Cache Valley • Most of Kendra Penry’s happiest memories take place in wild, open spaces — climbing trees, exploring woods, and sledding down hills without a sled, only to return home covered in dirt.
“They helped shape me,” Penry said, “and helped me to learn independence and to grow and to really value the world around me.”
The same, she believes, is true for many others. This belief drove her to work tirelessly in 2022 to promote an initiative to preserve such spaces. The measure, which appeared on the Cache County general election ballot that year, aimed to safeguard open spaces for the community. It is also the reason why she now serves on the advisory committee for the initiative and why she loves her role as the director of Logan Canyon’s Stokes Nature Center.
“[Open spaces] are so valuable to each and every person, whether we realize it or not, to be connected to our neighbors and to our own health,” she said. “Everybody deserves to have that access, no matter their background or their job or who they are. The community as a whole has to put value on it so that each individual can have access to it.”
The $20 million open space bond, embraced by Cache County voters, is designed to protect the rapidly growing county from losing its rural charm. The funds will support projects to protect scenic vistas, preserve open lands near the valley’s gateways, improve trail connectivity and benefit agriculture, waterways and wildlife.
The funds became available over the summer.
Rather than purchasing land outright, the county plans to use the money to purchase development rights from landowners, said Cache County Executive David Zook. This arrangement compensates landowners for agreeing not to develop their properties.
How land could — and could not — be used
The funds can be used to secure conservation agreements, public trail access on private land, or property for open space preservation and trail development. Farmers and ranchers who enter agreements with the county can continue using their land as they wish, provided they do not develop it.
“They can’t turn it from a farm into a neighborhood,” Zook said, “that won’t be allowed. But they could still use the land in its open form.”
This approach allows people like Joe Fuhriman, who operates and lives on Elkhorn Ranch, Cache Valley’s first settlement, to preserve both the land he has spent his life working on and his family’s history. It also protects wildlife and water on the ranch.
Fuhriman’s property, settled in 1855 by pioneer-prophet Brigham Young, the second president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is visible from State Road 165. It includes a major wildlife corridor, miles of farmland and the Blacksmith Fork River. Fuhriman, who grew up on the property, recalls being surrounded by waterfowl, birds of prey, fish and deer his whole life.
“You’d be surprised, the number of people that tell me, ‘Make sure you don’t develop that. That’s the most beautiful property in the county,’” Fuhriman said. “When I was growing up, even as a small, small boy, I thought I didn’t want to develop this. I want to keep this place as it is.”
Elkhorn Ranch was the first of two properties already approved for preservation by the Cache Open Space Advisory Committee and the County Council, receiving more than $1 million to shun development. The other property that has received approval from the committee is a farm in Richmond.
The committee, appointed by the county executive, is composed of volunteers passionate about the initiative. For Penry, the committee is a chance to advocate for preserving land that supports wildlife and provides joy to the community.
For Clair Ellis, another volunteer, it’s about ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.
County can’t buy everything
Ellis, who sells farm equipment and works closely with landowners, did not vote for the bond in 2022 — not because he opposes open space but because he prefers taxes and budgets to go through a standard legislative and public review process.
“The county cannot afford to simply buy everything and lock it away forever,” he said. “We’re going to have to be very selective. What I was very happy to find is I think every other committee member has that same view.”
The committee has developed criteria for evaluating properties: preserving prime agricultural land, promoting trail connectivity or public use, protecting waterways and wildlife habitats, and maintaining scenic vistas. Members score each proposed property out of 100 based on these factors.
One way the committee evaluates properties, Ellis explained, is by looking at other valleys in Utah that have been heavily developed and asking, “What if these areas had been preserved?”
“When you enter the county, there’s kind of that ‘wow moment’ when you drive over the hill and you see the whole valley open in front of you,” Ellis said. “People want to preserve that. And those are things that taxpayers, who are not farmers, are interested in, and so we’re balancing those.”
Gabriel Murray, executive director of the Bear River Land Conservancy — a nonprofit dedicated to preserving open space in Cache Valley — said the county’s initiative is crucial to the nonprofit’s mission. The organization had been working with Elkhorn Ranch for years to secure its preservation, and these funds make all the difference.
Elkhorn Ranch’s historic significance, public visibility — more than 25,000 drivers pass the property daily — and abundant wildlife habitat make it a prime candidate for preservation, Murray said.
Through the initiative, Murray added, the county has the chance to ease development pressures.
“It’s kind of timely, I guess you could say so right now,” he said. “We have the growth and we have the pressure, but we also have the opportunity. We’re working with second-, third-, fourth-generation landowners, many of which have a desire to see their land preserved and see those benefits for future generations. That won’t always be the case, but it is the case today in Cache Valley, and Cache Valley is a beautiful place.”
Editor’s note • This story is available to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers only. Thank you for supporting local journalism.
