Summit Land Conservancy secures 2,858 acres as federal funding faces new scrutiny

A view from Bally Watts Ranch, a 2,772-acre property the Summit Land Conservancy has recently protected permanently. Photo: courtesy Summit Land Cnoservancy

PARK CITY, Utah – Summit Land Conservancy recently announced the permanent protection of 2,858 acres of open space across the Wasatch Back, marking one of its largest conservation moves to date. The new easements cover Marchant Meadows, an 86-acre preserve in Peoa, and Bally Watts Ranch, a 2,772-acre property southeast of Huntsville.

The projects are part of the Conservancy’s Utah Headwaters Initiative, aimed at safeguarding rivers, streams, and wetlands that ultimately feed the Great Salt Lake. Together, they bring the conservancy’s total protected land in 2025 to more than 5,200 acres.

Marchant Meadows — once stewarded by the Marchant family for six generations — protects wetlands, riparian forests, and farmland along two branches of the Weber River. The property also provides habitat for elk, mule deer, sandhill cranes, and a Great Blue Heron rookery. It is the Conservancy’s first preserve to be both acquired and managed for public benefit, with low-impact recreation access planned in the future.

Bally Watts Ranch adds more than 2,700 acres of sagebrush rangeland, aspen groves, and high-elevation conifers to the Conservancy’s portfolio. The land serves as habitat for elk, moose, mountain lions, Greater sage-grouse, and Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, while also protecting working agricultural lands and safeguarding clean water flowing into Pineview Reservoir and the Ogden River.

Cheryl Fox, CEO of Summit Land Conservancy, said the projects show how seemingly small pieces of land fit into a bigger picture of conservation. “Sometimes, I think, you know, there are millions of acres that really should probably be protected. And when we do something that’s 86 acres, or even 2,700 acres, it can seem kind of insignificant,” she said. “But it never is. Every time we do another one of these projects, we’re protecting the watershed and bringing together partners — from farming families to federal employees to donors — all working toward a sustainable future.”

The announcement comes as federal conservation funding faces heightened scrutiny and slower approvals. Fox said the Conservancy’s experience has helped them continue to move projects forward despite those challenges.

“We have a team of experts in accessing federal funding,” she said. “Since 2011 we’ve completed fifteen conservation easements, bringing in over $46 million federal dollars for conservation here in the Wasatch Back.”

Summit Land Conservancy is one of only a few land trusts across the United States to achieve Certified Entity status, Fox noted. The status means the conservancy can receive and manage federal Farm Bill conservation funds directly, rather than having to go through state agencies or other intermediaries. It also means the land trust is trusted to handle much of the federal paperwork and compliance requirements in-house, which speeds up the pace of conservation projects and makes it easier to secure funding.

Still, she acknowledged delays. “The recent scrutiny of federal spending has slowed down some of our projects; the NRCS has also lost seasoned staff and had to rearrange people. So, it is slower, but with our experience, we’re able to navigate the process. At the same time, we don’t put all our eggs in one basket.”

In addition to the new easements, the Conservancy is pursuing projects in Oakley, Midway, and near Snowbasin, while also partnering with other Utah land trusts, including Bear River Conservancy and The Nature Conservancy.

Fox said the broader effort is about ensuring open land is valued not only for its wildlife and water protections, but also for the human need to live in balance with the environment. “We act like we’re not part of this ecosystem, and we obviously completely are,” she said. “We really need to learn how to live on this planet as if we are from here — and expect to stay here.”

While much of the funding comes from federal Farm Bill programs, Fox said lasting success depends on more than just government dollars. “There’s lots to do with and without federal funding,” she said, “but none of it is possible without support from individuals.”

Also in 2025, Summit Land Conservancy closed a permanent conservation easement to protect an iconic 105-acre hillside above Old Town Park City, known as Treasure Hill. Other notable properties they have protected include the Osguthorpe Farm, Empire Canyon, Iron Mountain and the McPolin Farmlands included in the more that 24,000 acred protected since 2002.