The Summit County Council last week unanimously approved an agreement with Summit Land Conservancy to co-hold a conservation easement on the Richins Ranch property east of Coalville. The easement includes 851 acres of land bisected by Chalk Creek.
The agreement will allow the nonprofit Summit Land Conservancy to pursue a Utah Quality Growth Commission grant to pay for conservation and preservation work on the property. Most of the funding for the project will come from the federal government through Farm Bill programs that help agricultural producers save their property.
Cheryl Fox, executive director of Summit Land Conservancy, said they are honored to be working with Carla and Jerrold Richins on the conservation of their property. The family has been recognized numerous times for the work they have done on their own to be good stewards of the land, including winning the Sand County Foundation’s Leopold Award in 2016.
“This award goes to producers who nurture their land and make sure that it sustains not just the agricultural products, but also the environment, and wildlife,” Fox said.
Jerrold Richins was awarded the Steven Gillmor Award for stream restoration in 1996 and was named the Summit County Conservation District’s rancher of the year in 2001. He was also the first agricultural producer to be given the Department of Environmental Quality’s Calvin Sudweek Award for contributions to water quality.
The easement, which has not been finalized, would permanently extinguish residential development rights on the land but will allow for continued agricultural use and allow for the future development of two homesites in defined locations.
Fox said the nonprofit has applied for and received several private foundation grants and a water quality grant. Summit County is not currently contributing any funding for the easement, though Fox said that may change.
“We need to see if other funders come through before we know if we’ll have to ask for county funding,” she said.
The price for the easement is not being disclosed out of respect for the Richins’ privacy, but Fox said the family is making a substantial in-kind donation.
Fox said the conservancy selects its conservation projects based on federally provided “conservation values.”
“These are agricultural land, historic areas, wetlands, wildlife habitat, view corridors and recreational access,” she said. “A property doesn’t have to have all of these to work for conservation. But in almost every case, we need to have landowners who want to see their land protected forever. The land owners are really the heroes.”
Fox said the easement would support the ongoing efforts of the Richins family to stabilize Chalk Creek as it passes through their property.
“These methods support a lot of biodiversity, which creates healthy wildlife habitat,” Fox said.
In addition, preventing the development of homes and roads in the area will keep the creek clean and “avoid fragmentation of the wildlife habitat.”
Councilor Roger Armstrong said the easement will preserve the land for generations to come. Councilor Doug Clyde said it will stand as an example of how ranch land can be worked while also being preserved.
“This is really a big win for Summit County,” Armstrong said.
Fox said special thanks go to Carla and Jerrold Richins, who have been patient throughout the process.
“They are steadfast in working for what is best for their ground,” she said. “We are all so lucky that people like them are here.”
Correction: An earlier headline mistakenly indicated that the Richins Ranch land has been preserved. The conservation easement has not been finalized.