From the Bear Den: Issue 8
Updates, upcoming events, community features, in memoriam update for Michael
From the Bear Den
Issue 8
Box Elder Accountability Referendum(B.E.A.R.) •
• July 27, 2026
In This Issue:
Events recap, legal update, news articles, upcoming events, in memoriam update, and more!
In Memoriam
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!
The Legal Update
We still have crickets, which is making us go “hmmm 🤔” - we are, however, hopeful to hear something this week. Again x2. I *think* the recusal of the original judge pushed back the timeline a little bit.
Brenna has said if we don’t hear anything by Thursday, she will be calling and asking questions.
Events Recap
July 22nd
Box Elder County Commission Meeting
Unfortunately I was not able to attend this meeting, and didn’t hear anything about it. Did you attend? What were the major talking points? What happened? Was there very many people in attendance?
July 24th
Pioneer Day Parade in Bear River
We had another great small town parade in Bear River City, Utah on Friday! AND our shirts came in and look FANTASTIC!!!
Special shoutouts: Shane for letting us borrow his truck, and repping the B.E.A.R. shirt in the crowd! Chris, for driving the truck, Shannon for manning the bullhorn, Alison for getting all of the amazing pictures, and all of the volunteers that showed up to walk with the team!
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 24th of July, and local festival season!
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! Here’s her video!
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
July 20, 2026
My concerns about AI data centers and how we can do better - Caroline Gleich Youtube
July 21, 2026
Community unites over concerns about proposed Box Elder data center
Would-be Wasatch County town of Bear Canyon rejected by state
A Fox News segment on Utah data center opposition faces a defamation challenge
July 22, 2026
Kevin O’Leary’s Utah Data Center Will Generate Its Own Power (“skipping” the grid, but still utilizing the Ruby pipeline. Will the pipeline be able to handle it? And will our natural gas bills go up as a result?)
Questions, concerns about data center will be answered through permit process, residents told - subscription required - Box Elder News Journal
Utah groups sue Kevin O’Leary, Fox over CCP-bot claims tied to AI data center
Voices: The ‘Grand Liberty Arch’ is not a monument for Utahns. Citizens need a say.
Where Can the Data Centers Go? (opinion)
July 23, 2026
The Box Elder County data center could harm Great Salt Lake, experts say
Updates on the Stratos Project & Referendum - Elevate Utah Youtube
The data center backlash that’s uniting America
July 24, 2026
July 25, 2026
COMMENTARY: Banning data centers won’t solve water problems in the West
July 26, 2026
Why Are Data Centers Moving Into Rural Areas?
New study reveals additional health risks from Great Salt Lake dust
Virginia study on groundwater, data centers calls for tighter water regulations
July 27, 2026
Critics call for more details about Stratos data center in Utah’s west desert: Utah’s Military Installation Development Authority says it’s hitting pause on the project for now - “Out of respect for the referendum process and litigation, MIDA is paused on Stratos,” the authority’s spokesperson, Kristin Kenney Williams, said in a statement.
Critics call for more details about Stratos data center in Utah’s west desert - Water Education Foundation
(These links are different, I promise)
Discussions on Data Centers
This week, I don’t have my own thoughts. My brain is fried from a family reunion weekend outside.
Picture of our cat reflecting how I feel perfectly. Send us pictures of your furbabies!
What are YOUR thoughts, questions, concerns?
Submit your responses!
Mark Your Calendar!
Upcoming Events
July 31, 7pm
Grow the Flow The Lake Screening
Grow the Flow is hosting a special screening of The Lake, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, followed by Q&A with the filmmakers and GSL experts!
We will have a table - we need 3 volunteers to help!
Tickets ARE required, but you can get them using the QR code in the flyer, or clicking the image!
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!
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?
A newsletter shouldn’t just be a one way street, it’s a community megaphone. Moving forward, this section belongs entirely to you. This is where we will feature your thoughts, letters to the editor, questions, and personal perspectives on the future of Box Elder County.
This week from our Social Media Lead Farrah:
This week, Tooele County considered two major land use proposals:
A Regionally Significant Development Zone (RSDZ) Overlay
A brand new Chapter 34, dedicated specifically to Data Center Facilities.
Together, these proposals would establish the local framework for how future regionally significant projects, including qualifying data centers and related infrastructure, are reviewed and regulated.
If you live in Tooele County, now is the time to get involved. These ordinances will dictate how future large-scale development is reviewed in your community.
Call or email your County Council member and ask them to:
*Slow the adoption process so residents have adequate time to review these proposals.
*Hold additional public workshops and hearings before moving forward.
*Clearly explain how the RSDZ Overlay and Chapter 34 could affect future development in Tooele County.
*Ensure residents have meaningful opportunities to participate before these ordinances are adopted.
Tooele County Council
47 S. Main Street, Suite 306
Tooele, UT 84074
Council Office: 435-843-3150
District 1 – Scott Wardle (Vice Chair)
435-843-3170
scott.wardle@tooeleco.gov
District 2 – Kendall Thomas
435-843-3151
kendall.thomas@tooeleco.gov
District 3 – Tye Hoffmann
435-843-3172
tye.hoffmann@tooeleco.gov
District 4 – Jared Hamner (Chair)
435-843-3171
jared.hamner@tooeleco.gov
District 5 – Erik Stromberg
435-843-3152
erik.stromberg@tooeleco.gov
For the rest of us? We have to continue to watch these proposals and show up to our city/ county meetings.
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!
This week, submitted by Aurora:
These are great! Thank you, Aurora!
The Backyard
Pull up a chair and relax! The fight to protect our county is hard work, so this is our space to slow down, share a local recipe, and challenge our brains.
Here is this week’s puzzle! It was a split vote between word search and crossword >.<
So… I’ll do both.
You can click the puzzles to play or print.
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:
My Grandma’s Wacky Cake recipe!
What’s your go to summer recipe?
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.
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