We save land that sustains our communities.
what we do:
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2002, we’re the only nonprofit dedicated to saving the open spaces of Park City and the Wasatch Back. We protect and monitor this community’s investment in local open spaces by defending 54 permanent conservation easements and two preserves on 14,743 acres of land—and we’re currently working to preserve an additional 5,000+ acres of the landscapes our community cherishes.
why we do it:
People come here to work, live, vacation, recreate, and be inspired. They want to be here because of our incredible forests, trails, meadows, mountain slopes, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
And yet, without our efforts, most of these places are vulnerable to developers. Unlike other Western resort areas surrounded by public lands, our communities are surrounded by private property that is susceptible to development. That’s where we step in—collaborating, negotiating, fundraising, and problem-solving to preserve the places that make the Wasatch Back and it’s surrounding areas so special.
We depend on this open land for our lifestyle, our recreation, our food sourcing, and even our drinking water—in fact, the area where we work, is the watershed for the Great Salt Lake and the cities of people on the Wasatch Front. The farmland we help preserve serves to filter, absorb, and store the seasonal water runoff— keeping it clean while mitigating flooding too.
We’re all stakeholders, and someone has to take the helm. We’re proud to do it—backed by the support of our entire community.
Spaces all Utahns depend on.
this work does more than support a lifestyle.
it fuels an economy.
Our tourism, recreation, and resort economy depends on open spaces remaining intact. By preserving undeveloped spaces of the Wasatch Back, we keep the scenic views and recreational opportunities that bring so much revenue to our community.
We also support Utah’s rural economy by preserving working farms and ranches, thus enabling landowners to keep their properties in agriculture, maintain a traditional way of life and protect their heritage for future generations. .
By protecting open lands, we increase property values while avoiding the cost of building expensive subdivisions and the infrastructure they require.
Measurable impact. Immeasurable importance.
14,743 acres
of open land protected,
and thousands more to go
1,100 metric tons
of CO2 emissions avoided annually by preserving forested land
2.7 million residents’
drinking water sourced from the Weber and Provo Rivers protected under the Conservancy’s Utah Headwaters Initiative
If we can come this far in 20 years, imagine where we’ll go in the next 20 years…
In 2022, the Summit Land Conservancy celebrated our first 20 years of forever. We also saved over 6,000 acres with you by our side. That means, in one year, we increased our rate of conservation by 87%!
Protecting these places, doesn't happen by accident and it doesn't happen for free. It takes commitment and work, and dedication from people like YOU. Help us keep our momentum going this year, and for the next 20 years.
Because...we save land, but we do not do it alone.
Utah Headwaters Initiative.
Summit Land Conservancy's Utah Headwaters Initiative focuses on enhancing the agricultural and environmental resources within the headwaters of the Weber, Provo, and Bear River Watersheds, all of which contribute to and feed the Great Salt Lake.
Summit Land Conservancy will continue to preserve lands through conservation easements, while working with landowners to adopt stream restoration practices and upland land management activities that help conserve water.
The Utah Headwaters Initiative works both below and above the banks of our rivers to improve aquatic habitat, protect and enhance adjacent agricultural lands, and document the carbon sequestration occurring on those lands.
The Utah Headwaters Initiative will triple the acres we protect over the next five years.
mountains:
The Wasatch Back is the watershed for the Great Salt Lake. The three major rivers that feed the lake, the Bear, the Weber and the Provo, all rise in Summit County. These mountains provide critical wildlife habitat, sequester carbon, and collect precipitation that sustains the ecosystem of Northern Utah. Landscape-scale conservation of rangeland removes the threat of habitat fragmentation and retains the land’s ability to absorb water and replenish the aquifers, creeks and tributaries of the watershed.
meadows:
Riverfront lands filter water and provide space to mitigate extreme climate and weather conditions. Riparian areas are essential for wildlife, and wet soils store carbon for hundreds of years. Regenerative agricultural practices enhance carbon sequestration, support the local economy, and manage water for multiple benefits, including the Great Salt Lake.
