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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.
Risner Ridge is a 53-acre property located on the slopes both north and south of Meadows Drive. Its natural undeveloped land is habitat for a variety of wildlife, and provides connectivity to the Round Valley and Quarry Mountain open spaces also protected by the Conservancy. The property is visible from State Routes 248 and 224, Old Ranch Road in the Snyderville Basin, and the Park Meadows and Prospector neighborhoods.
“In 2011, the Summit Land Conservancy was in the midst of our first campaign to raise $1 million to finish paying for the conservation easement on the Osguthorpe’s 120 acres in Round Valley (now known as the Land of Oz).
One day, two Park Meadows neighbors (Christine and Paul) walked into our office, sent in our direction by the City Manager, Diane Foster. These residents lived in upper Park Meadows and they’d realized that the City owned about 53 acres of land surrounding their neighborhoods. The land borders Meadows Drive and connects to the Round Valley Open Space. Christine and Paul were concerned that the City could sell this land to a developer and the open spaces that currently housed moose, elk, badgers, and other wildlife would be lost.
The City staff had assured these residents that the City had no intention of developing the land, and the City didn’t want to pay for a third-party conservation easement.
I suggested maybe the neighbors could raise the necessary funds. Christine whipped out her check book and wrote a personal check for a 5-figure sum. I put that check in the office safe. We couldn’t move forward on placing the land in a conservation easement without the landowner’s (in this case Park City Municipal’s) agreement. Our Board of Directors had to agree too.
The City required us to go to all the HOAs surrounding the open space to make sure each of them supported the permanent conservation of this property. We also asked neighbors to help us fund our transaction costs and the stewardship endowment, and in the end, we returned Christine’s check to her (she continues to generously support our work to this day).
There was an exciting glitch when the title company questioned whether or not the City actually owned the land, as the previous owner hadn’t recorded the final release. The City attorney cleared that up and the easement was signed by Park City Mayor Jack Thomas in March 2014.”
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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