Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Conservation Easement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Utah Agricultural Land Trust previews 334-acre Christiansen Farm easement, seeks $525,000 from Cache open-space fund
Summary
Utah Agricultural Land Trust presented a pre-application to the Cache Open Space Advisory Committee for a 334-acre conservation easement on the Christiansen family farm near Richmond, noting concurrent NRCS and LeRay McAllister funding applications and asking the committee for a $525,000 cash contribution.
Utah Agricultural Land Trust told the Cache Open Space Advisory Committee on Oct. 6 that it intends to apply for a conservation easement on the 334-acre Christiansen family farm near Richmond and will ask the county—s open-space fund for $525,000 toward the purchase.
The pre-application presentation matters because the farm is a fourth-generation working operation that the trust and landowners say could leverage federal and private funding. Debbie Vanoy, a founder and board member of the Utah Agricultural Land Trust, said the trust has already submitted an application to the Natural Resources Conservation Service and that the LeRay McAllister Critical Land Conservation Fund applied Aug. 31 and brought its board to visit the site.
Vanoy described the property as 334 acres across 11 parcels used for wheat, barley, corn and alfalfa and supporting 225 head of beef cattle. She said the family and the trust estimate the conservation-easement value at about $5,000,000, with preliminary owner "estimates" of about $1,400,000 for the portion the landowner might donate back; she called those numbers estimates and said an official appraisal has not yet been completed. Vanoy said the proposed cash request to the county open-space program is $525,000.
Landowner representatives Vivian Christiansen, her son Dane and daughter Jennifer joined the presentation. Vanoy said the family is concerned about public access and trails because the property is an active working farm; she told the committee she had not indicated to the landowners that trails would be a requirement of a Cache open-space approval. "I have not indicated to them that that's a requirement of the cash open space committee," Vanoy said.
Committee members discussed visibility from Highway 11600, adjacent waterways (High Creek and the Cub River/Cub River drainage) and nearby recreational features, including the Richmond City sports complex and a baseball field near the western boundary. Committee staff noted the Cache County Trails Master Plan often places trails along roads and that a trail through the parcels was not currently shown on the plan.
Vanoy said the trust and partners view the project as likely to receive funding if NRCS and LeRay McAllister awards proceed: "Lee Ray McAllister [board members] were at the property on Friday. That's always a good sign. We think that there's a very strong chance that the application ... will be accepted." She also said the trust will submit a formal application to the county and that staff will prepare a report and schedule a site visit once the application is filed.
No formal vote or commitment of county funds was taken at the meeting; the item was a pre-application discussion. Committee members advised the applicants to proceed with a formal Phase 1 application so staff can draft the report and arrange a site visit.
