The Eagle Mountain Nature and Wildlife Alliance
We are a charitable and educational nonprofit organization under IRS section 501(c)(3).
We meet with landowners, developers, city staff, local, state and national elected officials to establish relationships of trust between landowners, developers, and the Eagle Mountain City staff and elected officials. We then propose solutions to all parties that will provide native habitat and migration corridors for wildlife that currently or historically have used the area. Those solutions may include compatible secondary uses in non-sensitive areas.
We raise funds to assist with land preservation, habitat restoration, and facilitating wildlife movement to minimize or prevent negative human-wildlife interactions.
We work with potential developers and local planning and zoning commissions to provide input into projects or proposals that could have an impact on natural vegetation or wildlife to protect the interests of the natural environment balanced with the development needs and business interests of the developers and citizens.
We also provide educational and community engagement activities to inform citizens of the natural history of the area, provide opportunities for service such as habitat restoration or cleanup, and provide instruction to potential developers.
Voting Members and Officers of the Board of Directors
Bettina is a co-founder of the Eagle Mountain Nature and Wildlife Alliance. She was brought up in Upstate NY, in an area surrounded by farms, woods, and wildlife. Bettina’s love for nature and animals started as a child. She spent countless hours outdoors with their numerous pets and wildlife. Wild birds would land on her while she filled the birdfeeders. She could even feed the squirrels and rabbits out of her hands.
While earning her Bachelor’s Degree, Bettina joined the NY Air National Guard, initially as an enlisted servicemember. After earning her commission, Bettina became a KC-135 Air Refueling Pilot. While deployed overseas to support Operation Enduring Freedom, she met her husband. When Bettina retired, they moved to Utah, where her husband is from, to raise their family.
Presently, Bettina and her family live in a subdivision adjacent to the Eagle Mountain Wildlife Corridor and are surrounded by nature. She is passionate about preserving our open spaces and wildlife for future generations to enjoy. Bettina is a known problem solver and believes in serving her community.
Since an early age, Wendy has had a passion for nature and animals, always drawn to observing their natural state. She has obtained several environmental degrees because of her love for animals and the environment. In the past 20+ years, she and her family lived abroad in many countries while working for the U.S. government and engaged in volunteer work to protect animals, water, marine environments, and other natural areas. Many of her volunteer activities abroad centered around working with animals including as a zoo volunteer in Australia caring for a variety of animals such as large ungulates, cheetahs, and mane wolves. Additionally, she has participated as a volunteer in the study of an endangered Australian lizard and an antechinus relocation study while living in Canberra. As a dog lover, she has been a foster home for malamute organizations in two countries. She has also led environmental education forums and activities in countries such as Morocco, Australia, and Ecuador for a variety of audience members on subjects such as plastic pollution effects on drinking water, urban sprawl, and sustainable fishing.
Wendy joined EMNWA to be a part of a group of like-minded individuals striving to pursue environmental protection. With the fast-paced development of the area, she believes striking a balance between growth and preservation of the natural environment provides communities with opportunities to return to nature close to home. Wendy and her family have a home in Saratoga Springs, and she is planning to pursue an environmental career in Utah. Additionally, she has frequently included her husband and children in environmental activities (especially beach cleanup days), mostly of their own free will, but always for a worthy cause.
Kevin is a cofounder of the Eagle Mountain Nature and Wildlife Alliance. He was born and raised in Utah County and spent many memorable moments with his family in Cedar Valley during his youth. He graduated from American Fork Highschool. He served as an EMT/First Responder in the Lehi Fire Department and served 23 years in the Air National Guard. He was activated and served during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He served in the 151st Air Refueling Wing in Aircraft Crash and Rescue. He retired from Chevron Oil. He worked 25 years at the Salt Lake Refinery. He spent his last 10 years in Kazakhstan as lead operations consultant of new plant construction to ensure safe and environmentally safe operation.
Kevin is an avid horseman and lover of nature and the outdoors. He and his wife have lived in Eagle Mountain since 1998. Their home is situated in an area now recognized as the Eagle Mountain Wildlife Corridor. It was their observation of the wildlife in this area and witnessing the habitat being lost to development that prompted him to become an advocate for preservation of the wildlife corridor.
Marian is a cofounder of the Eagle Mountain Nature and Wildlife Alliance. She has lived with her husband, Kevin, and raised their six children in Eagle Mountain, Utah, since 1998. Their home is situated adjacent to the major mule deer migratory pathway through Eagle Mountain. Observing the landscape and the animals who inhabit it, inspired her and Kevin to act to preserve as much of it as possible.
She grew up in rural Southern Utah. She was raised enjoying the outdoors and respecting the wildlife and the natural environment. She is a former manager of new product development for a well-known herbal company and has traveled to many countries in her searches for plants with medicinal benefits. She has also worked as an independent consultant in the natural products industry and has published a report on one of these most important medicinal plant expeditions to Vietnam [The Commercial Use of Biodiversity, 1999, with Sarah A Laird, eBook ISBN9780429341540.].
The Eagle Mountain Nature and Wildlife Alliance was formed in 2022 by the following founding board members:
- Marian Burningham
- Kevin Burningham
- Bettina Cameron
- Shon Reed*
- Trista Torson*
- Chelsea Welch*
*Currently participating on the board of directors as a non-voting member