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

A vintage postcard showing the Northfields. Photo: Utah Open Lands

WASATCH COUNTY, Utah – Utah Open Lands has received funding to the tune of more than $16M through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The organization made the announcement Thursday and said the funding represents a historic moment for land protection in Wasatch County. The money will support UOL’s Northfields Protection Initiative, a significant effort to safeguard critical agricultural lands, water resources, and habitat, which are values that sustain a high quality of life in the Heber Valley.

The area known as the Northfields is the landscape that spreads before you as you enter the Heber Valley. The silhouette of Mt. Timpanogos frames the pastureland, and the Provo River flows through it. The Northfields are home to generational farms and ranches that Utah Open Lands says capture the essence and unique charm of the Heber Valley, reflecting the timeless spirit of the American West.

Beyond Wasatch County, the land protection efforts of the Utah Open Lands initiative will aid in protecting water resources for the Wasatch Front. The headwaters that flow from the Wasatch Back into Deer Creek Reservoir provide 30 percent of the Wasatch Front’s drinking water within the Salt Lake City Public Utilities service area. Maryssa Fenwick, land protection program manager for Utah Open Lands, said that the focus on permanent land protection has a ripple effect in safeguarding water resources.

“As development in the region accelerates, the importance of protecting the North Fields and surrounding environs will be more essential,” said Fenwick. “This funding allows us to work collaboratively with landowners, farmers, and ranchers, and the local community to ensure this land remains a resource for generations to come.”

Emily Fife, NRCS Utah State conservationist, echoed the value of the project.

“The RCPP program represents grassroots conservation at its best,” said Fife. “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, news of the funding makes a tremendous difference in what he says has been a goal of his since the beginning of his tenure on the Wasatch County Council.

“I applaud the hard work and diligence of Utah Open Lands. This funding now makes possible a priority that this county has had, and that has been a personal goal of mine since the beginning, which is 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. However, even with the bond’s passage, Wasatch County knew additional funding would be needed to protect the jewel that is the Northfields Landscape, Utah Open Lands said. Some were skeptical.

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

Utah Open Lands expanded the initiative’s boundary beyond what is typically considered the Northfields to encompass lands that have similar heirlooms, water resources, and habitat qualities. The expanded boundary includes some landscapes in the Midway area and, therefore, could leverage funds from the upcoming open space bond on the ballot should that measure pass, officials at the organization said.

“There has been a lot of discussion about the Northfields recently,” Wendy Fisher, executive director of Utah Open Lands, said. Fisher also noted that continued due diligence will be exercised in this process, which can take years, and that the County and Midway City open space advisory councils will continue to be heavily relied upon as projects are prioritized in the future.

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