Summit County Lands and Natural Resources Director Jess Kirby presented the final plan to manage the 910 Ranch to Summit County councilmembers Wednesday.
The resource management plan, as it’s known, is intended to balance recreational access with conservation priorities. It also covers topics like grazing cattle and mitigating wildfire.
The plan will go to Utah’s Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands for possible approval by the end of the year.
Councilmember Roger Armstrong said Summit County should ensure it has the staff or partnerships in place so it can follow through on the plan’s promises.
“I mean, we've got weed mitigation,” he said Wednesday. “It's a massive effort to undertake even half of what you've got in here.”
Kirby assured the council that the plan states “many times” that certain steps cannot occur without sufficient staffing.
She expects to begin Phase 1 by next year, which includes about 100 parking spaces and trails close to East Canyon Road, the gravel road north of Jeremy Ranch that cuts the 910 in half.
Until then, people should not stray from the road since the ranch is closed to the general public.
“I feel like we are in a position where we can adequately manage Phase 1, the five miles of trail,” Kirby said. “We’ve got the ranger in place, we’ve got staffing in place that can assist, and we’ve got partners that are helping us. Going beyond that is going to take acts of budgeting.”
The council is scheduled to talk about the new positions in the draft 2027 budget Nov. 4. Deputy County Manager Janna Young said the budget includes three new seasonal personnel in the lands department.
Kirby was the only person in the department until Summit County started acquiring large properties like the 910 and the Ure Ranch near Kamas in 2023.
Now there are four employees, including two more administrators and a ranger.
The department will continue to evolve: Kirby is scheduled to present a long-term vision for the county lands department to the council later in November.
Summit County is a financial supporter of KPCW.
