Giving Back to the mountain—our outdoor office.
The Alta Environmental Center (AEC) was created in 2008 to guide the ski area's sustainability efforts and look after the natural environment in which we operate. As stewards of the land, Alta is committed to matching any modifications to the ski area's land with restoration efforts of equal magnitude. To support this initiative, the AEC stays busy in the summer with revegetation and restoration projects across the mountain—working diligently to preserve and enhance what makes Alta, Alta
Each summer, employees from various departments at Alta Ski Area participate in monthly Employee Planting Days. These events allow our Alta family to connect and get our hands dirty, giving back to the mountain that brings us all together.
These three Employee Planting Days represent just a small fraction of the work that the AEC puts in all summer, but they are an essential part of the mission to protect and improve the well-being of our mountain environment.
2026 Employee Planting Days
A less-than-stellar 2025–26 winter recorded just 321 inches of seasonal snowfall—the least-snowiest season in the past 46 years. Concerns about a hot, dry summer and a premature melt-out were top of mind. However, a wetter-than-average summer and a healthy pattern of monsoonal storms kept the soil soft and made for easier planting and restoration work than anticipated. Ample moisture provides the best possible start for our young native plants and saplings to live a long, productive life on the rugged slopes of Alta.
September 24th marked Alta’s third and final Employee Conservation Day of the year, and we saved the best for last—harvesting 139 Engelmann spruce saplings from the groomed runs Devil’s Way and Keyhole Face. Each summer, the AEC identifies stands of young trees taking root on groomed runs, where they are unlikely to survive long-term. These saplings are carefully removed and relocated to areas where they have a better chance to thrive and contribute to the next generation of Alta’s forest.
Employees harvesting trees from the groomed run Devil's Way | Photo: Jenna Block
The AEC currently focuses on harvesting Engelmann spruce, a resilient native species well adapted to Alta’s high-alpine environment. To give each tree the best chance of surviving the transplanting process, employees selected small saplings—typically about the size of a hand or smaller—and carefully removed them with their roots and surrounding soil intact. Saplings were then transported to Alta’s on-site tree nursery, where they were repotted, christened with water from Little Cottonwood Creek and settled into their temporary homes.
Sapling settling into its temporary home in the tree nursery | Photo: Anna Lee
They’ll spend the next year here, establishing strong root systems before finding their forever homes on the mountain. Next summer, the AEC, community volunteers and Alta employees will return these saplings to carefully selected areas across the mountain.
Alta’s forests are an important part of the mountain ecosystem, and maintaining a healthy forest means caring for both the trees of today and the generations still to come.
On August 27th, employees from six different Alta departments gathered near the Cecret Lake Trailhead to build camaraderie and restore habitat. The AEC had selected the old Supreme lift line as an area of high priority for a multi-year restoration project to commence this summer. In the previous summer, the Supreme lift was realigned to remove the bumpy bend portion in the middle of the lift line. The AEC planned on returning to the disturbance area to revitalize the abandoned lift line with new saplings and seedlings.
August 27th: Summer employees plant native seedlings near Supreme | Photo: Adam Fehr
A variety of native tree species were selected to populate the defunct lift line and contribute to local forest diversity. Thirty Engelmann spruce saplings that were harvested from Alta's slopes in 2025 and overwintered in the AEC's on-site tree nursery were returned to the wooded slopes. Employees also planted 49 Aspen and 57 Douglas fir saplings. The refreshingly cool temperatures and the moist soil—softened by a recent monsoonal rainfall—made for ideal planting conditions. The extended forecast includes more moisture in September, so these little saplings have the best chance possible for surviving the transplanting process and going on to thrive in this cecret location.
August 27th: Planting saplings near the Albion Basin Campground | Photo: Adam Fehr
Employees also dedicated effort to spreading native wildflower seed and planting a variety of seedlings in the same area near previous wetland restoration projects the AEC completed in prior summers. The location was also chosen to address and discourage user-created trails that have proliferated in the area. A total of 392 new native plant seedlings and large logs were planted and placed to inhibit people from straying off established trails. When hiking around Alta Ski Area and Little Cottonwood Canyon, please recreate responsibly and remain on designated trails to reduce user impact and aid the AEC's ongoing restoration work.
August 27th: Freshly-planted penstemon seedlings | Photo: Adam Fehr
On July 23rd, 20 employees from most departments at Alta joined the AEC to lay revegetation mats, reinforce rock-armored channels and plant seedlings on the lower flanks of Supreme's Sleepy Hollow ski run.
