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MEMBER NEWSLETTER
UTAH OPEN LANDS | WINTER NEWSLETTER | December 2025
A Rare Glow, A Shared Legacy
Photo courtesy: Jim Shuler
The northern lights in Utah are a rare sight. They remind us we all stand under the same sky. The awe of the northern lights has echoed through cultures for generations, a solar wonder connecting us more deeply than we often realize. As we pause to reflect on another year of work together, we are reminded of the steady effort it takes to steward and safeguard the landscapes we call home. This work takes time. It takes patience. And it takes partnership. We are inspired by what we’ve accomplished together, grateful for your involvement, and mindful of what this work asks of all of us. You help keep dark skies dark, affording us a glimpse of the colliding supercharged particles that are the northern lights. You inspire. You volunteer. You are stewards for the next generation and keepers of Utah’s treasured communities today. You give. You support. You make your voice heard for the moose and bear, the farms and fields, the streams and trails that define this place. Your involvement strengthens this work, and we’re grateful to be doing it alongside you. Thank you for being part of a community that protects Utah’s sense of place. Year-end at Utah Open Lands often brings protections to completion, efforts sometimes years in the making. This year is no different. We will burn the midnight oil. Our commitment to this work, our gratitude for those who support it, and the dedication of landowners who choose to protect land for all time continue to guide us In this newsletter, we are honored to share the successes you helped make possible.
Castle Rock Ranch:
A New Chapter of Protection in Castle Valley
Today, a conservation easement was signed on Castle Rock Ranch, ensuring that this remarkable landscape with its fields, wetlands, sagebrush, and unforgettable red rock backdrop, is now permanently protected. This stretch of Castle Valley sits beneath the silhouettes of Castle Rock, Parriott Mesa, and the La Sal Mountains. For those who know this valley, it’s a place woven into memory; a landscape that feels both iconic and personal. Canyonlands Field Institute, the landowner that placed the conservation easement on Castle Rock Ranch, has long used the property as part of its mission to cultivate connection to nature, self, and community through immersive outdoor education. As CFI looked ahead, they made a values-driven decision: to ensure that no matter who owned the ranch in the future, the land itself would remain a working landscape, open space with continued ranching operations and, continuing serving as the remarkable protected landscape in Castle Valley.. “Throughout this process, Utah Open Lands has been a tremendous support, with a wealth of expertise that made it possible for us to see this vision through,” said Michele Jordan, Executive Director of the Canyonlands Field Institute. “They are a great partner.” Utah Open Lands Executive Director Wendy Fisher echoed that appreciation, noting the deep alignment between CFI’s mission and the values that underlie land conservation. “Canyonlands Field Institute’s commitment to their mission, working with kids of all ages to nurture a reverence and understanding for and of the natural world is demonstrated in an extraordinary way in their decision to place a conservation easement on this land.” Fisher continued, “Their commitment to community is powerful and it was a pleasure to work with a group so passionate about these amazing environs.” With this easement now in place, Castle Rock Ranch enters a new chapter. Its agricultural fields, riparian areas, and sagebrush habitat, along with the sweeping red rock vistas that define Castle Valley, will remain forever intact. The ranch will continue to support ecological health, local identity, and a continued treasure for the entire community. This is a win for Castle Valley, for Grand County, and for everyone who believes that the Utah landscapes that shape us are worth protecting.
Clark Ranch: Progress Toward Protection
This fall, the effort to secure Clark Ranch’s permanent protection gained momentum. At a Park City Council meeting on November 6, residents urged city leaders to honor the community’s long-standing expectation that this landscape would remain open space. Councilors agreed on the urgency of finalizing the conservation easement and chose to postpone the vote only long enough to address legal obligations with the potential housing developer. Officials emphasized that completing the easement by year’s end remains a priority. Clark Ranch was purchased in 2014 with dedicated open space funds and with the understanding that it would be protected for future generations. In 2016, a city open space committee recommended that 10 of the 344 acres be reserved for municipal services and that the rest be protected under a conservation easement. Since then, finding the right path forward for Park City has been complex. Protecting Clark Ranch has brought together conversations about community needs, long-term planning, and honoring past commitments. Balancing priorities is never simple. Protecting open space while respecting community needs requires careful consideration, clear communication, and a shared willingness to keep long-term conservation values at the center. These conversations have not always been easy, but they have been important. A decade ago Utah Open Lands prepared the conservation easement, management plan and baseline documentation and has monitored the property every year since. as if the easement were already in place. The contract to hold the conservation easement was awarded to us in 2015, and since then we have walked proposed trail alignments to balance conservation protections, gathered wildlife data, and documented the health of the natural values. We have wildlife cameras on-site and have recorded elk, mule deer, porcupines, moose, birds of prey, and even a mountain lion moving across this landscape. Its wetlands, sagebrush hillsides, and open vistas provide essential habitat, the public trails offer meaningful recreation access, and the property preserves a critical entry corridor viewshed to Park City. We remain optimistic about the council’s upcoming vote. We are grateful to the council for its commitment to working toward a conservation solution for this property and memorializing the intent of its purchase.open space.
