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This year marks Summit Land Conservancy’s 20th Anniversary as Park City’s local land trust–- 20 years of saving the landscapes that are the heart of our community. The first 20 years of forever…
To honor the places we have protected, we will highlight and share some of the stories about these precious lands and how the Conservancy has grown over the years.
UP&L: Now, what does that stand for? Utah Power & Light once owned a small parcel of land located one block from the Old Town ski lift. Surrounded by privately held land of high development value and potential, the open space on the corner of 9th Street and Park Avenue always had the possibility of being challenged for development-- that is why Park City Municipal stepped up and bought it. In 2005, the Summit Land Conservancy permanently removed all development pressures by placing a conservation easement on the land. But don't let the size of UP&L Park fool you. The half acre of property possesses natural, scenic, recreational, and visual open space values. It is a perfect place to enjoy a picnic, a parade, or a Silly Market Bloody Mary, and sit among the flowering trees.
"Lots of people know of the work that the Conservancy does to protect our most important recreational areas like Empire Pass, Round Valley, and the McPolin Farmlands. There’s a lot of glory when we protect those great big swaths of land, but sometimes the smaller parcels are just as important.
Sometimes it’s the smaller morsel of green space, the relief from tall buildings and hot pavement that are most needed. The UP&L Park at the bottom of Park City’s Main Street, next to the roundabout, is one such gem. If you’re on Park City’s Main Street for this holiday weekend take a minute to notice that bit of shade and soft grass.
The UP&L Park was one of the first properties that Park City acquired with open space bond funds. This is the same bond that bought us hundreds of acres in Round Valley, the Virginia Mining Claims above Old Town, and the Richards Ranch property behind the Olympic Legacy Statue on Highway 224.
We weren’t sure we should put a conservation easement on the tiny parcel at the bottom of Main Street, but, we had to expand our idea of conservation beyond wild landscapes and wildlife to include something equally important: community space.
Over the years we’ve seen kids frolicking in the UP&L Park, we’ve sat in the shade of those trees as bands played and parades marched past. In effect, the UP&L Park is a community “green.”
As we gather on Main Street to celebrate the nation’s birth this weekend, perhaps this small bit of conserved land will help us to remember how town “greens” were essential to the development of representative government. We need places where friends can meet in the open air, where we can stand together on a hot day and acknowledge that we are inheritors of a powerful legacy which we honor through civility, where we remember that the land under our feet is common ground."
Learn more about the Conservancy’s work and how you can save the lands and waters you cherish at www.wesaveland.org.
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