PROVO, Utah — Over three-quarters of a mile of trees are now dug up and piled alongside the Provo River as part of the Utah Department of Transportation's expansion of the Provo River Parkway Trail.
One Provo man, Steve Ault, claims to own much of the land where this occurred. UDOT for their part claims the land to be state property.
“It’s the worst, in my opinion, one of the worst environmental disasters this state has ever seen,” said Ault.
Ault said he’s still “in shock” after stumbling across the demolition. He claims it’s been his land for almost forty years.
“We own the land underneath the railroad tracks up to the edge of the highway. We own 1,4000 acres that way,” he said, pointing across the river.
He said his frustration is bigger than a property battle, he’s concerned about how this change will affect the environment.
“There’s not a prettier river anywhere in the world than this river right here and they’ve just taken a huge swath out of it and ruined it,” he said.
He said he’s not even against the development of the trail. He’s mainly concerned for the fish and the eagles that nested in those trees.
Provo Canyon is a popular fishing destination, and those views have changed.
“These trees mitigated the noise and the ugly wall that we had put in when the road came through,” he said.
UDOT told FOX 13 News that the land is the state’s property. A spokesperson said they’ve worked with Ault in the past and plan to work with him more in the future.
Ault is leaning toward a lawsuit but said the damage is done.
“It’s irreplaceable. It will take ten generations before it is ever even close to looking the same,” said Ault.
