The funding — awarded to the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands by the U.S. Department of Agriculture — was announced Monday and will go toward ongoing forest preservation efforts outside of the national park.
Called the Zion Connectivity Project, the state will direct the funding at two properties totalling 766 acres near the north section of the national park. A conservation easement — a legally binding agreement between a landowner and government that places restrictions on the land for environmental purposes — will prevent the land from being fragmented or developed.
That will help preserve the ecologically rich stretch of forest.
The region contains a number of springs and streams, including the La Verkin Creek, which feeds into the Virgin River and eventually the Colorado River. The creek supports six native species of fish, like the Virgin River chub and Woundfin, both federally endangered.
The forest provides critical habitat for the endangered California condor and Mexican spotted owl, and preventing the area from being segmented will help black bear, grouse, deer and elk populations. Old-growth ponderosa pines, some of them hundreds of years old, can also be found in the area.
“The strategic location of this project, combined with the presence of California condors, garnered incredible support from Zion National Park, elected officials, neighboring landowners, and other organizations. Thanks to the efforts of these private landowners and The Conservation Fund, protecting this important forested area was recognized as a priority to the national program,” said Natalie Conlin, forest legacy program manager for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
The Zion Connectivity Project is part of Utah’s Forest Legacy Program, which uses conservation easements throughout the state to safeguard forests from development, protect water resources and habitat, and keep wildlife corridors intact.
The Zion Connectivity Project is sandwiched between two existing Forest Legacy projects — the Zion Overlook and Viewtop projects. The three projects create a combined 1,752-acre stretch of projected land along the northern border of Zion National Park.
