The location of the Andrus Farm in Marion, Utah. Photo: Basin Open Space Advisory Committee

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Summit County announced last week that it had acquired an agricultural easement for 99 acres of property in the Kamas Meadows, the first use of the $50 million General Obligation Bond funds approved by voters in 2021 to preserve open space.

The agricultural easement, located at what is known as the Andrus Farm, was acquired after the Summit County Council approved a recommendation by the Summit County Interim County Manager to enter a joint funding agreement with Summit Land Conservancy.

“When summit lands brought the property to our Open Space Committee, it just really checked all the boxes,” said Jessica Kirby, Summit County public lands manager. “It is in the heart on the cameras Meadows protecting water quality and quantity and agricultural and heritage, and then they came with us to us with a lot of leverage dollars.”

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Summit County provided a total of $500,000 to further the Summit Land Conservancy project, combining $250,000 of GO Bond funds with $250,000 of Eastern Summit County Agricultural Preservation (ESAP) funds.

The 99 acres of property located in Marion has been owned by the Andrus Family since 1914, and serves as wintering ground and migration corridors for mule deer and elk.

According to a statement from Summit County, Summit Land Conservancy has been in talks with the Andrus family about preserving the property since 2011.

“Forevermore that property will always be a working farm,” Kirby said. “There’s not any public access, it’s not a piece of property that the county is purchasing, but we are just contributing to that preservation of the forever use of the property as agriculture.”

The county is still actively accepting noticed of intent from landowners interested in preserving their property through acquisitions or conservation easement projects. For more information, visit https://summitcounty.org/1268/Public-Lands.