PERMANENCE:
Each time we protect a property, we must set aside funds for ongoing stewardship. In addition to this, we will increase our long-term ability to save land by building a Quick Strike Revolving Fund. Money from this fund will allow us to take critical landscapes off the market while we find conservation dollars. The revolving fund will save land again and again, empowering conservation for years to come.
SUSTAINABILITY:
Increasing the pace and scale of conservation will put new demands on the organization. We will find new partners and build new coalitions, but we must ensure that we have the resources to sustain the organization as we increase our workload and our impact.
Properties we’ve protected:
To date, we have preserved over 14,743 acres of land—that’s the equivalent of 11,929 football fields, including both end zones! And your contributions make it all possible. We protect your investments to save local open space by monitoring and defending 54 permanent conservation easements and two preserve properties across four counties. Zoom in on the map below to have a look at our protected places:
Andrus Farm
Acres: 96
Location: Kamas
Protected: 2024
Sargent Ranch
Acres: 110
Location: Coalville
Protected: 2023
Sommet Blanc
Acres: 3
Location: Park City
Protected: 2023
Richins Chalk Creek
Acres: 850
Location: Coalville
Protected: 2023
Iron Mountain
Acres: 481
Location: Park City
Protected: 2023
YR Ranch
Acres: 28
Location: Peoa
Protected: 2023
Muirfield Park
Acres: 9
Location: Heber City
Protected: 2023
Warrior Rizen Ranch
Acres: 5,048
Location: Porterville
Protected: 2022
Historic Monastery Farm
Acres: 1,050
Location: Huntsville
Protected: 2022
The Crest
Acres: 70
Location: Salt Lake County
Protected: 2021
Mountain Spa
Acres: 49 (made up of 3 separate easements)
Location: Midway
Protected: 2021
New Lane
Acres: 2.5
Location: Oakley
Protected: 2021
Riverbend Park
Acres: 6
Location: Oakley
Protected: 2020
White Farm
Acres: 85
Location: Henefer
Protected: 2019
The Narrows
Acres: 841
Location: Coalville
Protected: 2019
Osguthorpe Farm
Acres: 160
Location: Snyderville
Protected: 2019
Stephen’s Ranch
Acres: 44
Location: Henefer
Protected: 2019
Anonymous
Acres: 82
Location: Wanship
Protected: 2019
Rocky Point Preserve
Acres: 236
Location: Wanship
Protected: 2018
Rolling Stone Ranch
Acres: 202
Location: Woodland
Protected: 2018 & 2021
Kings Crown
Acres: 11
Location: Park City
Protected: 2018
Stevens Grove
Acres: 23
Location: Oakley
Protected: 2018
Ercanbrack Ranch
Acres: 2,161
Location: near Coalville
Protected: 2017
Library Field
Acres: 2
Location: Park City
Protected: 2017
Millrace House
Acres: 3
Location: Oakley
Protected: 2017
Old Ranch Hills
Acres: 60 (made up of 2 separate easements)
Location: Park City
Protected: 2017
Nana B’s Preserve
Acres: 63
Location: Peoa
Protected: 2015
Siddoway Ranch & Wetlands
Acres: 73
Location: Peoa
Protected: 2015
Risner Ridge
Acres: 53
Location: Park City
Protected: 2014
Gambel Oak
Acres: 225
Location: Park City
Protected: 2014
Dog Holler Organic Farm
Acres: 85
Location: near Hoytsville
Protected: 2013
Pyper Tracey Ranch
Acres: 50
Location: Henefer
Protected: 2013
Osguthorpe Ranch
Acres: 121
Location: Park City
Protected: 2012
Miss Billie’s
Acres: 11
Location: Park City
Protected: 2012
Judd Ranch
Acres: 35
Location: Wanship
Protected: 2011
Fawcett Ranch
Acres: 44
Location: Henefer
Protected: 2009
Quarry Mountain
Acres: 183
Location: Park City
Protected: 2009
Enclave at Cedar Draw
Acres: 68
Location: Park City
Protected: 2006 & 2021
Virginia Mining Claims
Acres: 13
Location: Park City
Protected: 2005
McPolin Farmlands
Acres: 116
Location: Park City
Protected: 2005
Rail Trail
Acres: 2
Location: Park City
Protected: 2005
Richards Ranch
Acres: 19
Location: Park City
Protected: 2005
Round Valley
Acres: 690 (made up of 5 separate easements)
Location: Park City
Protected: 2005
UP&L
Acres: 0.51
Location: Park City
Protected: 2005
Warren Claims
Acres: 105
Location: Park City
Protected: 2002
Empire Canyon
Acres: 1093 (made up of 4 separate easements)
Location: Park City
Protected: 2002 & 2007
In 2023, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service awarded Summit Land Conservancy Certified Entity status: one of only 37 organizations in the entire nation! This status allows us to serve our landowners better by having streamlined access to federal dollars from the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
Eligible entities have an established agricultural land protection program that purchases easements and have demonstrated a commitment to the long-term conservation of agricultural lands through their ability to acquire, manage, and enforce easements and their ability to adequately steward conserved lands.