Pear Tree Llamas:
A Working Landscape Moving Toward Protection
At first glance, the open pastures of Pear Tree Llamas might seem simple: rolling grasslands, irrigation lines threading through the fields, llamas lifting their heads at passersby. Look closer, and a deeper story appears. It’s a story of care, dedication, and connection to the land that has lasted generations. Katy Partridge has called this land home since the 1960’s. Over the decades, she’s raised children, livestock, and llamas, all while tending the sagebrush steppe and pastures that make this place both ecologically and agriculturally vital. Together with her husband Jerry White, they founded Pear Tree Llamas where they produce locally sold wool products. The land comprising Pear Tree Llama ranch has a dedicated following and its producers, the llamas, have won awards. Their pastures play a vital role in the valley; Pear Tree Llamas provides grazing for the nearly century-old Kohler Dairy, a protected working farm conserved by Utah Open Lands. Kohler Dairy supplies the community with milk and artisan cheeses and has become a cornerstone of the Heber Valley’s agricultural identity. The connection between these two properties shows how conservation does not happen in isolation. One protected landscape supports another, and together they strengthen the fabric of a rural community. The Whites’ connection to this place extends far beyond llamas and the Kohlers’ cows. They nurture wildlife habitat and manage invasive species. They protect the sagebrush steppe, leaving it intact so pollinators and small mammals have the cover, forage, and den sites they need. These pollinators play a quiet but important role in supporting the surrounding farms. They are wise with water, tending their fields with care in a changing climate. This is more than open space. It is a working landscape that connects people, land, and community. When development pressures threatened the rhythm of this working landscape, Katy and Jerry turned to Utah Open Lands. As Director of Land Protection Maryssa Fenwick shares, “Katy and Jerry are those rarest of landowners. They choose stewardship over surrender, and legacy over convenience.” We are thrilled to share that Utah Open Lands has been awarded $200,000 through the LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund to support the permanent protection of Pear Tree Llamas. We applaud the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and the Land Conservation Board for recognizing the role this ranch plays in sustaining agriculture in the Heber Valley. This award builds on earlier support from Midway City and Wasatch County and helps move the project forward. It also highlights what many in the Heber Valley already understand: conservation works best when landscapes are connected. Together, these properties support local food production, uphold agricultural heritage, and strengthen a network of working lands that benefit the entire valley. There’s still more funding to secure before Pear Tree Llamas can be fully protected, and this award is a meaningful step. Permanent protection supports local food security, strengthens the agricultural economy, and safeguards the Heartland of the Heber Valley.
Land Protection on the Horizon
Photo courtesy: Johnny Adolphson
Thanks to the incredible support of our community, Utah Open Lands is close to securing several meaningful conservation wins across the state. We are nearing the protection of a remarkable inholding within a National Monument. Along the Wasatch Front, another conservation easement will safeguard a key trail corridor. In Provo Canyon, the Bunnell Fork conservation easement will preserve trail access as well as critical watershed land. And near Torrey, a property that offers rare desert species protection and access to the Great Western Trail is moving toward protection by year’s end.. Our successful conservation work this year equates to conservation easement acreage totaling 727 acres. These include Clark Ranch, Castle Rock Ranch, Bunnells Fork, and others. It is a meaningful capstone for the year and a reflection of what shared commitment can accomplish. Each of these projects represents partnership, persistence, and a shared belief in the value of open land. Thank you for helping make this possible.
Thriving Partnerships:
UOL and 3 Springs Seeing a future in the past
“Of all the questions which can come before this nation,... there is none which compares in importance with the great central task of leaving this land even a better land for our descendants than it is for us” -Theodore Roosevelt We’re proud to highlight our deepening partnership with 3 Springs Land and Livestock. Our work together began in the Heber Valley exploring a relationship between agricultural practices and resilience. Agricultural conservation easements are multifaceted blending farming and ranching practices with layered conservation values. Informed by the past, a time when buffalo roamed the western US and looking to the dwindling farming resource in the future, both in land and people our first conversations with 3 Springs was about the possibility of improving the land while improving yields. That relationship blossomed further in spring 2025 when 3 Springs began supporting Utah Open Lands at Hi Ute Ranch. Their experience in regenerative agriculture helps us show how cattle, when guided with intention, can strengthen the land. Both organizations share a commitment to holistic land management, a love for Utah’s open spaces, and a belief that ecological literacy is essential to sustaining the places where we live. Regenerative agriculture is rooted in a simple idea. Land becomes healthier when its natural processes are supported. Cattle can strain a landscape or help restore it, and the difference lies in how their movement is planned. Their grazing, their disturbance, and the nutrients they return to the soil can all contribute to rebuilding land health when used thoughtfully and intentionally. Across Utah, thousands of conserved acres are protected through federal programs that require the land remain in agriculture. As our understanding of soil health and ecosystem function grows, regenerative practices offer producers a way to keep land productive while restoring its ecological integrity. These methods help return the land to the work it is meant to perform. At Hi Ute Ranch, this work centers on four core processes: the water cycle, mineral cycle, biodiversity, and energy flow. As these processes improve, soils retain more moisture, the seed bank awakens with new grasses and flowering plants, and wildlife return in greater numbers. This work is an essential part of UOL’s broader effort to protect Utah’s landscapes. Our mission has always been to safeguard open space and the state’s natural heritage, and our partnership with 3 Springs helps carry that mission further, by moving beyond protection alone and into the active restoration of ecological processes. Through managed grazing, careful soil monitoring, and adaptive management, we are connecting conservation, agriculture, and education into a unified approach of stewardship. Together, we are demonstrating that protecting land in perpetuity doesn’t end with a conservation easement. That’s just the beginning. This thoughtful management honors the past, strengthens the present, and preserves a future that will stand long after us.
