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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah is closing in on a major land purchase that would drastically increase the size of a popular state park and state wildlife refuge near the Morgan-Salt Lake county line, but the deal requires more state funds before it's finalized, project officials say.
A pair of Utah Department of Natural Resources divisions are currently under a contract with a private landowner in the area that would give Utah about 2,500 acres of land by both East Canyon State Park and East Canyon Wildlife Management Area, said Chelsea Duke, lands program coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
She explained that the land would help both Utah's Wildlife Resources and State Parks divisions preserve, or expand, existing recreation opportunities in the area. It would also preserve access to the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail that cuts through the property.
The two divisions have set aside $10 million toward the purchase; however, that only covers a little more than half of the price the divisions agreed on. Sen. Ann Millner, R-Ogden, requested that Utah direct another $9.5 million of the state's upcoming budget to help finalize the deal by January 2025, when the deal is set to close.
Millner told members of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee on Monday that she supports the efforts because she believes it's a rare opportunity for the state to expand recreation opportunities for Wasatch Front residents. In this case, it would offer more wildlife preservation, outdoor recreation and history preservation.
"It will increase family-friendly activities to a burgeoning Wasatch Front population," she said. "I don't think there are many opportunities like that that come along."
Expanding East Canyon areas
East Canyon State Park drew in a little over 230,000 visitors last year, placing it just outside of Utah's 10 most visited state parks. The East Canyon Wildlife Management Area offers critical habitat for big game and other wildlife species, and it's a key piece of a major deer migration corridor east of the Wasatch Front.
The plan calls for most of the land, about 2,100 acres in total, to go toward the wildlife management area, while the remaining 400 acres would go to the state park, though that detail is being worked on, Duke said. The purchase would increase wildlife habitat for deer and elk, sage grouse and other animals, as well as include space for a new campground with 50 to 70 new campsites.
"The purchase of this property would result in the expansion of both of these properties and would provide additional recreational opportunities, as well as the preservation of wildlife habitat," she told the committee.
The purchase would also help protect access to the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail from any future development, she added. While the exact path Latter-day Saint pioneers took to the Salt Lake Valley is a bit of a mystery, she notes that it's believed pioneers crossed through the land in question before crossing Emigration Canyon and reaching the valley.
She said it also opens up other new recreation options, such as mountain biking or off-highway vehicle trails that could be managed by the Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation, another section of the natural resources department.
Hoping to close the deal
The only difficulty is that more funds are needed to complete the purchase. Members of the subcommittee didn't have much to say about the presentation, but they did have questions about the agreement in place.
Duke explained that the divisions did a "thorough analysis" and expect that the agreement will be "at or below" an appraised value that is expected to be completed in the coming days. The deal will fall through if the divisions aren't able to secure the money and the land could instead be used for new development in the area.
Utah lawmakers are close to wrapping up appropriations requests for the upcoming fiscal year budget. They have until March 1 to decide what projects will receive partial or full funding for the 2025 fiscal year budget before it begins in July.
