Utah Open Lands

LAND CONSERVATION: The importance of perpetuity begins with the crafting of the conservation easement and a full understanding of the conservation values and the public benefit of each landscape under consideration for conservation. Utah Open Lands continued considering, investigating, discussing and negotiating more than 26 projects; four of which were finalized this reporting year, all four were donations of conservation easements: Wasatch Community Garden - Glendale Farms, an urban agricultural landscape; the 7X Bar Ranch, a critical area of hay fields used for livestock grazing without reliance on irrigation infrastructure, serving as habitat for bald eagles and ospreys among the cottonwoods lining the river.; and Forty-Fifth Star Preserve, a 3120-acres area (adjacent to a prior preservation area of 1500-acres, Bonanza Flat) that provides significant regional trail and recreation connections while at the same time protecting the conservation values of wildlife habitat and ecosystems.

EDUCATION and OUTREACH: Utah Open Lands is committed to working with landowners and communities interested in ensuring the protection of the lands they love; from working landscapes, ecological refuges, to heritage values and the 'sense of place' as described by Wallace Stegner's vision of quality of life. This year the organization provided leadership and presentations to town and county councils and local community meetings. Utah Open Lands continued with our annual Gaining Ground | Trying Times Symposium hosted by the University of Utah's SJ Quinney School of Law in an effort to educate elected officials, state and local agencies, students, landowners, attorney, appraisers and other conservation professionals. The presentation provides information from IRS representatives, appraisers, Utah Open Lands staff and board members, and conservation specialists and attorneys, in order to review land trust requirements, laws and recent legal cases affecting land trusts, local conservation and professional scholarship.

Utah Open Lands' Stewardship Division is responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with conservation easements on all protected lands, a portfolio that has continued to grow over the past 33-34 years. Through comprehensive monitoring reports, we assess current conditions and track the long-term trajectory of conservation values to safeguard these landscapes in perpetuity. In collaboration with state and local agencies, as well as private landowners, Utah Open Lands continues to develop and implement management protocols for Bonanza Flat and the adjacent 3,120-acre 45-Star Preserve-both vital conservation areas experiencing increasing public visitation. Additionally, in partnership with Park City, Utah Open Lands has facilitated the "Transit to Trails" ride-share shuttle program, designed to mitigate traffic congestion, reduce the number of passenger vehicles, and alleviate parking limitations in these high-use areas. Due to its success and strong community support, this program will continue in the coming year.