Carol Potter, who led the Mountain Trails Foundation for six years, has died. She was 82. Family members say she died Feb. 3 of natural causes.
Potter became the second director of Mountain Trails Foundation in 2004, replacing longtime founding director Troy Duffin.
Greg Balch, who served on the foundation’s board for more than two decades was chairman when Potter was hired. Though new to Park City, she already had family ties to the community - both her brother and daughter lived here. Balch says Potter showed up at the right time.
“What we needed was somebody that could write grants, somebody that could raise money,” Balch said. “Because at that point in the game, we weren't really on the map for collecting much in the way of money. We needed somebody to communicate Mountain Trails and our mission. So, Carol kind of came out of the blue as we're running through with all the different candidates for the job.”
Potter spent much of her life in Cadillac, Michigan. She moved to Park City to be closer to her daughter Cammy Potter, who was an All-American ski racer, later turned professional snowboarder. Her daughter succumbed to cancer in 2004, and Cammy’s Trail in Round Valley is named in her honor.
During her tenure, Potter led successful fundraising efforts that expanded the trail network, brought winter grooming to Round Valley, and helped create the Sound Garden — a collection of nature-inspired musical instruments just off the Poison Creek pathway.
Balch also credits Potter with strengthening collaboration among the many agencies and groups involved in managing and building local trails.
“Basin Rec [Recreation] had taken off and was their own entity,” he said. “She dealt with Park City Hall, and at that point we were maintaining the rail trail, and the rail trail was becoming a bigger part of our trail system, because it ran right through town and got people places. Her leadership kind of brought those teams together in those years.”
Balch said Potter was also deeply committed to outreach, regularly bringing groups together to promote and explain the trail system – long before social media made communication easier.
“That was a real strength of hers,” he said. “Those years we didn't have social media like we did today, so she had a knack for communicating what was going on to all the different groups, particularly the trail users and the different players in it. So, she did that long before it was easy to do.”
Potter retired from the Mountain Trails Foundation in 2010. Her family says she lived by the belief that even a small effort could positively transform the lives of others.
Potter is survived by one son, two brothers and six grandchildren. A celebration of life will be at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Potter’s name to Park City’s Mountain Trails Foundation or the Cadillac Area Visitors Bureau.
