H.B. 102 Severance Tax Amendments
"The Land and Water Reinvestment Act"

"Just as in any business, there must be continual capital investment - we must invest now in our natural resources that produce fish and wildlife, and the basis of all this is healthy watersheds."
       - Don Peay, Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife

Sponsored by Rep. Dave Clark (R- Santa Clara), The Land & Water Reinvestment Act is a landmark piece of legislation - for the first time in Utah's history, funding generated through the extractive industry would be invested in our renewable resources - land and water. Such an investment preserves our watersheds, keeps our working agricultural lands viable, increases and enhances wildlife habitat and provides recreation opportunities to all Utahns. This legislation would provide ongoing funding for three critical programs: the Watershed Restoration Program, the Grazing Improvement Program, and the LeRay McAllister Fund. These funds can be used throughout the state of Utah for land restoration and management as well as conservation easements.

This legislation already has a wide range of supporters - and more are added every day. Currently, the legislation is backed by 45 senators and representatives, various civic leaders, and a variety of organizations. (For more information on the legislation and a current list of supporters, click here.)

If you support this legislation and would like to help, check our Take Action page on our website throughout the legislative session for more information.

Peaceful Valley Ranch

Back in 2000 when the LeRay McAllister Fund was first established, a coalition of partners (Utah Open Lands, The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, US Forest Legacy Program, and the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands) came together to help preserve one of Utah's most beautiful and historically significant ranches: Peaceful Valley Ranch.

Located in Morgan County, this 7,300-acre ranch represents a classic western landscape, complete with sagebrush and scrub oak-covered rolling hills, riparian areas with stands of cottonwood trees, lush meadows, and aspen and conifer forests at the higher elevations. This diversity of habitats provides critical wildlife refuge for large game species such as elk, mule deer, and moose, as well as habitat for a variety of birds like bald and golden eagles, and the American kestrel.

In addition to providing critical habitat for these various species, the ranch has functioned as a livestock operation for the past century. It also contains a historic homestead, including a restored Pony Express station.

Peaceful Valley Ranch is also a Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit - a special distinction which allows DWR to help manage the big game herds on the ranch. As part of the protection agreement, the owners allow a small number of people selected by DWR to hunt on this breathe-taking property.

For more information, click here.

The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the most ecologically important lands and waters around the world for nature and people. Since its inception in 1951, The Nature Conservancy has protected over 117 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of river around the world, including projects in all 50 states and 30 countries.

The Nature Conservancy has been actively engaged in conservation work in Utah since September 1980. Starting with one employee in 1980, our Utah Sate Program is now supported by a professional staff of 22, a committed board of 32, and over 500 volunteers.

By working collaboratively with a variety of partners and landowners, the Utah chapter of The Nature Conservancy has helped protect important tracts of land and key watersheds using acquisitions, conservation easements, and other cutting-edge strategies. To date The Nature Conservancy has completed 155 private and public land protection projects in Utah preserving 882,398 acres. Using a non-confrontational, science-based approach, our innovative efforts help restore and enhance damaged habitat, and our land management partnerships help ensure the long-term survival of some of Utah's fragile native species.

We have worked in a variety of regions in Utah over the past 25 years including the Great Salt Lake watershed, the Grouse Creek Mountains in northeastern Utah, Colorado River corridor and the Canyonlands area, Bear River and Cache County area, Boulder watersheds, the high Southern Plateaus (including the Tusher Mountains), and the Mojave Desert near St. George. For more information about The Nature Conservancy or our projects, call 801.531.0999 or email us at utah@tnc.org

This newsletter is a free service providing news and updates about conservation issues in Utah. It is published by Utah Conservation Forum and produced by The Exoro Group.

To subscribe or unsubscribe please send an email to info@utahconservationforum.org.

- A green agenda gets green light from voters, (November 19, 2006)
- Open spaces are a pillar of our economic prosperity, (October 21, 2006)
- Kays Creek goes back to nature, (October 3, 2006)
- Utahns favor conservation, (August 27, 2006)
- Saving open land - a taxing problem, (July 24, 2006)

Dave Clark
District: 74 (Santa Clara)

Dave Clark is a distinguished Legislator who has served in the Utah Legislature since 2000. He is a banker by trade and has spent countless days traveling the backroads throughout southern and central Utah working with rural communities.

Rep. Clark was elected as the House Majority Leader for the 2007 session and has already brought a new level of civility to the process. In addition, Rep. Clark is the sponsor of HB102 Severance Tax Amendments which would provide funding for Utah's critical natural infrastructure - rebuilding watersheds, protecting and enhancing our agricultural lands, and providing access and recreational opportunity for all Utahans.

We applaud Rep. Clark for his vision and foresight in sponsoring HB102 and in his leadership role in the Utah Legislature.

Visit Panguitch Lake for mid-winter ice fishing. At 8,200 feet, Panguitch Lake is a great fishing destination during any season, even in the winter. Current reports indicate that the trout caught are between 11 and 20 inches. For more information about winter fishing at Panguitch Lake, visit the Division of Wildlife Resource's web page.