Utah County residents soon will be given a chance to have their voices heard on the fate of Bridal Veil Falls. On Wednesday, there will be an “open public engagement session” hosted by the Division of State Parks on the matter.

The session is an opportunity for members of the community to contribute to a study as to whether Bridal Veil Falls could receive designations from the state as either a state park, state recreation area or state monument.

The meeting comes days after the opening of a public survey on the topic. The survey says it is “broken into three main sections: 1) Current park use and satisfaction, 2) Land-use designation and policy, and 3) Future use and larger context of Provo Canyon recreation.” In April, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson came to the falls to sign a resolution encouraging the study.

Conserve Utah Valley, an environmental advocacy group, shared information about the meeting on Facebook and encouraged followers to attend. Kaye Nelson, director of public dialogue for Conserve Utah Valley, spoke to the Daily Herald last week about the survey and the future of the falls.

“The Utah County Commissioners were wise to listen to the majority of public input to protect Bridal Veil Falls with a conservation easement. Now, with a possible state monument status in the works, we really need public dialogue about what should and shouldn’t be there,” Nelson said. “This survey that is available now to the public is everyone’s chance to weigh in, to help guide the discussion. We should all jump at that chance!”

Bridal Veil Falls, and the protection of them, have been the focus of debate in Utah County in the past. In December 2020, the Utah County Commission approved a conservation easement for the falls — a decision which led to a lawsuit from a Provo developer. The lawsuit was dropped by February of this year.

After state representative Kevin Stratton, R-Orem, moved forward with the aforementioned resolution to get Bridal Veil Falls designated as a state monument or state park, County Commissioner Tom Sakievich proposed that the county wait on funding some already-approved plans for the falls.

The meeting will be held in the multipurpose room of the Provo Rec Center, 320 W. 500 North, from 4-8 p.m.

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