§ 53B-18-1002. Establishment of the center -- Purpose -- Duties and responsibilities.

(1) There is established the Mormon Pioneer Heritage Center in connection with Utah State University.

(2) The purpose of the center is to coordinate interdepartmental research and extension efforts in recreation, heritage tourism, and agricultural extension service and to enter into cooperative contracts with the United States Departments of Agriculture and the Interior, state, county, and city officers, public and private organizations, and individuals to enhance Mormon pioneer heritage.

(3) The center has the following duties and responsibilities:

(a) to support United States Congressional findings that the landscape, architecture, traditions, products, and events in the counties convey the heritage of pioneer settlements and their role in agricultural development;

(b) to coordinate with extension agents in the counties to assist in the enhancement of heritage businesses and the creation of heritage products;

(c) to foster a close working relationship with all levels of government, the private sector, residents, business interests, and local communities;

(d) to support United States Congressional findings that the historical, cultural, and natural heritage legacies of Mormon colonization and settlement are nationally significant;

(e) to encourage research and studies relative to the variety of heritage resources along the 250-mile Highway 89 corridor from Fairview to Kanab, Utah, and Highways 12 and 24, the All American Road, to the extent those resources demonstrate:

(i) the colonization of the western United States; and

(ii) the expansion of the United States as a major world power;

(f) to demonstrate that the great relocation to the western United States was facilitated by:

(i) the 1,400 mile trek from Illinois to the Great Salt Lake by the Mormon Pioneers; and

(ii) the subsequent colonization effort in Nevada, Utah, the southeast corner of Idaho, the southwest corner of Wyoming, large areas of southeastern Oregon, much of southern California, and areas along the eastern border of California; and

(g) to assist in interpretive efforts that demonstrate how the Boulder Loop, Capitol Reef National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and the Highway 89 area convey the compelling story of how early settlers:

(i) interacted with Native Americans; and

(ii) established towns and cities in a harsh, yet spectacular, natural environment.

(4) The center, in collaboration with the United States Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Forest Service, the Utah Department of Heritage and Arts, the Utah Division of State History, and the alliance and its intergovernmental local partners, shall:

(a) assist in empowering communities in the counties to conserve, preserve, and enhance the heritage of the communities while strengthening future economic opportunities;

(b) help conserve, interpret, and develop the historical, cultural, natural, and recreational resources within the counties; and

(c) expand, foster, and develop heritage businesses and products relating to the cultural heritage of the counties.

(5) The center, in collaboration with the United States Department of the Interior, the National Park Service, and with funding from the alliance, shall develop a heritage management plan.

Amended by Chapter 212, 2012 General Session