How Summit Land Conservancy is working to save land and water for all Utahns

Photo: courtesy of Summit Land Institute.

Since its founding in 2002, Summit Land Conservancy (wesaveland.org) has had a hand in preserving some of Park City’s most beloved and defining open spaces; places like the 120 acres of pasture surrounding the McPolin Barn, Round Valley, Bonanza Flat, and Treasure Hill. And while, historically, the reasons for placing land in conservation easement have ranged from recreation and ecological preservation to aesthetics and maintaining a way of life, Summit Land Conservancy recently highlighted another, perhaps less intuitive but even more urgent reason for preserving land along the Wasatch Back: saving the Great Salt Lake. “The three rivers that rise on the Wasatch Back–the Weber, the Provo and the Bear–are the watershed for Great Salt Lake,” says Caitlin Willard, Summit Land Conservancy vice president of communications. “If we don’t work to save the remaining undeveloped land around these rivers, they will be developed and the water feeding these rivers will be sucked into municipal water systems instead of flowing downstream to the lake.” 

Much has been said and written about the toxic particles lying at the bottom of Great Salt Lake that, if the lake is allowed to dry up completely, could easily become airborne. But this is not a threat exclusive to those living in the Salt Lake Valley. According to the Utah Division of Water Resources, it would take just one hour for winds traveling at 25 miles per hour to carry dust from the lake to Park City–wind speeds common on the leading edge of cold fronts.  

The lake also provides critical habitat for 10 million migratory birds and helps increase wintertime precipitation all along the Wasatch Front and Back. Furthermore, the lake supports thousands of jobs in mineral extraction, fertilizer and brine shrimp industries. All told, the lake provides $2.5 billion in direct economic activity annually in the state of Utah. 

For all these reasons and more, in 2023 Summit Land Conservancy launched its For the Future Fund, a five-year effort to raise $10 million from individuals to protect 36,000 acres of Great Salt Lake Watershed in four counties across the Wasatch Back. What this means is that every dollar donated to the conservancy through May 2028 will be used in two ways. The first is to leverage contributions from landowners, foundations, and government grants. “Donations from individuals are crucial to what we do,” Willard says. “Without support from individuals, we would not be able to access the federal dollars that make these transactions possible. Each dollar donated to our For The Future fund is leveraged about 10 times.” 

The For the Future Fund is also providing Summit Land Conservancy with cash on hand to act quickly when a critical watershed property comes on the market. “When you have a willing landowner, the process of putting a piece of land into a conservation easement takes about two to five years to complete, which is too much time in regard to saving Great Salt Lake watershed lands” Willard explained. “The For the Future Fund allows Summit Lands to be more nimble, using the funds to purchase land outright, swiftly taking the land off the market when necessary, then raising the funds after to replenish our fund.” 

Earlier this year, Summit Land Conservancy’s annual Conservation Breakfast, CEO Cheryl Fox reported that the conservancy is already well on its way to meeting its goal to protect 36,000 acres in the Great Salt Lake Watershed by 2028. “Summit Land Conservancy already protects  more than 19,000 acres in total, of which 3,600 acres are in Park City,” she said. Fox went on to explain that the Conservancy now has signed contracts with landowners willing to protect an additional 25,000 acres. It is also amplifying its impact by partnering with other land trusts, like the Ogden Valley Land Trust and Bear River Conservancy, lending their expertise and knowledge to help prevent Great Salt Lake’s collapse, which she described as a “looming threat to all life in northern Utah.” 

There are plenty of ways for individuals to get involved with Summit Land Conservancy’s efforts. There’s weekly events held on lands preserved by the conservancy, like the Hops Hunters Hikes, Moon Shine Adventures and Nature Bathing Hikes, as well as hands-on land maintenance projects like Tune-Up Tuesdays and Stewardship Saturdays. (For more info, visit wesaveland.org/happenings.) 

One of the most impactful ways people can support Summit Land Conservancy’s efforts, particularly those focused on preserving lands within the Great Salt Lake Watershed, is by attending the annual Blue Sky Bash, coming up on August 8, 2025, an event aimed at saving land paired with “heavy pours, tasty grub and rowdy auctions.”

By Melissa Fields