about our
organization
Our story: saving land, enriching lives.
Since 2002, the Summit Land Conservancy has been preserving priceless landscapes in Park City and Summit County for future generations. We are a strictly local organization, staffed and run by area residents dedicated to saving land.
When we save land, we save everything connected to it: unspoiled views, untouched ski tracks, pristine mountain biking singletrack, blue-ribbon fisheries, artistic inspiration, children’s natural outdoor play areas, clean drinking water, local agriculture, wildlife habitat, and vistas just waiting to be photographed.
Experience our impact every time you walk your dog in Round Valley, admire the elk on Quarry Mountain, ski the aspens in Empire Canyon, fly-fish the Weber river, or stroll by the McPolin farmlands. It’s all been saved for good. For our community. And for you.
our mission
Summit Land Conservancy is a regional land trust that works with the communities in the Wasatch Back to protect and preserve land and water for the benefit of people and nature.
Vision
Natural and unbuilt green space is essential for a healthy community. The Summit Land Conservancy protects these lands forever and cares for our shared habitat.
Values
Cooperation: We collaborate with individuals, organizations, public agencies and communities to identify challenges, devise workable solutions and achieve mutual goals.
Inclusion: Summit Land Conservancy is committed to creating at organizational and community resiliency rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion to ensure that open spaces will be enjoyed by all people for generations to come.
Organizational Integrity: We practice sound management. We are honest, effective, efficient, and fiscally responsible.
Conservation Leadership: We strive to be a vital, innovative, engaged and utilized provider of conservation services in our communities.
Reciprocity: We acknowledge and are grateful for the many benefits we receive from our community and the natural world. We listen to our interconnected communities and find ways to support and sustain them through land protection, outreach, stewardship, and mutual aid.
Education: We believe in future generations and will focus efforts to insure that adults and children have opportunities to learn respect and appreciation for the natural world.
Organizational Character: Natural lands nurture our humanity and our quality of life. We celebrate and relish the way open space makes us smile and laugh and brings us joy and solace. We have fun doing what we do.
We’re proud to be accredited by the Land Trust Alliance.
The Land Trust Alliance, based in Washington, D.C., is a national conservation organization that works in three ways to save the places people love: first, they increase the pace of conservation, so more land and natural resources get protected. Second, they enhance the quality of conservation, so the most important lands get protected using the best practices in the business. And third, they ensure the permanence of conservation by creating the laws and resources needed to defend protected land over time.
In 2011, the Summit Land Conservancy became the first land trust in Utah to be accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission. Our accreditation resulted from an extensive, external review process. It means that the Conservancy lives up to the rigorous professional guidelines of the Land Trust Alliance’s Standards and Practices for nonprofit management, conservation transactions and land stewardship.
The accreditation seal recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent.
The Land Trust Accreditation Commission awards the seal to community institutions that demonstrate the ability to protect important natural places and working lands forever. The Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance established in 2006, is governed by a volunteer board of diverse land conservation and nonprofit management experts from around the country. For more information please visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org.
By the numbers: view our most recent financial reports.
Read up: download our most recent annual report.
Download our most recent financial report and our annual Form 990s.
Each year, we carefully compile an annual report with our latest stats, collaborations, undertakings, and successes! Read the latest and get inspired to save our open spaces.
ready, set, get involved.
