Commission agrees to support Conservation Fund's Pace Family Ranch easement pending legal review

Gavin Kackel of the Conservation Fund presented a proposal to conserve the Pace Family Ranch near Kenara Mountain through a conservation easement. Kackel described the model as an acquisition of property rights rather than a fee‑simple purchase: "We're not actually buying, the property. We're just acquiring a property right," he said, and said the easement would allow ongoing ranching, grazing and stewardship activities while preventing subdivision and large‑scale development.

Kackel said the Conservation Fund is seeking federal Forest Legacy funding, state McAllister funding and private foundation support and listed letters of support already obtained from adjacent landowners and conservation organizations, including Zion National Park, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Washington County Water Conservancy District.

Commissioners asked whether public access or road use would change under the easement; Kackel said the easement would not require public access and that existing public roads such as Lower Basin Road would remain available. He also said easements include a forest stewardship plan recommending fuels‑reduction measures; commissioners requested explicit language protecting the county's access and ability to perform maintenance where necessary.

The commission voted to provide a letter of support for the project, subject to final legal review and adjustments to the template letter; staff said they would prepare county language and circulate it for signatures before the federal application deadline.

Why it matters: The proposed easement is part of a larger Zion Connectivity conservation effort and aims to preserve grazing, reduce development pressure and support landscape‑scale forest‑health work in a region vulnerable to wildfire. The county's letter will be included in the Conservation Fund's federal funding application.