The nonprofit land trust doesn't disclose the total price of conservation easements it puts on land around the Wasatch Back and beyond. But CEO Cheryl Fox said the Maxo Meadows easement Summit Lands secured in June was worth “north of a million dollars.”
The conservancy did have federal funding to help protect the ranch run by the Young family between Kamas and Peoa. That is, until a glitch derailed the payout.
Grant rules require three federal organizations — the Farm Service Association, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Internal Revenue Service — to verify certain information before releasing any funds. And in this case, the IRS hit a snag.
“The glitch happened actually in December, so under the previous administration,” Fox said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” July 1. “I think there's just somebody at the IRS whose job — who isn't at their desk.”
Fox said the glitch has affected organizations around the country, not just the Summit Land Conservancy.
“Getting federal money on the ground isn't easy, and it should not be, right? You don't want fraud, waste and corruption. So there are a lot of checks and balances,” she said.
In the case of the Maxo Meadows, Fox said the property owner is 94 years old and the family and the land trust agreed to act fast rather than wait for the IRS to resolve the problem.
“Our Summit Land Conservancy board decided to say, ‘You know what, we're going to go ahead; we're going to use our own reserve funds; and we're going to get it done,’” she said.
The conservation easement restricting development and preserving agriculture on the Young’s ranch is a done deal now.
That means the federal government won’t reimburse Summit Lands for using its reserves. The money now goes back into a pool of funds for the land trust to tap on a future project.
The funding pool is from a 2020 Regional Conservation Partnership Program grant through the NRCS, which is a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Summit Land Conservancy is a financial supporter of KPCW. For a full list, click here.
