Lately I have been consumed by loss, and by the notion of loss. Working as a physician for the last two years, my confidence in the durability of health, life, and even community, has eroded. Personally, I was lucky. None of my family or close friends died of our plague, but professionally I watched as countless people we cared for intensely progressed with illness, suffered, and ultimately died. For them, and for the loved ones they left behind, the loss was final. This haunting loss was all encompassing, often unassuming at first, but closing fast. 

I’m relatively new to UPEC, but I was very glad to learn that a local group is working on the intersection of people and nature. As a recent graduate of the University of Utah currently employed in the outdoor recreation industry, I tend to think about these issues through the prism of the West’s stressed wildernesses. I spent 6 months of last year working as an outdoor educator in Central Oregon.

As young people, newly settling into our careers, my partner and I were excited to start the home buying process in Boise, Idaho, one of Salt Lake’s closest neighbors. Our excitement quickly turned to frustration as we confronted the lack of inventory of homes in our price range. When we finally started submitting offers, we were consistently outbid by investors offering thousands of dollars over asking and waiving both appraisals and inspections.