Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter

09/02/2026

Swaner has been selected as a recipient of UDAF’s Utah Pollinator Habitat Program, and we need your help getting hundreds of seedlings in the ground!

Join us on the Preserve to plant crucial habitat and food sources for pollinators! Sign up here: https://swanerecocenter.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog

08/28/2026

Join us on Saturday, 9/12 from 5-7pm for a free opening reception of "Ephemeral," our new juried exhibition celebrating Utah’s native plants through the work of local artists!

Come wander the gallery, meet featured artists, enjoy light refreshments, and celebrate the wild beauty of the plants of Utah 🌱✨ Sign up for a reminder at the link below.

Can't make the opening reception? You can still check out the exhibit for free through November 29 during our normal open hours!

📍 Swaner Preserve & EcoCenter
🎟️ Free + open house style!

Presented with the Utah Native Plant Society.

Sign up for a reminder: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ephemeral-opening-celebration-tickets-1998376644338?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

08/26/2026

📣 We’re hiring!

Want to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards, advocates, and nature enthusiasts? 🌱 We’re looking for an Elementary Youth Programs Coordinator to help plan and deliver engaging environmental education experiences that spark curiosity, excitement, and a lifelong love for the natural world. If this sounds like you, check out more info and application details at the link below.

Come help young learners get curious, get outside, and get excited about nature!

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Apply: https://extension.usu.edu/swaner/elementary-youth-programs-coordinator

Photo 1 of EcoCenter by Austin Lau
Photo 2 of afterschool program by Jodi Buren

08/24/2026

Help us repair several Beaver Dam Analogs along a small stream on the Swaner Preserve! Beaver dam analogs (BDAs) are a stream restoration structure that improves water and habitat quality on the Preserve.

Unlike beavers, Swaner staff and volunteers do not repair the dam-mimicking structures daily, but rather once or twice a year. These human-made beaver dams provide ecological benefits of their natural counterparts by increasing habitat, lowering water temperature, recharging groundwater, and more! Sign up to help on Wednesday, September 9th, 9 AM - 12 PM at the volunteer link below!

https://swanerecocenter.volunteermatters.org/project-catalog/238

08/24/2026

Don't miss the Summit County Noxious W**d tour on Saturday, September 12th from 9am- noon! Learn more about invasive and noxious w**ds in our area and how you can control them on your own property.

Learn more and RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdb_7bHebzZAv64hUL1nE04BSgbTnEF_Lm0Bfg_8n7hzZ3Ehg/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawT5puZwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWdYNWNONzJiTlBLdXN0QlBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeloqRoFWPMEcbdvephchYtjCgZsafuRoLSeNydEzdDjV4G3iTHuzXy5G-1hQ_aem_215BZCKGRUlabKUDmaaznA

The Summit County W**ds Division is hosting a Community Noxious W**ds Tour to educate residents on the “most-wanted” w**ds here in Summit County!

When? Saturday, September 12, 2026 | 9 AM - 12 PM
Where? Richardson Flat Park & Ride

We're lucky to have partners like the Swaner Preserve, Summit CWMA, Basin Recreation, and USU Extension - Summit County joining us to share their expertise and insights on effective w**d control. Noxious w**ds, unfortunately, do not honor property boundaries, so w**d control is a community problem that requires all of us to work together!

Please RSVP (for free!) at summitcounty.info/w**dstour26 to let us know you’re coming.

08/18/2026

Heads up! The EcoCenter will close early tomorrow, 8/19, for a staff event. We’ll be open from 10 AM to 1 PM. Normal hours will resume on Thursday, 8/20.

08/13/2026

Wrapping up the last week of summer camp...we will so miss all the fun and energy these kids bring to Swaner!

Our Youth Programs, including our summer camps, are uplifting the next generation to be thoughtful advocates, scientists, and community members.

Please consider donating to support our mission to educate the local and broader communities about the value of nature! For the month of August, we are asking you to invest in our Youth Programs and help unlock a $10,000 challenge match donation. Check the link below for more info and to make a donation!

Special thanks to Larry and Judy Brownstein for their generosity!

Donate: https://extension.usu.edu/swaner/support/youth-programs-campaign

08/12/2026

📢 New Exhibit Coming Soon to Swaner! "Ephemeral" is a juried art exhibition in partnership with Utah Native Plant Society celebrating Utah’s native plants—and the artists inspired by them. Come see Utah’s flora through a creative lens from September 12 to November 29 at the Swaner EcoCenter. Admission is free.

And mark your calendars for a special open house celebration on September 12 from 5-7 PM with light refreshments where you can meet some of our featured artists! 🎨

More info on our website or at the link below:
https://extension.usu.edu/swaner/visit/exhibits/ephemeral-art-show

08/07/2026

🌱 Swaner is starting a free native seed library!

Opening this September alongside our "Ephemeral" Art Show at the EcoCenter, the library will feature seeds from plants native to Utah with a focus on the Wasatch Back.

Why native seeds? They’re adapted to our climate, support pollinators and wildlife, conserve water, and help create more fire-wise, biodiversity-friendly landscapes. 🐝🌼🦋

Want to help us grow the library? Donate your native seeds! 🌱Check the link below for all the details and bring seeds by during our open hours (Wed - Sun, 10AM to 4PM!)

https://extension.usu.edu/swaner/naturalist-news/native-seed-library