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This year marks Summit Land Conservancy’s 20th Anniversary as Park City’s local land trust–- 20 years of saving the landscapes that are the heart of our community. The first 20 years of forever…
To honor the places we have protected, we will highlight and share some of the stories about these precious lands and how the Conservancy has grown over the years.
First up: Fawcett Ranch, a 44-acre agricultural property located on the Weber River, and Summit Land Conservancy’s FIRST conservation easement purchase.
“On our first site visit to the property with Richard and Kent Fawcett, we rode an ATV down to the farm. Richard told me that historians from BYU had come out to the property and determined that the Mormon pioneers of 1847 forded the Weber on what is now his property. He also told me that “old folks” remembered the Weber as a winding, braided area of wetlands, with lots of willows that hid lots of grizzly bears.
The Conservancy’s Board carefully considered the Fawcett project. This would be our first purchase of a conservation easement. As the organization grew, the Board recognized that saving the farm and ranchlands of Eastern Summit County, especially those along the Weber River, were critical to maintaining the environmental quality, the rural heritage and the wildlife across Summit County and Northern Utah.
It took two years from first meeting the Fawcett family in June 2007 to raise the money and close on the project in July 2009.
We are grateful to the Fawcett family for trusting that the fledgling Summit Land Conservancy could figure out how to raise the money to purchase a conservation easement. Their faith in us gave us the chance to learn how to do it and prove that we could. Richard passed away in August 2013, but his legacy lives on as his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren continue to enjoy the beautiful landscape he preserved for them.”
Learn more about the Conservancy’s work and how you can save the lands and waters you cherish at www.wesaveland.org.
Photo Credit: Mark Maziarz Photography
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