Lehi officers rejoice ‘victory for open area’ by conservation easement

LEHI — Lehi is celebrating a conservation easement it made with Draper in preserving 900 acres of open area in Traverse Mountain.

A ribbon slicing ceremony by Lehi Mayor Mark Johnson will likely be 10 a.m. Saturday on the Hidden Canyon Trailhead, 6363 N. Fox Canyon Highway. The occasion will even rejoice Nationwide Trails Day with info tables on mountain biking, path techniques, conservation teams, native companies and different outside fanatic teams.

The Lehi Metropolis Council unanimously handed a decision on March 26 approving the conveyance of a deed of conservation easement to Draper beneath the Utah Land Conservation Easement Act.

“I am thrilled to rejoice the preservation of this important open area,” stated Todd Munger, director of setting sustainability for Lehi. “As Lehi continues to develop, it is essential to keep up areas the place residents and guests can join with nature. The Traverse Mountain Conservation Easement ensures that future generations may have the chance to get pleasure from this lovely area.”

Munger stated there may be sprawl occurring in every single place across the metropolis, and conserving this open area will assist protect the standard of life in Lehi.

Metropolis officers stated this easement is a “victory for open area,” made potential by years of grasp planning within the Traverse Mountain space and Draper’s “willingness to encourage sustainability by holding the easement grantee.”

Lehi will oversee the upkeep of the native organic variety, together with managing invasive weeds, path restoration, erosion management and habitat restoration, in accordance with the easement settlement. Lehi remains to be the property proprietor and bears accountability for all operation, repairs and upkeep prices.

Draper will likely be tasked with imposing the “conservation values” which the settlement outlined as preservation of pure habitat for plant and wildlife species, safety of scenic views, public leisure experiences and academic values, and safeguarding the property’s proximity to different open areas together with Nook Canyon Regional Park, Little Valley, Forest Service Land, the Salt Lake County Flight Park and Flight Park State Recreation Space.

The settlement stated the aim of the easement is for the property to “stay ceaselessly open and accessible to the general public for recreation and scenic enjoyment, defending in perpetuity its distinctive pure, wildlife habitat, open area, instructional, public leisure, public entry and scenic conservation values” and forestall any actions that may hurt the property.

Makes use of allowed on the open area embrace public entry for instructional functions; recreation together with climbing, mountain biking, e-biking and equestrian use; path administration and development of trail-related buildings and indicators; upkeep and restoration of the native ecosystem; agrichemicals and organic controls to include weeds, invasive species, and mosquitoes; fireplace suppression and managing present utilities.

The easement prohibits development for human habituation or industrial actions, harassment of wildlife, alteration of watercourses and topography, introduction of nonnative species, new roads, motorized autos, agricultural makes use of, dumping of waste and mineral actions corresponding to exploration, mining, mass grading, or extraction of gear from the property.

Group improvement director Kim Struthers stated on the March 26 assembly that the easement was a fruits of months of effort and Lehi will nonetheless personal the property, however it’s “relinquishing sure rights to preserve the worth of this space.” He added, its town’s approach of “attempting to get rid of the likelihood sooner or later that this is able to ever be developed or mined or graded.”

The Lehi mayor stated though he would not wish to “tie future councils’ arms,” preserving the open area is “actually vital.” On the assembly when the decision was accepted, he stated he was comforted to know the settlement permits Lehi and Draper to work collectively to amend the easement if the cities deem it essential to do one thing they imagine remains to be applicable throughout the conservation values sooner or later.

Draper Mayor Troy Walker stated his metropolis is comfortable to be a part of this settlement and stated Draper has a core group worth of open area.

“Open area is an enormous deal and it is actually a recreation changer for high quality of life,” Walker stated. He added that this particular open area is efficacious because it retains the gravel pit mining on the level of the mountain in verify.