From the Bear Den: Issue 11
Updates, upcoming events, community features, in memoriam update for Michael
From the Bear Den
Issue 11
Box Elder Accountability Referendum(B.E.A.R.) •
• August 18, 2026
In This Issue:
Events recap, legal update, news articles, upcoming events, in memoriam update, and more!
Editor’s Note: I’m so sorry I’m a day late with this one. I legitimately thought yesterday was Friday.
In Memoriam
As of today, August 18, 2026, we have raised $1,735 for Michael’s family! Let’s keep it going and share the GoFundMe everywhere!
We here at B.E.A.R. have posted a GoFundMe to help the family our dear friend and supporter Michael Smith left behind, including his son and mother.
Every dollar helps, and if you can’t donate, but still want to help, sharing is free and easy and still helps more than you know!
Click the picture to go the GoFundMe, or CLICK HERE. Thank you so much for your kind words across our socials!
Events Recap
August 12 County Commission meeting
Our own Alison went to the commission meeting last week, and reported that there was a lot of zoning talk, but we are unsure for what purpose. (We are all new to being this involved in the local politics and meetings)
HELP WANTED
To apply for a support role, fill out the
*All positions in B.E.A.R. are volunteer positions.
Current Roles we are seeking:
Table helpers for events!
Parade walkers for the upcoming County Fair parade and Peach Days!
We also need Volunteers to help man the booth at the County Fair! August 26, 4pm to 10 pm, and august 27-29, 11 am to 10pm. Please sign up to volunteer and watch for an email and/or text about volunteer opportunities!
People ready to be boots on the ground when we can gather signatures!
Newsletter helper!
Our amazing social media manager is looking for people to interview about how they feel the data center will affect their way of life!
If you are willing to do any of these things, please fill out the volunteer form above, and/or email/message us!
If you want to do an interview with the lovely Farrah, you can message the B.E.A.R. Instagram page!
If you have already filled out the volunteer form, somebody should be reaching out to you shortly if they haven’t already - if you have not had any contact and it’s been more than a couple weeks, please reach out to us! (We are learning new things every day to streamline the process! Thank you so much so far for your patience with us.)
Press corner
News articles featuring the Box Elder Accountability Referendum Team and other relevant news
August 10, 2026
Is a data center vibe shift upon us?
Data centers could initially lower some Utah property taxes – then create a ‘boomerang effect’
Utah Rep. Jason Thompson seeks to turn back the clock on MIDA project authority
August 11, 2026
How a research paper helped spark Utah’s data center water law
August 12, 2026
County, developer seek dismissal of data center referendum lawsuit
What happens to Utah taxpayers when a new data center comes to town? It depends on timing.
Protests Against Data Centers Are Now Threatening $130 Billion of Big Tech’s Crucial Investments
August 13, 2026
August 14, 2026
Lawmaker seeks to limit MIDA after data center controversy
August 15, 2026
August 16, 2026
The Monster in the Desert: America’s AI Boom Meets a Backlash
Kevin O’Leary’s colossal Utah data center hits a wall
August 17, 2026
Mark Your Calendar!
Upcoming Events
August 26, 2026
Box Elder County Fair Starts - Parade Day
BEAR will be in the County Fair parade! See information below for more information and details - I will update this newsletter with the actual deets once we get them!
Lineup starts at 4pm, (address coming soon)
SAVE THE DATE
August 26th- Box Elder County Fair Parade
Anticipated line up ~4pm
Wear green and orange!
We will also have a booth - Here is what we are needing and hoping for:
1. Vehicle/driver for parade, both during and maybe hitching a ride back to the beginning to our cars.
2. Someone strong to wear a bear puppet if it’s finished by then.
3. At LEAST: 2 people to do parade candy, 2 people to hand out flyers, 2 people to carry our main banner, possibly another 2 people for our second banner.
4. Volunteers to do 2 hour shifts at the fair from Wednesday through Saturday night.
5. A canopy for our booth, ideally with enclosed sides.
August 26-29 - Booth at the fair, we need volunteers to help man it so we can do it in shifts and not have people overheating!
September 11-12 - Peach Days, we will have a table in front of Full Circle Wellness on Main Street in Brigham, we need several volunteers to help man the table so we can do it in shifts and not have people overheating!
September 12th-Peach Days parade
Anticipated line up ~9am
Need a million people to walk with us!
September 26th - Trash Car Race at Box Elder County Fairgrounds - more information to come!
County Fair, Peach Days
We have a couple more parades coming up in the next couple of months and could use a large showing of support to walk in the parades. We need Box Elder County to see that there are many people who support putting this issue on the ballot for residents to vote on.
We encourage you to wear orange and green if you have those colors. We hope to have shirts available very soon that people can receive as a donation gift.
Please respond which events you can attend to walk with us. We will need people to carry the banner, pass out flyers, pass out stickers or candy. It should be a lot of fun!
*Please note that more details will be forthcoming and some changes will likely be made.
We also need Volunteers to help man the booth at the County Fair! August 26, 4pm to 10 pm, and august 27-29, 11 am to 10pm. Please sign up to volunteer and watch for an email and/or text about volunteer opportunities!
Voices from the Den: What’s On Your Mind?
Our very own Alison had a conversation with me about this topic a few days ago.
This week’s discussion is about Geothermal power generation. I’m not an expert by any means, and when compared to nuclear power generation, at their current technological levels, neither of them sound good at all. Especially when we keep in mind not only the water usage and other impacts, but the multiple active fault lines in the area, one of which just had a small earthquake directly in the Stratos data center site the day the commissioners denied our referendum.
I’m sure someone out there is more of an expert than I am, so I’m curious to know if I’m way off base here, or if my thinking is correct in that neither option is a good option?
You can submit your responses and your own letters to the editor with these buttons!
Cave Paintings
Submit your artwork for future newsletters! YES, photography counts! Crafts count!
The Picnic Basket
The community recipe corner! If you have a recipe you’d like to share with the community and see featured here, please send it over to:
Let me know if you’d like your name included as the contributor, just initials, or if you’d like to remain anonymous, and if you’d like any social media linked.
This week’s recipe:
I have at least 5 boxes of vintage recipe cards(thanks Grandma).
Alright, alright… I’m sorry about last week(not sorry though because LOL, the puke reaction in the BEAR group was worth it)
My daughter picked this one.
Enjoy!
What is the most unhinged vintage(or modern!) recipe you have in your stash?
Share your favorites with us!
Feedback & suggestions
Did we miss something? Want to see something added? Constructive feedback is always welcome! (Please don’t make me cry.) Thank you so much for reading, subscribing, and for just being you. We couldn’t do this movement without you.
Brigette Cottam
Box Elder Accountability Referendum Mama B.E.A.R.
bear_the_fight
bear_the_fight
BEAR Box Elder Accountability Referendum
Great work mama bear! With the geothermal stuff, I think these are exactly the questions we should be asking. From what I understand after reading through UT FORGE and DOE public info, it seems like the type of geothermal system and where it’s located matter a lot??
FORGE says Enhanced geothermal can involve injecting water under pressure and **induced seismicity** is a big concern, especially when faults are involved. And we do have a bunch! I think… as with all of the unknowns, without tests and proof, it’s hard to know what to think. It seems very scary and risky.