The nonprofit will host Mike Lebecki—2013 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year—as its keynote speaker Wednesday night.
The explorer will discuss his remote expeditions and the importance of outdoor recreation, said Wasatch Backcountry Alliance director Dani Poirier.
She said the fundraiser will bring backcountry enthusiasts together during a critical point in the organization’s development.
“We’re still kind of in this awkward adolescent phase, I would say,” Poirier said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Oct. 5. “Where our name has been around for a long time and we’ve been active in the community, but we’re still figuring how to be a nonprofit and how to fundraise.”
Founded in 2013, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance works to preserve backcountry recreation in the central Wasatch Mountains. Poirier says the group works with the U.S. Forest Service, the Utah Department of Transportation, ski areas and municipalities to protect backcountry terrain in the Wasatch.
“There’s a need to represent the backcountry community because there are so many folks who really value that open space in between the resorts for recreation,” Poirier said. “So, Wasatch Backcountry Alliance formed to say, hey, listen, we need to be at the table with these decision makers and make sure that these areas remain open and accessible for the public for generations to come.”
Poirer said the organization previously raised money to protect Bonanza Flat and advocated against gondola proposals that would have linked together resorts across the Wasatch.
“The threat of expanding into these open spaces never goes away,” Poirer said. “To this day, we still see various proposals for developments in pockets of the backcountry that are really important for human powered winter recreation.”
Wednesday’s event will take place at Millcreek Common, 1354 E. Chambers Ave., in Millcreek from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $50 and available online a wasatchbackcountryalliance.org.
