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Wasatch Open Lands Board backs $750,000 recommendation for Pear Tree Llama Farm easement
Summary
The Wasatch County Open Lands Board voted 6-0 to recommend $750,000 in county open-space bond funds for a conservation easement on the Pear Tree Llama Farm (White Family Living Trust), while asking staff to complete due diligence on water shares and easement language.
The Wasatch County Open Lands Board on Monday recommended that the county council allocate up to $750,000 in open-space bond funds to help secure a conservation easement on the Pear Tree Llama Farm (White Family Living Trust) in Midway.
The vote followed a presentation by land-conservation staff and public comment. Board chair Heidi Franco opened the hearing and staff described the property as roughly 39.056 acres used historically for grazing and currently supporting llamas and leased grazing to a nearby dairy. The application requests $750,000 in county bond funds and lists a 25 percent landowner donation; final donation and match amounts will be confirmed in due diligence.
Why it matters: board members emphasized that the parcel is a visible agricultural viewshed near Center Street, adjacent to trails and the Provo River corridor, and that protecting it would preserve scenic and working-agriculture values in the valley.
Board and staff said the application raises several technical issues that must be resolved before a conservation easement is signed. Staff told the board the parcel is associated with about 24 irrigation shares and that federal funding rules (including NRCS requirements) make clarification of which water shares are encumbered by the easement a priority. Staff also said Midway Irrigation historically allocates one share per acre in the area and that the conservation easement language will need to carefully distinguish between “water shares” and “water rights.”
Public comment included a written submission from Dan and Trudy Simmons about a separate UDOT regional project; the board read the comment into the record. Board members asked staff to continue due diligence on water-share documentation and to work with water counsel and the federal funding partner to ensure the easement will be enforceable with the property’s historic agricultural uses preserved.
The motion recommending the Pear Tree Llama Farm application for up to $750,000 passed 6-0. The board directed staff to include standard conditions (certified appraisal, title report, clear documentation of water interests, conservation-easement language reviewed by county counsel and any required matches) when the recommendation goes to county council for final approval.
Board chair Heidi Franco said the recommendation and the required draft language should be ready quickly so the council’s public notice can be posted for the February 3 or February 5 county-council meeting.
The board’s positive recommendation is only the next step; county council approval and completion of the conservation-easement documents (including final verification of water interests and funding matches) are required before any county funds are disbursed.
