Today, the director of the Summit Land Conservancy is hopeful those funding sources will continue over the next four years.
The future of securing federal money for open space preservation is always a concern when administrations change. Summit Land Conservancy CEO Cheryl Fox said, at this point, the administration appears to be focused on other priorities. So, she’ll wait and see, but she remains hopeful.
“There is always concern every time there's a change in administration, because the incoming administration wants to make sure that their priorities are top of mind,” Fox said. “We have been fortunate because the federal funding source that the Summit Land Conservancy uses, which is the Natural Resources Conservation Service. It's a Farm Bill program. It's called the Conservation Title, and so it's really set out to save farm and ranch land, and that has enjoyed bipartisan support for many, many years.”
She said the Farm Bill always has two sponsors, a Republican and a Democrat. Unlike food stamps, which are also part of the Farm Bill, conservation programs tend to be less controversial.
She’s hopeful that the Inflation Reduction Act, which passed with bipartisan support in 2022 and put billions of dollars into conservation programs, will continue to be funded.
“The question is whether or not that additional funding will stay in the Farm Bill,” she said. “Congress needs to approve a new Farm Bill this year. So, we are actually talking quite a bit to our elected Utah representatives to make sure that they understand how important this is to Utah families and Utah communities.”
Since 2011, Fox said the Summit Land Conservancy has leveraged more than $76 million in federal funds to preserve Utah landscapes. Notable grants include $8.8 million to conserve the Osguthorpe Farm on Old Ranch Road, known as the Greenheart, and more than $22 million to protect wetlands and agricultural property in the Kamas Valley.
Fox said they are waiting to close on 60 acres in the Kamas Meadow and another 2400 acres in the hills east of Hoytsville.