The AEC utilizes revegetation mats constructed of natural hemp and coconut fibers. Employees helped to unroll the heavy and bulky mats along steep portions of the lower section of Sleepy Hollow. In previous summers, regrading projects along the Sleepy Hollow run disturbed the soils and uprooted vegetation. Adding revegetation mats is an important first step in restoration work to prevent erosion and allow new seedlings to take root and flourish. Preventing soil movement is also critical for the health of the watershed and helps to keep waterways free of sediment. The natural fibers of the mats will eventually decompose in two to five years, once new vegetation has had time to establish and proliferate.
Alta employees helped secure the yellow revegetation mats to mitigate erosion and preserve the watershed | Photo: Jen Melton
While some employees unrolled and secured revegetation mats, others were putting in even harder labor to complete the creation of rock-armored channels. To cap off the construction of the drainage channels by heavy machinery, a handful of hardy employees picked up large rocks to cover and fill the bottom of each watercourse. The armored channels are constructed to combat the erosive action that takes place during the spring melt-off and summer rain events. By slowing down the speed of meltwater and rainwater, the channels improve the quality of water in our watershed by trapping sediment and reducing soil erosion.
Left: 1948: the destructive power of erosion | Photo: Ted Major
Right: 2026: Rock-armored channels combat the regraded slope | Photo: Jen Melton
The remaining employees got their gloves dirty as they dug holes and gently placed 1,008 native plant seedlings in the soil. This is the final push in a three-year effort to revegetate this restoration area on the daunting steeps of Sleepy Hollow. Restoration work and planting in this area were an added challenge given the pitch, but if there is anything Alta employees are confident navigating, it is steep terrain.
Alta Ski Area summer employees relish a day together in the sun while toiling on Sleepy Hollow's steeps | Photo: Lexi Dowdall
July 23rd: 1,008 native seedlings planted in Upper Sleepy Hollow
August 27th: 392 native plant seedlings, 30 harvested Engelmann spruce saplings, 49 aspen trees and 57 Douglas fir trees
September 24th: 139 Engelmann spruce saplings from the groomed runs Devil’s Way and Keyhole Face
2025 Employee Planting Days
The Collins Study Plot recorded a perfectly average total of 538 inches of snowfall during the 2024–25 season. Despite one of the driest summers in recent memory, Alta was busy with major construction projects—including the Supreme realignment, Wyssen Tower installations and updating aging utility and snowmaking lines. To continue our restoration commitments, the AEC aimed to plant 11,000 native plant seedlings and 1,500 tree saplings before the first hard freeze.
The AEC's Anna Lee helps Christa Pottenger from the Ticket & Season Pass Office with a new seedling | Photo: Lexi Dowdall
On July 10, 2025, Alta employees joined the AEC on the top of Supreme to plant 1,200 native seedlings in the Upper Sleepy Hollow ski run. In the summer of 2023, Upper Sleepy Hollow was regraded to smooth out erosive gullies along the ski run, which were caused by steep slopes and overgrazing by sheep in the late 1800s. By regrading the slope, skiers can enjoy this area earlier in the season while reducing snow loss due to wind erosion.
This year marks the second year of a three-year restoration project, which will receive 4,450 native plants each year until its completion in 2026. By planting native plant seedlings, we support restoration efforts that help reduce soil erosion, enhance water filtration and promote the growth of native vegetation in the surrounding area.
Demitri Dobaj and Jon White from Alta's IT department introduce native seedlings to their new home on Upper Sleepy Hollow | Photo: Lexi Dowdall
On August 14, 2025, the AEC and fellow Alta employees returned to the lower section of Sleepy Hollow, planting 697 plant seedlings. Due to the persistent dry conditions, some dedicated employees hiked steep terrain with heavy water tanks to wet planting areas, helping the seedlings settle into their new homes.
This year marked the third and final year of restoration efforts in this zone, during which it received roughly 8,940 plants. The AEC will continue to monitor this site and conduct invasive species removal for years to come.
Chef Annie Mattison found a sunny, sheltered spot for Alta's newest Engelmann spruce | Photo: Lexi Dowdall
The final Employee Planting Day of 2025 focused on reforestation efforts in the Eagle's Nest area—planting 80 Engelmann spruce and 264 Douglas fir saplings. In 2024, the AEC harvested over 100 Engelmann spruce saplings from groomed runs to increase their chances of survival. After spending a year in our on-site tree nursery, 80 of these saplings were transplanted into shaded areas. Additionally, 264 Douglas fir saplings—grown by seeds collected in the Wasatch—were planted in sunnier, more exposed areas below Eagle's Nest. Although this is one of the more challenging plantings we undertake, the satisfaction of contributing to the strengthening of Alta's delicate forest ecosystem makes the effort worthwhile.
