on Skis: Biweekly tours with Tracy Aviary's Conservation Biologist, drawing record turnout and supporting our ongoing Alta Bird Monitoring Program.
- Journey Through Historical Snowscapes: A new snowshoe tour, led by Utah Cultural Site Stewardship Program, exploring Alta’s evolution from mining town to conservation-centered ski area.
- Alta Earth Day: We closed the season with our 16th annual celebration, uniting visitors, businesses and nonprofits for a vendor village, ski demos, tours, art, music and more—all to promote climate awareness and environmental stewardship.
Thank you to all of our partners and participants who joined us for another great season of learning on the slopes!
Alta's Avian Residents
Alta's love of birds is no secret. Since 2015, Alta Ski Area and Tracy Aviary have partnered to monitor Alta's bird populations through the Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) program. This long-term study tracks local bird populations, species diversity and habitat utilization—providing insight into the health of our ecosystem and guiding conservation efforts in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
AEC’s top model: Steller’s Jay | Photo: Photo-John
We invite birders in our community to join us for year-round surveys—Birding Hikes in the summer and Birding on Skis in the winter. Guided by a conservation ecologist, participants help count and identify bird species, note their habitats and contribute valuable data to our eBird database. These outings offer a unique way to experience Alta through a new lens while honing your bird identification skills.
Black Rosy-Finch Study comes to an end
The elusive Black Rosy-Finch is a hardy, high-elevation bird and one of North America's least-studied species, but that’s beginning to change. This winter marked the end of the data collection phase for the Black Rosy-Finch Study—a research project that the Alta Environmental Center has supported since 2019 in partnership with the Wild Utah Project, Utah State University, Tracy Aviary and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
L: Black Rosy-Finch | R: Gray-Crowned Rosy Finches visiting the RFID feeder at the Collins dispatch
With an RFID-enabled feeder installed at the top of Collins lift, we recorded over 11,000 visits from tagged Black Rosy-Finches. Thanks to contributions from Alta Ski Patrol, community skiers and citizen scientists, researchers are closer than ever to understanding the species’ migration and breeding patterns—a significant milestone for this ongoing project.
Read the final rosy-finch research report: Quantifying rosy-finch migration with stable hydrogen isotope feather markers highlights the need for inter-state collaboration to reach conservation goals >
Coming Soon: Renewable Diesel at Alta
This summer, Alta Ski Area plans to pilot renewable diesel in an ongoing effort to reduce our carbon footprint. After reviewing our operations, we identified renewable diesel as a promising alternative to petroleum-based fuels, following in the footsteps of ski areas like Taos and Big Sky. Studies show that switching to 100% renewable diesel can reduce carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions up to 65%. With limited electric alternatives for heavy machinery, renewable diesel offers a practical, immediate path toward lower emissions.
Meet General Boom—Alta’s summer construction vehicle and soon-to-be renewable diesel pioneer | Photo: Adam Fehr
What is renewable diesel?
Renewable diesel is a fuel made from animal fats, canola or soybean oil and even used cooking oil. It has the same chemical structure as petroleum diesel, making it fully compatible with existing engines and fuel systems and requiring no modifications. However, it is not the same as biodiesel—while the raw sources may be the same, they differ in their production processes.
Pros of Renewable Diesel:
- Drop-in Ready: Works with current machinery
- Cleaner Burning: Immediate air quality improvement
- Versatile: It can be blended with petroleum diesel in any ratio when needed
- Better Storage: Fewer issues with quality when stored compared to biodiesel
- Immediate Emissions Impact: Ideal for sectors where electrification is limited
Cons & Challenges of renewable diesel:
- Cold Weather Performance: Requires blending in cold temperatures to maintain low cloud points
- Cost & Availability: Pricing may fluctuate due to new tariffs, which may also impact supply availability
- Uncertain Long-Term Supply: Consistent availability remains a key concern as production scales up
What's Next?
Given Alta's unique and often extreme mountain environment, we plan to start with a higher blend of renewable diesel in the summer and shift to a lower blend in the winter as we dial in the right mix for our needs. This addition is intended to be a long-term implementation for Alta, though we recognize that pricing and availability could become challenges in the coming months. We'll closely monitor performance, cost and supply and will report back in the fall!
Upcoming Events
Join us on the mountain this summer for a season of stewardship and education with the Alta Environmental Center and our community partners.
- Community Volunteer Days | July 2nd, August 6th & September 3rd
- Tree Harvest and Restoration | July 12th
- Tree Planting Day | September 20th
- Birding Hikes | Monthly, Every First Thursday
- HawkWatch Bird of Prey Show | June 19th, July 15th & August 14th
- Wasatch Wildflower Festival | July 20th
- Kid's Day | August 8th
- Historical Mining Hike | September 6th
For more information or questions, feel free to contact us at environment@alta.com.
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