Boots on the Ground Stewardship
Every year, our stewardship carries us across the full sweep of Utah’s landscapes; from the rolling hills above Bear Lake, to the red rock mesas of Moab, the high desert plains near Cedar City, and two special properties along the Mirror Lake Highway. Over the course of this year, we visited all 134 protected properties in person. We evaluated forest health, hiked boundaries, catalogued species, monitored soil conditions, and put eyes on the land in the way only in-person care can. Catching up with the landowners who make this visionary conservation ethic a reality is a powerful part of this work. Standing with a landowner on their porch or kneeling beside them to look at new saplings or a stretch of healthy sagebrush is a reminder of the choice they made: conservation instead of development, the long view instead of short-term gain. Each property tells its own story: of changing seasons, quiet resilience, and the impact of landowners who steward their beloved and permanently protected landscapes with care. And the land itself had plenty to say this year. It reminded us again and again why this work matters. Despite a drought year, the land showed resilience. We were heartened to find water on conserved properties; a sign that protected, healthy landscapes weather hard seasons more reliably than those pushed beyond their limits. These places remain dependable refuges for both flora and fauna. We also saw the impact of restoration work. Biodiversity is increasing. Water is clearer. And on one conserved property in Kamas, a bobolink returned. It is the kind of quiet victory that tells us the land is healing in ways that ripple outward. Our wildlife cameras captured bears and mountain lions moving across a handful of properties. Seeing apex predators means the land is strong enough to support the full web of life they depend on. Across the state, we also saw young wildlife thriving, pollinators buzzing around as they worked, and ecosystems functioning the way they are meant to. Volunteer days this year expanded that care. Together, we removed invasive weeds, planted native species, and completed a solarization project to restore soil health. Each effort adds up. Stewardship is not passive. It is active. It is ongoing. And it works. Stewardship is relationships; it’s staying connected to the land, to the people who care for it, and to the future we are shaping together. Thank you for being part of that connection.
Full Circle:
How our partnerships earned Park City the Gold Ride Standard!
If you’ve ever wondered how Park City became one of the best places in the world to ride a bike, the answer is partnership. Utah Open Lands, Park City Municipal, Basin Recreation, and the Mountain Trails Foundation have spent years working together to keep the landscape open, connected, and alive for everyone who sees the Wasatch back as their playground.
Thank you for supporting us during this year’s Live PC Give PC!
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Live PC Give PC is always a meaningful day for Park City and Summit County. It’s a moment when this community shows up for the nonprofits that help shape this place, and we’re grateful to be part of that tradition. For Utah Open Lands, the day is also a reminder of how deep our roots run here. From our beginnings on Prospector Avenue in 1990, this community saw a future of rapid development and chose to act. Our first conservation easement at Willow Ranch Reserve helped spark a conservation movement that spread across the state, and in 1995 we became Utah’s first locally based, statewide land trust. Since then, we have protected more than 35,000 acres in the Wasatch Back alone. Being included alongside so many organizations doing meaningful work is something we never take for granted. This year, 93 unique donors contributed a total of $15,808 in support of Utah Open Lands. To everyone who donated, shared our posts, or encouraged others to give: thank you. Your support strengthens the work we do every day, and we’re grateful to be in this with you.
Thank You for Reading
Thank you for your time, your attention, and for caring about this work.
You already know what Utah Open Lands does.
The why is simple: Because open space is essential. To the land. To the people. To the future.
As we enter the season of giving, a time we often turn toward family, tradition, and connection, a gift to Utah Open Lands can simply be a way of saying: this land, these people, this future… they matter to me.
There are many ways to give, including DAFs, stock gifts, QCDs, and more. Choose whatever option feels right for you: