Utah Open Lands announced the deal with Rob Moore Wednesday. Moore is the executive chairman of Big-D Construction, which is a KPCW underwriter.
He donated the 7x Bar Ranch Preserve, 42 acres north of Henefer between Main Street and Interstate 84. Now Utah Open Lands said it will remain open pasture forever.
To Utah Open Lands Executive Director Wendy Fisher, it’s a big step for preserving viewsheds and watersheds. The Weber River runs directly through Moore’s land.
Fisher said the pasture itself is also unique.
“You have this great habitat in the hawthorne, cottonwood forest along the stream,” she said. “Also the birds of prey that you can see roosting and even nesting right there on the property or near the property. It's obvious that this is important habitat.”
It’s a habitat for birds like eagles, herons and ospreys, and it’s been the Moores’ home too.
“I have fond memories of hauling hay with my grandfather and feeding the cattle in the winters on this property. I was raised riding horses all over the lands that belonged to my grandfather and now teaching my grandchildren to ride feels like things have come full circle,” Moore said in a statement. “Saving this piece of my heritage is a legacy that I want to leave for the next generation and the community.”
Fisher said it takes vision to think about what the next generation will need and preserving property indefinitely is a big commitment.
“For Rob Moore, from the very beginning, he really felt like even though this had development potential, the value that it had in his heritage in his lifetime, was something he wanted to protect,” she said.
Conservation easements work by restricting what can happen on a piece of land, and those restrictions can be enforced by an organization like Utah Open Lands. The property’s owner remains the owner, but they can deduct money from their federal income tax in exchange for donating the land.
“When Utah Open Lands started in 1990, we were hoping that there would be landowners like Rob Moore, who would step forward,” Fisher said.
In this case, no building will be allowed on Moore’s land. Fisher said there is one barn structure that could be replaced or moved to open up the viewshed.
The grazing on the pasture, which has been its primary use, will continue long into the future.
