Dedicated to protecting the wildness and beauty of the Wasatch mountains, canyons and foothills

Board of Directors

Dear Norcross Wildlife Foundation,

August 15, 2013

Gale Dick, President

Alexis Kelner

Save Our Canyons is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that is dedicated to protecting the beauty and
wildness of the Wasatch canyons, mountains, and foothills. Since 1972, we have been a

Bill King
Bill Lockhart
Tom Lund
Clay Northrop

local conservation voice for citizens concerned about the issues affecting the wild places of
Utahs Wasatch Range. In addition to monitoring and addressing issues at the local level
and proactively participating in local land use policy, management, and planning processes,
we also have a long and successful history of helping place the highest form of protection on
sensitive lands of the Wasatch through Federal Wilderness designation.

Gavin Noyes

Save Our Canyons strives to educate the public about issues facing the Wasatch and further
Gayle Parry

the goals of protecting the watershed, wildlife, dispersed recreational opportunities, and

John Worlock

natural ecosystems and environments of the unique and extraordinary Wasatch Mountains.
To gain public support for our work, we conduct grassroots outreach at local events, give

Ron Younger

presentations, sit on panels and participate in forums, meet with local decision makers,
disseminate information on our website, through our social media networks, and in our

Advisory Board
John Johnson

printed quarterly newsletter. It is through these types of interactions that we are able to
educate the public about projects were working on, gain their support, and encourage them
to get involved and take action. It is only with the publics support that we are able to

Staff

continue to participate and have a positive impact on decisions made on issues concerning
the Wasatch. We feel, however, that our outreach efforts could be more effective.

Carl Fisher
Executive Director

Today, Save Our Canyons respectfully requests $2,000 to help purchase Apple iPads to
Havilah Martak
Development Director
Alex Schmidt
Campaigns Coordinator
Contact
Save Our Canyons
824 S 400 W #B115
SLC, UT 84101
(801) 363.7283

enhance our communication, outreach, and educational efforts. While conducting grassroots
outreach, we have found that while our mission and vision are easy to communicate, we
face challenges when attempting to explain particular issues or campaigns to the public as
they relate to a specific area of the Wasatch Mountains. Those that are unfamiliar with the
geography, scale, or layout of the Wasatch find it difficult to put the issue that were talking
about into perspective in terms of where the issue is located and whats at stake of being
altered or lost. The majority of people we speak to relate very well to maps and other images
that give a visual overview of the areas we are working to protect, but physical maps are
cumbersome to carry and transport, suffer from wear and tear, rarely include all the
information needed to convey a particular message, and need to be continually updated.

saveourcanyons.org

The cost and time associated with printing and laminating large-scale maps and the hassle
of finding a way to display them properly at events is also costly and limits our effectiveness.
iPads, which could be used to show detailed and dynamic maps, video, high quality images,

and interactive content to the public would help us more clearly communicate our message, engage the
public, and gain support for our campaigns.
In addition, we would also be able to use the iPads as a membership building tool, allowing members of the
public to sign up for our email action alert list and join our membership by donating safely and securely onthe-spot. The added ability to gather electronic signatures on petitions or feedback through surveys would
also eliminate the need for paper petitions/surveys and reduce the amount of staff time spent in-office on
post-event manual data entry.
Outside of use during outreach events, when necessary, we could also take interactive content to decision
makers during visits to their offices. Showing a lawmaker or decision-maker a photo slideshow, short video,
animation, high resolution map or visualization will allow us to really connect them to our campaigns. The
stories we can tell about the importance of protecting the Wasatch with aid from high quality visuals and
graphics will help convey why their support is so crucial. Instead of printing and struggling to display
multiple maps, graphs, charts, and photos, we could present them with a virtual packet that provides a
clean, organized, professional, and compelling argument for why their support is needed.
Our efforts since 2009 to streamline and improve our technology infrastructure have yielded amazing
results. Thanks to the financial assistance we received from Norcross in recent years, our organization was
able to invest in Apple computers for use in our office, which allowed us to move from unreliable and
outdated systems and software to computers that work together, giving us the ability to collaborate more
effectively and spend less resources on maintenance and management. This new addition of iPads, which
would integrate seamlessly with our Apple software and systems, would be an extension of those efforts to
invest even further in technology that will have a positive impact on our outreach efforts and overall
organizational effectiveness.
The increasing use and reliance on mobile technology has resulted in a shift in learning, communicating
and interacting. As a non-profit, its imperative that we keep up with the changing environment of
technology or we risk losing potential interest and members. The general public, especially a younger
demographic that were seeking to recruit and activate, is becoming more and more tech-savvy and
comfortable with using electronic devices like the iPad. The ability to connect with the public in such a fun,
interesting, and interactive way, will place our organization at an advantage and will allow us to really make
a difference!
Thank you for your consideration of our request. If you have any questions or if we can provide additional
information on how your support will impact our work and effectiveness, please contact me at (801)
363-7283 or at havilah@saveourcanyons.org.
Sincerely,
Havilah Martak
Development Director
Save Our Canyons