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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.
After over a year of collaboration and private fundraising efforts, the Summit Land Conservancy and Ogden Valley Land Trust officially closed on the iconic 1050-acre Huntsville Monastery. The property was once home to the Abbey of Our Lady of the Holy Trinity, a Trappist Cistercian monastery established in 1947 in Huntsville, Utah. In addition to the historic and cultural significance of the land, the monastery also holds important conservation values that provide benefits to wildlife and biodiversity, watershed health, and the surrounding community. Situated close to the sub-alpine forests in the Wasatch Range, the 1050 acres of agricultural open space is prime habitat for several species of importance, and the easement area is defined by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources as “critical winter habitat” for hundreds of Rocky Mountain elk. A branch of the south fork of the Ogden River runs along the property’s edge providing seasonal wetlands to migratory birds, and the farmlands serve as a wildlife corridor and potential habitat for two endangered species (the Canada lynx and yellow-billed cuckoo).
"If you’re reading this email, you know the feeling: the world spins out of control, the stock market zooms up then down, Covid cases rise again, and bombs fall in Europe. Against all this noise, there are the normal challenges of life with aging parents or striving teenagers or losing that beloved pup.
If you’re reading this email, it’s probably because you’ve found solace in nature.
You’ve taken yourself outdoors and let the sound of the wind and the smell of the sage grant you perspective and peace.
You are not alone. 75 years ago, in July 1947 a group of Trappist Monks journeyed by trail from Kentucky to what was then a remote, sparsely populated valley in Northern Utah. Many of these monks were veterans of World War II, seeking solace in the mountains of Utah and in their faith.
They set up a chapel, they raised piglets and sheep, sold bread and honey, and viewed their labor as a form of devotion. The land remembers. You can feel how this ground, sanctified by long hours of careful tending, honors the spirit of selflessness, gives back in blooming lilacs, the hoot of an owl, and the bugle of elk.
Last week, the Summit Land Conservancy, along with our partners at the Ogden Valley Land Trust, the Department of Agriculture (Natural Resources Conservation Service), Weber County, David Kelby Johnson Memorial Foundation, Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, Willard Eccles Foundation, and many private donors, completed the permanent preservation of the former monastery property near Huntsville.
We were able to do this because two generous men, Bill White and Wynstonn Wangsgard, realized that no one else was going to do it. So they stepped in and saved the land. In doing so, they honored the legacy of the monks and those who cared for the land before them. They have given a tremendous gift to an uncertain future. And that act of giving is also an act of hope.
It is not easy to be patient, to face adversity without aggression, to give and keep giving even when the goal seems impossible.
But land is a deep well of solace. We draw strength, and today we are successful."
Learn more about the Conservancy’s work and how you can save the lands and waters you cherish at www.wesaveland.org.
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