Summit Land Conservancy has officially protected 99 acres known as Lind Ranches, permanently conserving a piece of the Kamas Valley Meadows. The conservancy said that the project plays an important role in safeguarding water resources, wildlife habitat and the rural character of South Summit. L ind Ranches, located in Marion, features open pastures, riparian areas and wet meadows that help move and filter water through the landscape before it reaches Beaver Creek and the Weber River. The project marks the 19th conservation easement completed through the conservancy’s For the Future campaign, an initiative to save more land and save it faster. The campaign’s projects altogether have permanently protected more than 15,000 acres across northern Utah, according to the conservancy. The Lind family purchased the original ranch in 1978 and added neighboring parcels in the mid-1980s. For nearly 50 years, the property has remained a working agricultural landscape, primarily used for rotational cattle and horse grazing. The land supports 80-90 head of cattle, and the family plans to continue this grazing operation in the future in conjunction with supporting the native wildlife that use the property. “Having lived much of our lives in this community, we have a deep appreciation for the agricultural heritage that has shaped the Kamas Valley and particularly for the hardworking families who have sustained it for generations,” said landowner Amy Ryldach. “Protecting this property within the Kamas Meadow corridor is a meaningful way to honor our roots and the rural character of this valley. We are honored to place this ranch under a conservation easement and are grateful to Summit Land Conservancy for their dedication to protecting the landscapes, open spaces, and way of life that make this community so special.” At the heart of the property’s conservation values is its connection to the Kamas Meadows, an agricultural landscape recognized by the Utah State Technical Committee in 2023 as a grassland of special environmental significance, known as a GSS. The meadows contain highly sensitive natural resources, which include soils and water systems that help maintain water flow and provide ecological benefits downstream. In addition, the landscape qualifies as a grassland of special environmental significance due to the strong threat of conversion to non-grassland uses and fragmentation in the Kamas Valley.  Lind Ranches contains hydric soils that function much like a natural sponge, according to the conservancy, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service classifies these soils as farmland of statewide importance. They allow water to move between groundwater and surface water while helping filter groundwater before it enters Beaver Creek. Flood irrigation and the naturally high water table across the property maintains surface water flow to Beaver Creek and contributes to groundwater recharge. Keeping the land in agricultural use will prevent the stormwater runoff, nutrients, and sediment that accompanies residential development and ultimately affects tributaries of the Weber River. “Protecting the Kamas Meadows is really about protecting the systems that sustain the valley,” said Cheryl Fox, CEO of Summit Land Conservancy. “These meadows hold and move water, recharge groundwater, support agriculture and provide habitat for wildlife. When we protect the land from development, we’re also protecting the water that flows through it and the communities and ecosystems downstream.” The property is also important habitat for wildlife, the conservancy said. Elk and mule deer use the ranch, particularly during winter when its lower elevation and productive vegetation provide valuable forage. Its wet meadows provide prime habitat for Sandhill cranes, which forage and nest in the area during spring and summer. Lind Ranches is part of a network of important migratory stops for Sandhill cranes in the Pacific and Central flyways, and the conversion of agricultural fields is identified as the primary threat to the species in Utah. The ranch is visible from S.R. 32, where its pastures, riparian corridors, agricultural fields and undeveloped hillsides contribute to the scenic landscape of the Kamas Valley, with views toward the Uinta and Wasatch Mountains. The conservancy said that the ranch’s permanent protection helps preserve the rural character of Marion as development pressure continues to spread into eastern Summit County. The conservation easement permanently removes the property’s development rights while allowing agricultural operations to continue. Lind Ranches is surrounded on three sides by other open agricultural properties, which the conservancy said creates an opportunity to maintain a larger network of working lands and natural habitat in the Kamas Valley. As development continues to spread into Marion, Kamas, Oakley and other rural communities, conserving the valley’s remaining meadows and agricultural lands will be increasingly important for the conservancy’s goal of protecting water, wildlife and the rural landscape that it said makes South Summit unique. The project was made possible through the partnership of the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Summit County’s Eastern Agricultural Open Space Advisory Committee, and Summit Land Conservancy donors. “The Lind Ranches conservation effort has been a long time coming,” said Jessica Kirby, director of Summit County’s Lands and Natural Resources. “Beginning with the family’s outreach to Summit County in late 2022 and carried forward by our partners at Summit Land Conservancy, this project protects a keystone property in the heart of the meadows that strengthens conservation across the entire landscape. I am especially grateful to the Lind family for their patience to see this to the finish!” Fox said that Lind Ranches is a great example of why protecting agricultural land matters. “A farm or ranch isn’t just a place where food is produced,” Fox said. “It can be a wetland, a wildlife refuge, a groundwater recharge area and an important part of a community’s identity all at once. Protecting these landscapes is an investment in the future of the entire Kamas Valley.” The post New conservation easement safeguards farmland, wetlands, water resources in the Kamas Valley appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less