The Elkhorn Ranch is one of the projects we have been working on over the past year. Currently, the Elkhorn Ranch is in step three of the process (see this post for all our steps). This project took several years to get through steps one and two and we would not have been able to move this project forward without the passing of the Cache Open Space Bond in 2022. According to Gabe, our Executive Director, we are pursuing this project because:
“Elkhorn Ranch conserves a great deal of property in a very rapidly developing area of Cache County. There are effectively four cities that are growing all around the property. The property, which is visible from the highway between Logan to Nibley (Hwy 165), protects open space, critical agricultural values, and is the last remaining piece of the original Elkhorn Ranch established in 1855. The property also contains the Blacksmith Fork River, a critical tributary to the Logan and Bear rivers.”
After we secured funding from the Cache County bond, several people reached out to congratulate us on a job well done, but this project is not a done deal just yet! As Gabe Murray put it in a recent interview:
“This is a two or three year project, and we’re on month six. Cache County has gotten the ball rolling on this project. Now we’re looking at pursuing additional funding from the state and from the federal government. We’re initiating our due diligence, mineral report, and title report, and really beginning to work through the project.”
We are so grateful to have been the first land trust to win project funding from the Cache Open Space Bond. As we’ve explained here, not every funding source is willing to pay for our staff time to work on projects. However, BRLC staff were able to successfully make our case and the bond money will pay for our staff time to do due diligence on that project. This sets an important precedent for future projects.
We have three other projects in stages three and four which could protect up to 20,000 acres if all goes well. We can’t disclose much information about those projects, but we currently estimate that our staff will have to secure an additional $1M to $5M to make these projects happen.
Thank you for your continued support of open space, wildlife habitat, farming, and ranching!
