Utah Open Lands receives more than $16 million in federal funding to protect Wasatch County farms and ranches

Utah Open Lands announced Thursday that it has received funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

“This funding represents a historic moment for land protection in Wasatch County and will support UOL’s Northfields Protection Initiative, an important effort to safeguard critical agricultural land, water resources and habitat , values ​​that support a high quality of life in the Heber Valley,” said a press release from Utah Open Lands.

The land protection efforts of this Utah Open Lands initiative will help protect the Wasatch Front’s water resources, according to the group. The headwaters flowing from the Wasatch Back into Deer Creek Reservoir provide 30 percent of the Wasatch Front’s drinking water in the Salt Lake City utility service area, the group said.

The emphasis on permanent land protection has a knock-on effect on saving water resources, the group said.

Maryssa Fenwick, land protection program manager for Utah Open Lands and the Initiative, said the goal is to ensure lands remain dedicated to agriculture and conservation in perpetuity, preserving ecological integrity and cultural heritage of the region while giving priority to ongoing community partnerships.

“As development in the region accelerates, the importance of protecting the North Fields and surrounding areas will become more critical,” Fenwick said. “This funding allows us to work collaboratively with landowners, farmers, ranchers and the local community to ensure these lands remain a resource for generations to come,” Fenwick said.

NRCS Utah State Conservationist Emily Fife echoed the value of the project. “The RCPP program represents the best of grassroots conservation,” Fife said. “It connects funding to community-led solutions so we can protect and enhance our natural resources for future generations.

For Wasatch County Council Member Steve Farrell, this funding makes a huge difference in what has been his goal since the start of his tenure on the Wasatch County Council, according to Utah Open Lands.

“I applaud the hard work and diligence of Utah Open Lands. This funding now makes possible a priority of this county and one that has been a personal goal of mine since the beginning, namely the preservation of the agricultural heritage of the Northfields,” Farrell said.

An open space bond passed in 2018 by Wasatch County residents indicated strong support for protecting the Northfields, the group said, but even with the bond’s passage, Wasatch County acknowledged that Additional funding would be needed to make a measurable difference in environmental protection. Northfields landscape.

Some were skeptical, the group said.

“If you had asked me five years ago if it was possible to save the Northfields, I probably would have said no,” said County Council member Luke Searle. “Utah Open Lands’ determination to leverage the county’s open space funds and their work to secure this grant means that meaningful preservation of the Northfields is possible,” Searle said.

Utah Open Lands said it has expanded the boundaries of the initiative beyond what is generally considered the Northfields to encompass lands with similar heritage, water resource and habitat qualities. The expanded boundary includes some Midway region landscapes and therefore could leverage funds from the next open space bond on the ballot if that measure passes, according to the group.

“There’s been a lot of discussion recently about the Northfields,” said Wendy Fisher, executive director of Utah Open Lands. “This funding will both protect landscapes that are cherished and are generational legacies, and enable meaningful collaboration as we move forward. »

Fisher also said that continued due diligence will be exercised in this process, which can take years, and that the county’s and Midway City’s open space advisory boards will continue to be heavily relied upon as projects are prioritized to the future.

“I caution anyone from thinking that this will somehow circumvent any necessary protocol,” Fisher said, “instead, it will be a meaningful way to bring stakeholders together to ensure that the next generations of County residents continue to be endowed by the premium that Northfields has provided in the past.