New Easement Connects Protected Lands Across Ogden Valley

HUNTSVILLE, Utah — [January 5, 2026] — Summit Land Conservancy has announced the closing of a conservation easement on Flint Place, permanently protecting 1,017 acres of working agricultural land and wildlife habitat in Weber County, just south of Huntsville. The project was the Conservancy's seventh conservation easement in 2025, rounding out the year's total acres saved to almost 6,500.

Flint Place is one of the last large, intact rangeland properties in the Ogden Valley. Importantly, it is located close to other permanently protected lands, including the Historic Monastery Farm (1,050 acres) and Bally Watts (2,772 acres), creating a large, unbroken block of conserved open space in the Upper Ogden Valley. Together, these protected properties form a connected landscape that allows wildlife to move freely across elevations while preserving the agricultural and scenic character of the valley.

The property provides relatively natural habitat for a wide range of wildlife, including elk, mule deer, moose, black bear, mountain lions, and other predators such as bobcats. The rangeland and sagebrush steppes are especially important as winter habitat and as a migration corridor between seasonal ranges. Flint Place lies within the current population distribution of the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, a sagebrush-obligate species that now occupies only about 5 percent of its historic range nationwide and 4 percent in Utah. The area between Mountain Green in Morgan County and Huntsville, is one of the few remaining strongholds for this species in the state. Flint Place is also adjacent to two known active Greater sage-grouse leks in the region.

“This project protects a landscape that is doing a lot of work for the Ogden Valley community,” said Cheryl Fox, CEO of Summit Land Conservancy. “Flint Place supports local agriculture, sustains wildlife populations, preserves scenic views, and helps protect water quality in the Lower Weber River watershed—all at a time when development pressure in the valley continues to grow.”

The property has been in agricultural use since 1941, when it was purchased by the current owner’s family, and remains an active working landscape today. The conservation easement ensures the land will remain undeveloped while allowing continued ranching and farming operations, including livestock grazing and alfalfa production, supporting both the agricultural heritage and rural character of the Ogden Valley.

In addition to its agricultural value, Flint Place plays a critical role in protecting water quality for downstream communities. By preserving the land as open rangeland and preventing subdivision and large-scale development, the easement reduces stormwater runoff and sediment entering Pineview Reservoir and the upper Ogden River, an important source of culinary drinking water for the region.

"My daughters and I are so pleased that we've been able to work with Ogden Valley Land Trust and Summit Land Conservancy to preserve our family's legacy, while protecting the open space that makes this valley so special," said landowner, Marian Martin.

The easement was donated by Flint Place, LLC, managed by Marian Martin, whose family has stewarded the land for generations. The project was completed in partnership with Ogden Valley Land Trust, which will work alongside Summit Land Conservancy to steward and monitor the property in perpetuity.

"Marian and her daughters have made an amazing gift in donating this easement on their property. Their love for this land has created a permanent legacy of beautiful, windswept hillsides, wildlife habitat, and intact ecosystems for the future," stated Fox.

Flint Place is bordered by Snowbasin-owned lands to the west and by existing residential development to the north and east, underscoring the growing development pressure in the area. With expansion continuing around Huntsville and Snowbasin, conserving large, connected landscapes like Flint Place is essential for protecting wildlife habitat, maintaining agricultural viability, and preserving the scenic character that defines the Ogden Valley.

Kirk Langford, a Summit Land Conservancy Board member and also a long-time Board member of the all-volunteer Ogden Valley Land Trust said, "You can’t celebrate this enough! Thank you Marian, and thank you Summit Land Conservancy Team for your outstanding job executing this easement."

Conservation of Flint Place is made possible because of the generous support provided by community partners like: the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation, the Makowski Conservation Trust, the Lawrence T. & Janet T. Dee Foundation, Cross Charitable Foundation, as well as donations made by individuals to both Ogden Valley Land Trust and Summit Land Conservancy.

The partner land trusts are on track to complete two more conservation easements in the Huntsville area in 2026, saving an additional 130 acres. To learn more about this project or Summit Land Conservancy’s conservation work, visit wesaveland.org.

Source & Full Article: Released by the Summit Land Conservancy January 5th, 2026.