The 15-acre Muirfield Park in northwestern Heber City can grow to nearly 25 acres, thanks to a newly finalized conservation easement of 9.25 acres adjacent to the park. Heber City owns the land, and entered into a partnership with the Summit Land Conservancy this month.
Two owners sold the city the land next to the existing Muirfield Park, which include a playground, dog park and walking trails that lead into the Heber Valley North Fields.
“It is absolutely land worth preserving,” Heber resident Tausha Hewlett said. “The North Fields are, like, the cultural heritage spot of the valley. They're an important environmental area with an important wetland area.”
The North Fields are thousands of acres of privately owned open space west of U.S. Highway 40. The fields were the main reason many Wasatch County voters such as Hewlett supported a $10 million bond to purchase and conserve open space in 2018.
It’s also where Hewlett grew up.
“It's kind of the open space that greets people as they head down the mountain from Park City into the Heber Valley, that green expanse of happy valley before you enter Heber,” she said.
The city got $250,000 of the roughly $1 million cost for the land from the Wasatch County open space bond, according to a staff report. Heber City Manager Matt Brower officially made that request in a meeting with the Wasatch Open Lands Board in April 2022.
Ann Zimmerman used to be the chair of that board. She’s no longer a member but still advocates for open spaces such as Muirfield Park.
“It’s really the only public place where people can go to really experience the North Fields,” Zimmerman said. “You can hear Red-winged Blackbirds, and the Sandhill Cranes are landing, and there's migrating birds overhead. It's really a magical, wonderful space.”
Zimmerman hopes the city will keep native plants abundant there and add signs that teach about the wetlands.
Heber City Mayor Heidi Franco, who is also the current chair of the open lands board, said the unofficial plan is to install boardwalks, trails, benches and fishing ponds. City officials also proposed a pavilion area.
The easement forbids buildings and bathrooms, and motorized vehicles wouldn’t be allowed on the trails.
Hewlett said she would prefer no such installments be allowed. She said open space should remain completely unchanged, without even trails or human-made ponds.
According to Summit Land Conservancy Executive Director Cheryl Fox, the city wants to open the nature area to the public soon. She said that will involve a process that includes public meetings.
