The Flying A Ranch is a 57-acre parcel in the Heber Valley North Fields. Photo: Utah Open Lands

HEBER CITY, Utah — A nearly 60-acre parcel of land in the Heber Valley North Fields, known as the Flying A Ranch, received permanent conservation protections, Utah Open Lands announced Friday.

Utah Open Lands described the property as “one of the Heber Valley’s most important landscapes, where remarkable grasslands help shape the valley’s character, heritage, and sense of place.”

Similar Reads On TownLift
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Utah Open Lands (@utahopenlands)

The property is owned by Alan Giles, who worked with Utah Open Lands to help make the protection possible. “For the Giles family, this protection brings peace of mind,” read a post on Utah Open Lands’ social media. “For the community, it means an important piece of the valley will remain open, productive, and intact.”

Work on procuring a conservation easement for the property began in 2023, when Wasatch County Council unanimously approved $790,000 to pay 20 percent of the easement cost. Other funding came from the Giles Family, state grants, and individual donations.

Utah Open Lands credited the Giles family, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wasatch County, the State of Utah through the LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund, and others for bringing this project to fruition.

The North Fields have most recently been at the center of the discussion of Utah Department of Transportation’s Heber Bypass proposal. The Flying A Ranch falls to the west of the proposed roadway.