Utah Open Lands Conservation Association

Description

Utah Open Lands is an accredited land trust conservation association that preserves open space in Utah.

Its mission is to preserve, protect and steward open space to maintain Utah’s natural heritage and quality of life for present and future generations. It works by assisting private landowners, government agencies and communities in the voluntary preservation of agricultural, scenic, recreational, historic and wildlife values on open land. Its primary conservation tool is the conservation easement, a permanent legally binding contract that restricts development on a property while the landowner keeps title to the land and can continue to live on it, use it, sell it or pass it on.

As an accredited land trust, it meets national quality standards set by the Land Trust Alliance Accreditation Commission for protecting natural places and working lands forever. This includes adopting recognized standards and practices for ethical and technical operation.

The organization began in 1990 as the Summit Land Conservation Association in Summit County, Utah, and became a statewide land trust in 1995. It works across Utah, protecting open spaces, recreation areas and family farms for the benefit of both current communities and future generations.