Summit Land Conservancy

Summit County Manager Tom Fisher discusses the agenda for Wednesday's county council meeting. (05:45)

Executive  Director of  Mountain Town Music Brian Richards has a look ahead at how they’re planning for the summer concert season. (22:04)

Executive Director of Summit Land Conservancy Cheryl Fox has details on their virtual breakfast as well as open space issues (31:19) and Park City Library Director Adriane Juarez has details on the partial reopening of the county libraries using curbside pickup. (41:10)

The organizers of Summit Land Conservancy are still working to save the outdoor areas that nurture all of us—even while they’re socially isolating and indoors.

Conservancy Director Cheryl Fox also talked to KPCW about a traditional event that’s coming up—in a non-traditional way.  

Fox said that their biennial Conservation Breakfast is coming up next week—the only real fundraiser they have.    The Conservancy has been hosting the breakfast every two years since 2008.

Summit County Manager Tom Fisher discusses the agenda for Wednesday's county council meeting. Cheryl Fox, Director of Summit Land Conservancy, has an update on their bi-annual breakfast fundraiser: BYOB (Bring Your Own Bacon). Everyone one is invited to attend from the comfort of their own home. Park City Planning Director Bruce Erickson has an update on how the city is working to get Planning Commission meetings set up remotely by the April 22nd meeting and Salt Lake Climbers Alliance Executive Director Julia Geisler talks

The calendar for Summit Land Conservacy in the near future includes a snow gathering this week; while the group keeps an eye on the Utah Legislature.   

Cheyl Fox, director of the Summit Land Conservancy, said she’s happy that the governor’s proposed budget includes money for the LeRay McAllister Fund to preserve open space.

Fox said they have used that money a couple of times.       

Summit Land Conservancy needs to raise about a $140,000 to complete the conservation of the 4-acre Riverbend parcel in Oakley. They have a matching grant which will expire soon.

As reported earlier this month, two cow elk were shot and killed in the city-owned Round Valley open space the last weekend in December. Park City Police and the Division of Wildlife Resources have determined both incidents occurred on city property.

The Summit Land Conservancy, Bill White Farms and Park City Municipal are partnering to make the city owned McPolin Farm a regenerative agriculture operation.

After the Mountain Town 2030 climate conference in October, the Park City Community Foundation announced a grant program to fund innovative climate change solutions. Summit Land Conservancy, Bill White Farms and Park City Municipal, together, will apply for a grant to help fund a regenerative agriculture project on the McPolin Farm along SR 224.

Summit Land Conservancy wraps up 2019 with the most successful conservation year yet. They closed seven transactions totaling 1200 acres.

The land is located along the Weber River, in the town of Oakley and is adjacent to the new campground. According to Summit Land Conservancy’s Executive Director Cheryl Fox the campground is part of the new rodeo grounds and does not have access to the Weber.

The Park City Council will consider leasing city-owned property at Quinn’s Junction to Mountain Trails Foundation and Summit Land Conservancy, to house the two organizations’ office space. 

Summit Land Conservancy Executive Director Cheryl Fox and Mountain Trails Foundation Executive Director Charlie Sturgis presented their proposal to the city council in May. Now, council will consider the terms of the potential deal between the city and the two organizations, which interim City Manager Matt Dias says are pretty straightforward.

Summit Land Conservancy was formed 17 years ago and as of Monday, they’ve conserved nearly 6800 acres. The newest easement is 841 acres of rangeland in Chalk Creek in the eastern part of Summit County.

The Wright Property, known as the Wright Land and Livestock was settled in 1923 as part of a homestead. It’s been a dairy operation and granary for about 100 years. The family continues to raise cattle and farm hay on the land.

A crowd of around 20 people attended the interested landowners meeting Wednesday evening. The meeting provided landowners in Wasatch County information about how they can preserve their land as open space in perpetuity through funding sources including the $10 million open space bond county residents passed in 2018.

The Osguthorpe family has been farming in Park City since 1945. The family along with many hundreds of donors were honored in a celebration held by the Summit Land Conservancy on Thursday to mark the agricultural conservation of the 160-acre farm on Old Ranch Road.

Summit Land Conservancy Executive Director Cheryl Fox hopes it’s a lucky harvest on Friday, Sept. 13. The wild hops that grow on protected open space are a bit behind schedule due to a cold spring, but Fox says she’s looking forward to meeting up at the Wasatch Brew Pub and heading out to hunt for hops.

On today’s program, the Director of Summit Land Conservancy Cheryl Fox has an update on open space issues. A Co-Founder of the Park City Songwriter Festival Scott Thomson has details about the inaugural event Sept. 13th and 14th. Park City School District Associate Superintendent of Wellness Ben Belnap talks about the plans for the redesigned Learning Academy and Summit County Community Development Director Pat Putt and Summit County Public Works Director Derick Radke have details about the possible alignments of extending Bittner Road through to Silver Creek.