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Wasatch Open Lands Board reviews two conservation NOIs, asks county to consider local match and hearing schedule
Summary
Utah Open Lands presented two Notices of Interest — Pear Tree Llama Ranch and a GH Square (Holmes family) dairy — requesting local matching funds alongside federal RCPP applications. The board asked staff to add water-share counts to NOIs, noted county bond funds remaining, and set local and county public hearing dates in January.
Utah Open Lands asked the Wasatch County Open Lands Board on Wednesday to endorse two conservation easement proposals and to prepare materials for county council consideration.
The presentations covered the Pear Tree Llama Ranch in southern Midway and a dairy operation owned by GH Square (the Holmes family). Utah Open Lands told the board it had secured a $15,600,000 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that will fund a portfolio of projects; the two NOIs are among the preselected projects being advanced for local and federal matching support.
Why it matters: both projects aim to preserve working agricultural land and scenic corridors at a time of rising development pressure in Midway and eastern Heber Valley. Local matching commitments strengthen applications to NRCS and other funders, and the board’s recommendation helps leverage city, county and private dollars.
What was proposed: Utah Open Lands requested $750,000 in local support for the Pear Tree Llama Ranch (about 39.56 acres) and said landowners Kathleen and Gerald White have pledged a substantial donation toward the easement. For the Holmes dairy (a proposed 52‑acre easement), staff said the request to local partners is $1,000,000 while an NRCS application seeks roughly $3.9 million. Utah Open Lands said landowner donations for the Holmes package would constitute a significant portion of the easement value (presented as a roughly 25% landowner contribution in the NOI materials).
Board questions and clarifications focused on the NOI paperwork and technical details. Members asked staff to add exact irrigation-water share counts and parcel numbers to the Pear Tree NOI; Utah Open Lands agreed to revise the NOI to list the number of water shares encumbered by the conservation easement and to produce a clearer map showing building envelopes and the portion of the parcel to be protected.
Financial context: board members were told that about $1,692,000 remained in the county’s open-space bond fund (of a $10 million bond). Utah Open Lands noted the county would need roughly an additional $58,000 to fully fund the two requests at the levels discussed, depending on final appraisals and other local commitments. Staff said they would pursue other sources such as the LeRoy McAllister Fund and Midway City bond dollars to leverage county dollars.
Landowner perspective: Kathleen and Gerald White addressed the board and described wildlife, sagebrush stands and the property’s visual role as an entry corridor to Midway. "I’ve been fortunate to enjoy that property in Midway for many, many years, and I want to see it stay that way," a landowner said, explaining the family’s conservation interest.
Next steps: the board agreed to present updated NOI materials at its Jan. 13 meeting and recommended the county council schedule a public hearing for Jan. 22 so councilors could receive public testimony and consider any county funding commitment. Utah Open Lands also said it will finalize its partnership agreement with NRCS and pursue private fundraising in March to build match commitments.
The board did not take a formal funding vote at the meeting; it approved procedural minutes at the start of the session and will revisit both NOIs after staff submits updated NOI documents and maps to the board and the county.
