Student service project reignites

During the Canyon Road fire on Aug. 21, a trail built by a Utah State University honors class in 2008 helped firefighters access the area and fight the blaze.

According to an article published by KSL, the fire was caused by spontaneous combustion and burned more than 17 acres of land.

Nick Eastmond, a professor emeritus at USU, was the professor responsible for the honors class that built the bridge. During an interview with The Utah Statesman, Eastmond said he and his wife could smell smoke from inside their home south of campus, about three-quarters of a mile from where the bridge was built, and went outside to investigate. Upon walking down Canyon Road for 200 yards, they saw flames, called 911 and were then told to evacuate. 

In fall 2008, Eastmond taught an Honors 3140 course with 23 undergraduate students. One of the course requirements was to complete a service project. 

In a 2008 article published by the Statesman, Eastmond described the bridge project as a way “to provide easier access to campus for students residing in the island south of campus.” The project utilized student creativity and other resources, with funding sourced from a family foundation and community fundraising. 

One of Eastmond’s core beliefs is the power of student minds. 

“The biggest underutilized resource of the university is student energy,” Eastmond said.

The work done by the students not only helped to improve the local community but also formed new connections.

“Before the project, we didn’t interact a lot as a class. After the project we became friends,” Cooper Larsen, one of Eastmond’s students, said in the 2008 Statesman article.

Eastmond explained the bridge has since been removed but that the trail and stairs are still functional. 

When asked if Eastmond ever thought that the bridge would aid others during an emergency, he said, “Never had a thought, and I don’t think anybody else did.” 

During the Canyon Road fires, Eastmond and his wife quickly evacuated to Hyde Park, where they waited with their son and daughter-in-law until it was safe. A few days later, after the fire was extinguished, Eastmond found himself on the trail and noticed that firefighters had used it as a firebreak. Eastmond said that the service project from 18 years ago had yet again helped the community. 

“I really think that this honors trail made a difference in how they fought the fire and also where they drew it off,” Eastmond said. 

Eastmond reflected on his early life and the experiences that shaped his passion for educating and serving others. He described attending university in Nigeria and then transferring to the University of Utah as a sophomore. Eastmond credits the university’s honor program with giving him access to all of the information he needed in order to succeed. In school, Eastmond also discovered his love for traveling and social systems, which led him to teaching.

Eastmond joined USU faculty in 1974, with a focus on content surrounding race and communication. He retired in 2011, and since then, he has completed three missions in Africa for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Eastmond has also contributed to other humanitarian efforts, such as providing human-rights education in Ghana and supplying clean water and medical support to individuals in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo. 

When asked about the importance of service projects like the bridge built in 2008, Eastmond recognized how meaningful it is to support one’s community. 

“It’s recognizing that you are part of the community, that you need to do some things to improve it, even if it’s picking up litter as you go along the road,” Eastmond said. 

From this experience, Eastmond hopes to reconnect with his former students and share how their work contributed to firefighters’ efforts during the fire.

In an email, Eastmond wrote, “I want to contact each of them, by email or by written letter… It’s an untold story that needs to get out there.” 

Eastmond also said the students’ work, which began as a service project in 2008, ultimately had an unexpected contribution during the Canyon Road fire.

“Here’s the class that jumped in and did this project and basically gave up their spring break to do it… To have it end up being this surprise contribution to putting out a fire is just pretty neat,” Eastmond said.