Landowner presents preliminary plan to conserve Seth Alder farm river corridor and add public trail

Kathleen Alder, trustee for the Seth Alder property, told the Cache County Open Space Advisory Committee on Feb. 3 she wants to conserve the river corridor along the Blacksmith Fork River and explore public access via a trail.

The proposal is at an early stage. Alder said an appraisal is underway to determine how much land should be conserved. She described the site as a riparian corridor with wetlands and wildlife habitat and said the owners want a publicly accessible trail along the river while allowing nonriver areas to be developed. “I am the trustee for this large piece of property … I understand the need to conserve riparian areas,” Alder said.

Staff and the applicant discussed two paths for funding and delivery: a trails application that would focus on constructing a trail (with construction money provided by UDOT) or an open‑space/conservation easement application that would secure a broader corridor for habitat and public access. Landis (staff) described two UDOT trail alignment options; UDOT is scheduled to build a segment that would connect the soccer complex north of the property to Ridgeline High School, and the proposed conservation area would lie adjacent to that trail corridor.

Alder and her agent, Alex Berenson, said the plan could include a corridor substantially wider than a typical 20‑foot trail easement — applicants have discussed a corridor of roughly 50–100 feet or, in some conceptual talk, broader river‑corridor protection — to accommodate trail construction, wetland mitigation and floodplain constraints. Berenson said the project vision includes a trail open to the public, habitat restoration and mitigation work tied to the river and wetlands.

Committee members and staff raised technical and funding points. Staff noted the land is largely inside the 100‑year floodplain, meaning any development will require floodplain mitigation. Committee members suggested coordination with federal and state mitigation and conservation programs, including NRCS and Army Corps of Engineers permitting, and flagged that conservation appraisals for easements may require a different appraisal approach than a typical market appraisal. Alder said she has ordered an appraisal and expects to follow up with a conservation appraisal appropriate for an easement application.

Members discussed coordination with adjacent landowners, including Roger Dally and the owner of the Blackstone parcels, which Alder said are willing to consider conservation actions so both sides of the river could be protected. The committee also discussed whether to pursue a trails application (narrower corridor focused on construction) or an open‑space easement (broader corridor that could fund acquisition and mitigation). One staff speaker noted that the county council had previously forwarded a related application to a second round under a resolution that referenced a 10% funding level; committee members characterized that council discussion as generally supportive of agricultural easements and conservation but abbreviated.

Next steps Alder and staff described: the applicant will complete the conservation appraisal, clarify the exact corridor and development plans, and return to the committee with a formal application. Staff said it will advise whether a trails application, an open‑space easement application, or a combined approach is most appropriate. No formal committee vote was taken at this meeting on the property; the discussion was recorded as preliminary guidance and information sharing.

Alder emphasized public access and habitat values: “We want people to walk along there. We want people to enjoy how beautiful it is,” she said, noting sandhill cranes and other birds use the corridor. Committee members encouraged coordination with UDOT, Logan City and other regional partners so the river corridor and trail connections can be integrated into a larger valley‑wide network.