Cottonwood Canyons Foundation.

• Position: Social Impact - Brief article

For more than a decade, the Cottonwood Canyons Foundation has worked to improve the environment in the Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. The nonprofit organization is a remarkable partnership between Alta, Brighton, Solitude and Snowbird resorts, as well as Salt Lake City and the U.S. Forest Service.

"The Cottonwood Canyons are one of the most highly used portions of the National Forest in the country," says Jessie Walthers, executive director of the foundation. This popularity leaves some significant wear and tear on the environment, so each year the foundation marshals an enthusiastic volunteer force to perform comprehensive trail maintenance, restore native vegetation and combat invasive weed species.

The foundation's volunteers "are very much the heart and core...