Save Wasatch Back Dark Skies took to Facebook Monday morning to confirm the citizens’ group had fallen short of the necessary signatures to put The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Heber Valley Temple plans on the ballot.

The referendum, which challenged an unanimous vote of approval from Wasatch County Council members in November, required the group to gather 3,235 signatures from Wasatch County registered voters. Throughout the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, volunteers set up shop at various locations, hoping those who supported the group’s cause would stop by and add their valid voter’s signature to the effort.

The organization collected several hundred signatures less than what they needed.

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“We collected 2,657 signatures — an impressive number — yet short of the 3,235 number we needed to get the referendum on the ballot,” the group’s Facebook post stated. “We started with 8 volunteer core members of the Dark Sky team and grew to 79 volunteers who all worked tirelessly in some way towards our goal. But more importantly, we thank the thousands of people who signed the petition. This is not a loss, it is in fact a beginning.”

Despite the failed attempt on the petition drive, the group claimed the effort was the start of “the silent majority finding their voice who care very much about where we live.”

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“We need to hold our council members and the planners accountable for the development approved in our valley,” the post continued. “If they do not feel our dark skies, our water, our safety, our view scapes, our land and animals are important, we are here to remind them that they are.”

The group reminded people that county elections “are right around the corner.”

After hearing the news of the concession, Wasatch County Councilor Luke Searle called it a “victory for religious freedom” and “proof that we live in a society where everyone can practice their religion freely.”

“Let this be a reminder that the people of our county support and value our constitutional freedoms. We are tolerant of others and recognize that our personal liberties matter,” he said. “Due process and the law were the basis of the decision to approve the Legislative Development Agreement. The people have spoken by electing their current leaders, giving input through the process, and by choosing not to sign this latest attempt in opposition. I believe we should and can overcome this divisive time by recognizing that we are still a country based on our founding principles.”

Save Wasatch Back Dark Skies is still pushing against the project through two lawsuits filed in Utah’s Fourth District Court.

The first argues the county did not follow open-record laws correctly when it updated its dark skies code. The second comes from a group worried the temple project will interrupt the views from their homes, cause more noise, reduce the plaintiffs’ solitude, and cause more traffic in their area.

The church recently filed to join the lawsuit as a defendant. It argued it should be included since the county is going to prioritize the county’s interests and it wants fair representation.