DWR acquires 5,519 acres for habitat and human access

By Rick Sherman

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources will add a large parcel of land to a Wildlife Management Area with the acquisition of 5,519 acres in the Lower Fish Creek area.
The land is being purchased by the Utah Department of Transportation from AgReserves, Inc., a for-profit company which is owned by the LDS Church. The parcel will then be exchanged for DWR property near the Lee Kay Shooting Center in West Valley City. The UDOT needs that real estate for part of the Mountain Corridor, a multi-phase freeway system project.
DWR Regional Supervisor Chris Wood reported the intention at the March 1 regular meeting of the Carbon County Commission. Wood said, “The additional acreage that we’d like to acquire would be a great addition, and would enhance our current Lower Fish Creek Wildlife Management Area. The current property we have- about 2,000 acres- offers great opportunity for sportsman, for fishermen, for hunters, for hikers, to recreate and hunt and fish on these properties.”
Wood assured the commissioners the DWR is not an agency that is actively trying to pursue and purchase private land. “This is a unique opportunity that came up as a result of UDOT buying the AgReserves property, and then trading it to the Division of Wildlife,” he explained.
The property has been on the market for several years, but Wood pointed out that access is limited to agricultural or timber-harvesting purposes. “It wouldn’t be much value- people wouldn’t be able to do much if they acquired it. However we think it’s a great fit for us. We have a specific niche in our constituency who loves the back-country experience. They don’t mind hiking and bringing horses in,” he continued. Wood said the goal is to have people access the new parcel on trails through the DWR’s adjacent property. Whether or not motorized vehicles will be allowed has yet to be determined. Wood said the area may be too steep and too rugged for ATVs, and the decision will be made after site trips to the area this summer.
AgReserves spokesman Doug Rose stated, “We did have a couple of soft offers come in and they were well below the appraised value, so we continued to reach out to potential buyers.” He said the DNR offer was eighty percent higher than the previous highest offer on the property, but the selling price was not disclosed because the transaction has not been completed.
Commissioner Casey Hopes recognized the revenue returned to the county from the DWR through Payments-In-Lieu-of-Taxes, but wondered if another use of the property would generate more. Hopes observed, “If somebody were to acquire the right-of-way that they needed, you could potentially go in and develop it or put a cabin lot there, which would increase the value and it wouldn’t take it off the tax rolls.” The scenario was addressed by DWR Real Estate Specialist Steve Hansen, who said research shows that to a county, a rural subdivision results in a net tax loss in terms of the services delivered, and the income that is brought in.
It was also pointed out that Carbon County will receive an additional $117,317 upon closing. Under the Farmland Assessment Act, when acreage is taken out of the Greenbelt agricultural status, the new owner must pay five years of back taxes.
Carbon County Public Lands Director Rex Sacco questioned DWR’s record on management for wild fires, citing a need for timber reduction on the WMA. Sacco pointed out the area is a watershed for most of the county. He was also concerned the area would be closed to livestock grazing. Wood replied, “We do so much habitat restoration. We use grazing as a tool- we use Rex’s cows as a tool to improve our lands. We do prescribed fires and chain link and bull hogs and lop & scatters. Our state leads the entire United States in habitat restoration work, and most of that is fuel reduction work.”
Wood continued, “We value grazing. We plan to explore the option of continuing to have grazing on this property we acquired. We have grazing at all our Wildlife Management Areas in Carbon County.”
The agenda item was not an action item and the deal, which is expected to close in late May does not require county approval.