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Show Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, February 17-20, 2018 The Park Record 10-year old Izzy. HELP SAVE THE OSGUTHORPE FARM IT’S UP TO US! DEAR FELLOW PARKITES, THE SUMMIT LAND CONSERVANCY NEEDS YOUR HELP TO SAVE THE BEAUTIFUL AND HISTORIC 158-ACRE OSGUTHORPE FARM ON OLD RANCH RANCH ROAD. HERE’S WHY If you drive Old Ranch Road, walk, run, or ride your bike or horse there, you pass by the Osguthorpe Farm. It’s that big, green space just east of Willow Creek Park on the north side of Old Ranch Road where in the quick sweep of an eye you take in open vistas, blue sky, and mountains. On the farm, Redtail hawks hunt, Sandhill cranes feed, and a family continues to pursue its agricultural heritage. For decades now, the Osguthorpe family has planted, grown, and harvested oats and alfalfa on what is today the last working farm in the Basin. The Osguthorpes consider farming a privilege, a gift. And they want to pass that gift along to their children, grandchildren, and generations of Parkites to come. Develop the land? Sure, the family has had lots of offers to do just that. But in their hearts they believe the land should remain a working farm and a vestige of Park City’s agrarian past. As Steve Osguthorpe, the family patriarch, puts it, “Houses are the last crop.” SAVING THE FARM To keep their land a working farm, the Osguthorpes have agreed to place a conservation easement, valued at $17.7 million, on their property. A conservation easement strictly limits uses of the land to safeguard its conservation values, and also strips away development rights forever. The Summit Land Conservancy, Park City’s local land trust, will hold the easement and serve as steward for the land, just as we do for the conservation easements in nearby Round Valley. To help make the easement on their land more affordable, the family reduced the price of the farm by over $3.4 million. Then the Conservancy successfully negotiated an $8.8 million grant from the federal government. That money, combined with the family’s contribution, totals 12.2 million, leaving $5.5 million to be raised. I’m delighted to say that, in just the last few months, the Conservancy and generous donors from throughout our community, donors large and small, came together to raise another $2.3 million to secure the conservation easement. That’s the good news. The more challenging news is this: We need to raise an additional $3.2 million to complete purchase of the easement and save the farm. HOW YOU CAN HELP While the Conservancy has to meet that $3.2 million goal just as quickly as we can, our most urgent and immediate need is raising $200,000 before February 28th – the end of this month – to take the next step in the deal and keep it moving forward. And to do that, we need the help of each and every Parkite who believes in saving open space. We need your help. So if you care about protecting nature and open space in Park City, then I ask you to please make a tax-deductible donation today. TO DONATE, PLEASE GO TO HTTP://WESAVELAND.ORG/OSGUTHORPE. * Any size donation matters. And all donations help us reach our goal. Again, please act today. Together, let’s make sure that houses are NOT the last crop on the Osguthorpe Farm. Sincerely, Cheryl Fox Executive Director Summit Land Conservancy 435-649-9884 | wesaveland.org A-13 |