A new boardwalk and birdwatching platform are being constructed at the Scott and Norma Matheson Wetlands Preserve after an April 8 fire destroyed a structure on the site. [See “Fire at Matheson Wetlands Preserve,” April 29 edition. -ed.] The rebuild will not include a roof like the old structure, but will have a decked platform with benches. Crews from the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands have cleaned much of the burned debris from the site.
The preserve remains closed to the public after overcrowding caused excessive litter and damage, including the human-caused fire. Preserve Manager Linda Whitham said she hopes to be able to re-open the preserve some time in June, with the addition of security cameras and stewardship signs.
Whitham emphasized the extreme danger of igniting a fire in a place as densely vegetated as the wetlands preserve, which has suffered severe wildfires in the past.
