Dear Editor: First of all, welcome to the Park Record! I encourage you to explore Jeremy Ranch and East Canyon in regards to Summit County’s big, big news!
Last week, I wasn’t able to attend the public comment gathering regarding the county’s purchase of the 910 Cattle Ranch — 8,500 acres along East Canyon from Jeremy Ranch. This letter expresses my praise and gratitude for the acquisition.
North Jeremy Ranch Road is one of my favorite places to run during all four seasons. The fact that it is dirt is good for my aging legs. In the winter the road is plowed to the Morgan County line, allowing for about seven miles round trip. I am usually there at least once a week with my 2-year-old Vizsla, Clover.
Throughout the seasons, the landscape changes magically as well as the weather that can bring in truly breathtaking cloud formations. I now take out my new favorite Merlin app to record the birds I hear and have observed so many birds in East Canyon — bald eagles, kingfishers, sandhill cranes, hummingbirds and goldfinches.
My main concern with the purchase of the 910 Cattle Ranch, a somewhat hidden gem, is that more people will flock to the area and overlove the land rather than treat it as the pristine ecosystem it is for birds and other wildlife.
I’ve gone to East Canyon to connect with the land and find peace and solace when facing times of uncertainty in my life. During Covid, I was trying to expand my career and thought an MFA in creative writing might be the answer.
I had been accepted into a program, but I was waiting for a mortgage refinance that unexpectedly did not happen. Should I dip into my savings? What was I to do?
I went to East Canyon for my answer. And it happened! As I was about a mile down the road, completely alone, a herd of elk crossed my path. I witnessed these extraordinary mammals that I have written about in one of my children’s books. That was all I needed.
I decided then and there not to pursue my MFA. My career as a children’s book author and publisher was what I was meant to do. So thank you, Summit County, for buying this land I truly love so it won’t be developed into something that might force away the elk that love the land as much as I do.
Melissa C. Marsted
Publisher/Author, Lucky Penny Publications, LLC