Utah

From the striking mesas of the Colorado River Plateau to the banks of the Kern River, nearly 120,000 acres of Utah’s unparalleled wildlife habitat, recreation areas and scenic vistas are now protected thanks to the work of the Fund and its conservation partners.

Kern River

Desert tortoises were once one of the West’s most abundant reptiles, but their populations have declined 90 percent since the 1980s. In 2005 the Fund completed a three-year effort with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Kern River Gas Transmission Company to protect nearly 600 acres of prime tortoise habitat. The project helped Kern River Gas to mitigate its construction of a natural gas pipeline through Utah.

Spring Creek Wilderness Study Area

Nearly 1,000 acres of significant wildlife habitat just a mile north of Zion National Park and adjacent to the Spring Creek Wilderness Study Area were protected through a land exchange negotiated by the Fund in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management. Boasting Mexican spotted owl and northern goshawk, the property will be transferred to the Bureau. As a result of the exchange, about 750 acres of public land near Cedar City will become available for future development.

Topaz Relocation Center

As part of the Japanese American Internment Camp Preservation Initiative, we protected 13 acres at the Topaz Relocation Center for the Topaz Museum in Provo. The preservation of this property, the largest unprotected piece of the former camp, will serve as a lasting and poignant reminder of this dark moment in history.

Virgin River

Along its route from above Zion National Park to Lake Mead, the Virgin River flows for 154 miles through narrow canyons and sandy expanses. In concert with the Bureau of Land Management, Virgin River Land Preservation Association and Washington County, the Fund acquired 200 acres along the river that provides habitat for wildlife such as the bobcat.

Zion National Park

For more than 28 years, Dallen and Karen Spendlove and their four children have been excellent stewards for a slice of extraordinary landscape on the Colorado River Plateau, their 2,400-acre ranch in southern Utah. Nestled on Smith Mesa adjacent to Zion National Park, this working ranch offers unparalleled views of the park's renowned Kolob Peak and the spectacular natural rock formations of Kolob Finger canyons.

The Spendloves have a strong commitment to both conservation and their land, but like many ranchers of modest means, they do not have the resources to place a conservation easement on their property. And like many other landowners in rapidly growing areas of the West, they are under tremendous pressure to sell for development.

The Spendloves needed help, and, thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Conservation Fund was able to assist the family in preserving both a working landscape and open space in Washington County. The Fund purchased a conservation easement from the Spendloves, thus protecting the ranch in perpetuity - to the benefit of the owners, the local community and the public as a whole. The Spendloves' traditional ranching values are now secure, and the remarkable view into Zion National Park remains unimpaired. This successful story stems from a strong partnership between the Spendloves, the anonymous donor, the Fund, the Virgin River Land Preservation Association and Washington County officials.

Banner image by Chazz Layne/Flickr