Legislative Wrap-Up

With the Legislative session finally at a close, conservation and natural resource issues received quite a bit of attention — and some funding! Most notably, the passage of Land and Water Reinvestment (HB 102) secured on-going funds for two key conservation and restoration programs, the Grazing Improvement Program and the Watershed Initiative, and the LeRay McAllister Fund received a $2 million one-time appropriation. (See below for more information on this bill.) There were a number of other bills affecting natural resources this session.

Click here for a partial list of numbered bills that we were watching.

Utah Open Lands

Utah Open Lands (UOL) is a non-profit land trust that assists landowners in protecting the scenic, wildlife, historic, agricultural, and recreational values of open land in the state of Utah for the enjoyment of present and future generations. UOL is a non-governmental, non-political community based organization which utilizes educational outreach, donations of land and conservation easements, acquisitions of land and easements, and conservation buyers and investors to accomplish its goals of tangible land protection. By preserving open spaces, Utah Open Lands aids communities, investors, and government leaders interested in protecting Utah’s quality lifestyle.

UOL first began as the Summit Land Conservation Association, incorporated in 1990, in response to the overwhelming pressures of growth and development in Summit County. As these pressures increased and the importance of open space protection became even more apparent and urgent, in 1995 the organization became a regional land trust with the mission of serving as a statewide resource for land protection.

For more information, click here.

For three generations, the Wilcox family has worked hard to care for the resources on their 4,200 acre private ranch. Located in the Range Creek area of the Book Cliffs in Carbon and Emery Counties, the Wilcox's have moved cattle through this remote valley for decades, and have protected the natural resources and prehistoric cultural artifacts located on their property since they purchased it in 1951.

The multiple natural and intact prehistoric cultural resources on the Wilcox Ranch are unprecedented. For example, twelve miles of Range Creek (whose fish population ranks among the region's best) meanders through the ranch... Continued here

New Watershed Restoration Initiative Website

The Utah Partners for Conservation and Development (UPCD) have launched a brand new Watershed Restoration Initiative website that includes information about UPCD, projects, recent journal articles and literature and more.

Check it out at wildlife.utah.gov/watersheds/index.php

LeRay McAllister Fund
Application Information for FY 08 now available!

The LeRay McAllister Fund application timeline and materials are available for the upcoming fiscal year.

Click here for more information.