Summit Land Conservancy

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.

Summit Land Conservancy has fewer than 20 tickets left for their annual fund raiser coming up later this month.

According to the Summit Land Conservancy Executive Director, Cheryl Fox, the Blue Sky Bash is mostly about whiskey and open space. It’s the 5th year for the benefit event and it’s a fundraiser and celebration of open space. It includes cocktails and dinner by High West Distillery & Saloon along with dancing and a live auction by renown auctioneer, Larry Flinn.

Fox says they’ve got a special presentation from Hawk Watch this year.

Anyone who is interested in getting in on the Summit Land Conservancy’s hops harvest should register now because the picking and sorting will happen sometime in the next few weeks.

The Summit Land Conservancy held their final summer hops hike on Sunday. They’ve been watching the crop closely and the day to pick is coming up. Hops grow wild around town and volunteers will be needed to help with the harvest. Executive Director, Cheryl Fox says harvesting hops is tricky with weather changing and the ripening process.

The Summit Land Conservancy celebrates the success of the land conservation agreement reached last weekend between Utah Open Lands and the Armstrong family.

The funding to preserve the 19-acre Snow Ranch Pastures came in with about a day to spare. It is successful closing triggered another land grant from long-time resident, Kerry Armstrong. Contingent on the closing of the Snow Ranch Pastures, she announced she would place a conservation easement on her 16-acre Red Barn parcel. Utah Open Lands.

Summit County Council Member Kim Carson says she’s excited that the county has preserved three major land parcels in North Summit—not just for open space, but to continue agricultural activity.

Meeting on Wednesday, the council approved three conservation easements for the Summit Land Conservancy.

The county will be a co-holder on the easements, which legally will help the Conservancy to obtain funding.

Carson has details on the three properties.

Summit Land Conservancy is working on three properties in Eastern Summit county that, once under an easement will preserve a total of about 4500 acres of open space. To access some of the conservation funding they will need county support for the endeavor.

Summit Land Conservancy Conservation Director, Kate Sattelmeier says they’re seeking funding through both federal and state governments to place the three properties into an agricultural conservation easement.

After almost two years and nearly $18 million, The Summit Land Conservancy officially closed on a permanent conservation easement for the 158-acre Osguthorpe Farm on Old Ranch Road. 

The project was funded by an $8.8 million federal grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Services; $4.5 million from individual donors; $3.9 million from the Osguthorpe family; and $500,000 from Summit County. Summit Land Conservancy completed its fundraising in March.

The Park City Council heard a presentation Thursday from two local nonprofits, who are requesting to carve out a space at the Quinn’s Junction Sports Complex for their permanent offices.

Summit Land Conservancy and the Mountain Trails Foundation’s leases at their current Bonanza Park office spaces are likely ending next spring. The two are looking to combine forces and resources to build a permanent home base near the maintenance building at the Quinn’s Junction Sports Complex.

The Osguthorpe Farm conservation contract is set to close any day now. And, the Summit Land Conservancy has two more conservation easements that should be sewn up this year under the same USDA backed program.

The Summit Land Conservancy announced the campaign to save the 158-acre Osguthorpe Farm on Old Ranch Road in the Snyderville Basin is over. They’ve raised the $17,856,000 dollars needed to create an agricultural easement and preserve the farm forever.

It’s the final three weeks for the Summit Land Conservancy to raise the money needed to preserve the Osguthorpe Farm on Old Ranch Road in the Snyderville Basin. They need another $740,000 to close the deal.

There are two $50,000 challenge grants which Summit Land Conservancy has received.  The final day to raise the full amount is March 31st. The Osguthorpe family has extended the deadline once. Executive Director of the Summit Land Conservancy, Cheryl Fox has is confident they can reach the $740,000 goal.

The Summit Land Conservancy recently closed on two properties as part of its Weber River Watershed Initiative. KPCW’s Emily Means has more.

The 44-acre Stephens Ranch in Henefer and an 82-acre ranch property in Wanship are the latest conservation easements established by the Summit Land Conservancy. Both were initiated by a 2016 federal grant.  Conservancy Executive Director Cheryl Fox says these parcels add to a patchwork of conservation easements the organization has been creating along the Weber River.