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NRCS commits nearly $2 million as Elkhorn Ranch easement moves into final review
Summary
Presenters told the Cache County Open Space Advisory Committee that a federal NRCS award remains committed and that a multi‑party conservation easement for Elkhorn Ranch is being negotiated with landowner and multiple funders; county appraisal and final deed review are next steps.
Gabe, a project presenter, told the Cache County Open Space Advisory Committee on Oct. 27 that the Natural Resources Conservation Service has approved and is committed to funding the Elkhorn Ranch conservation project, contributing nearly $2,000,000 toward the total estimated project cost.
The federal commitment follows earlier local and state support: the county previously awarded $1,250,000 through its resolution supporting the phase‑2 open space effort, and the Lee Ray McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund provided about $250,000, Gabe said. “That funding is committed to the project,” he said, noting the award has not been rescinded.
Committee members were told the next steps are legal and technical: staff have begun title reports, environmental due‑diligence work and a survey, and a draft conservation easement deed is under negotiation. The deed is being written to satisfy multiple partners’ requirements, Gabe said: the county’s open space bond objectives, NRCS, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food and the landowner. When the parties agree on the deed language, the presenters said they will submit the deed to NRCS and move to an appraisal phase, which could change final funding amounts.
The nut of the matter, committee members were told, is that this is a multi‑party transaction with complex, overlapping requirements. “We have an initial draft of that deed,” Gabe said. “As we’ve drafted it, we’ve worked to consider the county’s requirements and the objectives of the Cache County Open Space Bond… We’re also trying to meet NRCS’s requirements as well as Fairwood Land Conservancy’s requirements, the Utah Department of Agriculture Fund, their requirements, and the land owner.”
Speakers advised the committee that conservation easements require ongoing monitoring and are difficult to amend once executed. Matt Coombs, who identified himself as a conservation director, described common easement terms and the administrative limits on future changes. “Amendments are difficult, and it is because those those different parties,” Coombs said, adding that federal funding and IRS rules that affect donation valuation further complicate later changes.
Presenters also described how holders monitor and enforce easements: annual visits with landowners, insurance for enforcement, and written procedures for violations. The committee asked whether the NRCS commitment represented the original budget; the presenter replied that the commitment is “nearly $2,000,000” and that an appraisal could raise or lower the amount and require renegotiation.
What happens next: finalize the easement language with the landowner, route the draft to county legal counsel and the other funders for review, submit the approved deed to NRCS, then proceed to appraisal. Committee members and presenters noted staffing and federal program capacity may slow reviews at the state and federal level, and that future federal funding remains uncertain.
The presentation closed with an invitation for committee questions and a plan to return with updates once the deed review and appraisal steps advance.
