Utah Open Lands

Wendy Fisher is the Executive Director of Utah Open Lands.  She founded the organization in 1990 and has had a direct role in the preservation of over 58,000 acres of land.  Utah Open Lands and Wendy have been recognized as a leader in conservation efforts in Utah.  Wendy has served on various legislative task forces looking at agricultural, trail and open space preservation.  She also served as one of the founding board members of Envision Utah. Wendy grew up in Utah County and credits her days riding her horse though the fruit orchards and the foothills of Mount Timpanogos as a fundamental reason for her dedication to land conservation in the state.

Charity Jessop is the Programs and Outreach Coordinator at Utah Open Lands.  She was raised in the Salt Lake Valley and was an Interactor through high school and a RYLArian (participant and alumni leader) for 4 years.  She’s excited to working for an organization who protects what she loves- farm-land, deserts, mountains, and rivers: Utah.

UTAH OPEN LANDS INTRO

You already know Utah Open Lands:  whether you live in Utah or have been lucky enough to visit, you are rejuvenated and inspired by the landscapes we protect.  In preserving open spaces, recreation areas, and family farms, we protect the heritage and experience of the land, both for today’s communities and tomorrow’s generations.  UOL is a non-profit land trust funded by private donors and community members.  We achieve our mission of preserving open space and maintaining Utah’s natural heritage and quality of life by assisting private landowners and communities in the voluntary preservation of the agricultural, scenic, recreational, historic and wild lands which make Utah a great place to live.

PRESENTATION SUBJECT MATTER

We would like to share some stories of preservation with your club and take a moment to educate you about land preservation in Utah and the positive cultural and economic impacts that come with setting aside important open spaces.  Utah is growing 10% faster than the rest of the nation, and we’d like to share an inspiring message of how willing landowners, seeing this growth, have put their lands under easement as a gift to both current and future generations.  We will share a little bit about what is involved when a landowner comes to us with the determination that she wants to preserve her property, and will also touch on the ways a community can be engaged in protecting a treasured place.