AEC team member Anna Lee prepares to plant a Douglas fir sapling | Photo: Adam Fehr
July 10th: 1,200 native seedlings planted in Upper Sleepy Hollow
August 14th: 697 native seedlings planted in Sleepy Hollow
September 11th: 264 Douglas fir and 80 Engelmann spruce saplings planted below Eagle's Nest
2024 Employee Planting Days
Following 628 inches of seasonal snowfall, the Alta Environmental Center again had to wait a little longer than usual to begin its summer revegetation and reforestation efforts. Again, they set an ambitious goal of planting over 12,000 native plant seedlings around the mountain.
On a mid-July day, a crew of six AEC team members set a new daily record by planting over 1,600 plants. A new bar had been set and the first Summer Employee Planting Day of 2024 had a new goal: to see if a team of 25 summer employees could break the newly minted record.
AEC team member Anna Lee carries seedlings on the first Employee Planting Day of 2024 | Photo: Adam Fehr
On July 18th, 2024, Alta employees managed to plant 2,095 native plant seedlings on Nina's. With some additional help from a stretch of dry weather and above-average spring and summer temperatures, the AEC was able to put all 12,000 plants in the ground by the end of July.
Replanting Nina's, one seedling at a time | Photo: Adam Fehr
The second Employee Planting Day of 2024 was held on August 15th. The AEC team took a crew of Alta employees to the Sleepy Hollow run near the Supreme lift to pull invasive weeds and plant snowberry shrubs. These efforts will help revegetate the new area of Sleepy Hollow following a slope-regrading project during the summer of 2023.
Building Maintenance employee Sean Kivlin plants a shrub on Sleepy Hollow | Photo: Adam Fehr
The third and final Employee Planting Day was held on September 19th—a chilly morning on the heels of the season's first snowfall. Alta summer employees and the AEC crew transplanted harvest trees from the Albion Nursery to an area near the base of Sugarloaf and Supreme lifts. Harvested from groomed runs and other high-traffic areas of the mountain, 105 harvested saplings found a new home in the Albion Basin.
Transplanting harvested trees near Sugarloaf following the first snow of the season | Photo: Anna Lee
July 18th: 2,095 native plant seedlings planted on Nina's
August 15th: 202 shrubs and shrublings planted on Sleepy Hollow
September 19th: 105 harvested trees replanted near Sugarloaf
2023 Employee Planting Days
Despite a record-breaking 903 inches of snowfall followed by one of the wettest summers in the past decade, the AEC remained steadfast in its efforts to revegetate the slopes of Alta. The AEC started the summer of 2023 with the goal of planting 12,740 native plant seedlings—a goal that eventually grew to over 14,000 plants when Dryland Horticulture offered Alta some surplus seedlings.
Video: Tyler Struss
Fortunately, the AEC wasn’t doing all of the digging and heavy lifting alone. Between Community Volunteer Days and planting events with our partner organizations, Alta skiers and community members volunteered their time to plant seedlings around the mountain.
Video: Tyler Struss
The AEC also enlisted the help of Alta Ski Area summer employees through two Employee Planting Days.
June 29th: 1,140 native plant seedlings planted
August 10th: 296 native plant seedlings planted
These two Employee Planting Days are a small part of a larger effort to plant 3,000 native seedlings on Nina’s every year for three years. The revegetation efforts are already paying off, as Nina’s is already seeing noticeable growth. Once the snow starts falling, these plants will lie dormant until the late spring when we’ll again take a break from the office to check in on this summer’s planting efforts and put some more native plants in the ground.
In late August 2023, the AEC accomplished its goal of planting all 14,000 native plant seedlings on the slopes—an average of 1,600 plants per week. Next time you’re skiing on the slopes of Collins Gulch say a few words of encouragement to the sleeping native plant seedlings under all the snow.
2022 Employee Planting Days
A new restoration project on Nina's was added to the AEC's to-do list. This slope, which was regraded in the summer of 2021 would require thousands of plants over the next three years. In the summer of 2022, the AEC enlisted the help of Alta Ski Area employees to plant native seedlings on Nina's for its first year of restoration.
July 13th: 588 native plant seedlings planted
August 31st: 756 native plant seedlings planted
Nikki Baldassari & Julia Cloward digging holes on Nina's | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
Alta Ski Patroller Andrew McCloskey puts another seedling in the ground | Photo: Rocko Menzyk
During the summer of 2022, Alta Ski Area's employees helped the AEC put 1,344 native plant seedlings in the ground over two beautiful mountain mornings.
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