As we reported, the Summit County Council last week took the first steps to acquire the 910 Cattle Ranch owned by David Bernolfo, held in trust by his memorial foundation, for $55 million.
Bernolfo has owned the property for 30 years and has had several developers interested in buying it, but he decided Summit County made the best partner.
“I've had quite a few offers over the years,” Bernolfo said. “Nothing came to fruition, and this was the best deal. Maybe not in terms of price, but this was the best deal for the ranch and for the values that are on the ranch.”
Given the county’s agreement that the land won’t allow hunting or development, Bernolfo said he believes the county got the property for a fair price. He also trusts that the county will be good stewards of what many believe to be the crown jewel of Summit County.
“Earlier, when I bought the property, I managed everything myself, the cows, the horses, and, obviously, enforcing the rules, the no hunting, especially,” he said. “I had a really bad accident about five years ago and then I had multiple surgeries, and I couldn't ride anymore. And when you have a ranch that size, and you can't get around on horseback, it pretty much changes everything. So, I think all of those things plus my age culminated in wanting to do it.”
Bernolfo says he will miss the property because there’s nothing like it, given its size and proximity to Salt Lake City. He says while the deed may say 8,600 acres, if it was all flat, he says it would be closer to 15,000 acres. He’ll be able to keep possession of his house, the barn and outbuildings until the property closes in four years.
Starting now, the county is responsible for maintaining the property with the exception of those buildings and at the top of the list he says should be fire suppression efforts.
“We have a lot of trees that have been decimated by the bark beetle and other problems and the drought,” Bernolfo said. “And there needs to be a significant plan to eradicate the fire problem. I've spent an awful lot of time on the chainsaw. And it's a problem.”
The agreement forbids any residential or commercial development on the ranch.
“Absolutely not. We were adamant about that,” he said.
But he says the county will likely need to build a few things like restrooms, a parking area and equipment storage. His dream for the property is that it is left as it is.
“I think the county's got a real jewel,” he said. “And I hope they have the ability to manage it, as a nature preserve and a wildlife preserve. We’ve had quite a bit of unfortunate poaching and I hope the county, and I've talked to them numerous times and in great detail, I hope they're up to the task of preventing that - getting people to patrol the property during the hunting seasons. I think that's a critical issue in preserving what I've tried to accomplish all these years.”
When poachers are caught on the property, like they were a few years ago, he’s hopeful they will be now punished to the full extent of the law, rather than letting them pay a fine and walk.
Bernolfo plans to donate a majority of the proceeds to the Moran Eye Center. A childhood accident left him blind in one eye and it was the doctors at the center who were able to restore his sight – something he’s been grateful for ever since.
