Nature Conservancy to Protect Popular Moab Property

Former “Adventure Park” Will Now Form Protected Corridor for Rare Plants and Wildlife

Salt Lake City, UT—February 15, 2005—The Nature Conservancy has signed a purchase agreement on a 160-acre parcel of land known to Moab residents as the “Moab Rim.” The property, popular for its hiking and jeep trail to the top of the Wingate Cliffs, forms a critical link in the network of protected lands near the Colorado River Portal. The Conservancy needs $462,000 to complete this acquisition, which is scheduled to close in mid-March.

Formerly the site of an adventure park business—a chair lift still rests on the cliff side—the Moab Rim property contains habitat for the globally rare plant Canyonlands lomatium. Even more important, however, is the property’s location between two key existing areas of biological importance: the Behind the Rocks Wilderness Study Area and the Conservancy’s Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve.

Southeast of the Moab Rim, nearly one third of the world's known population of the Canyonlands lomatium grows in the sandy valleys between cliffs in the Behind the Rocks area, which spans more than 25,000 acres. North of the Moab Rim, the 890-acre Matheson Wetlands Preserve represents the only high quality wetland remaining on the Colorado River in Utah, providing an oasis for more than 220 bird species.

Now safe from development, the Moab Rim property is a valuable connector and buffer, and a key component in the “big picture” for lasting conservation in the Colorado River Corridor.

“This purchase is about connecting pieces of the conservation puzzle in the Colorado River Corridor,” said Sue Bellagamba, the Conservancy’s Canyonlands Program Director. “Had this property been further developed, not only would its rare plant habitat have been impacted, but the wealth of rare plants and animals in both the Matheson Preserve and the Behind the Rocks Area could also have been threatened by additional light and noise pollution of future development.”

The Conservancy plans to remove and salvage the chair lift equipment and hopes to work with the Bureau of Land Management to manage the land in a way that enhances its animal and plant habitat as well as maintains its community recreation values. The Conservancy will work with Grand County and 4-wheel-drive user groups to keep the county-claimed jeep road open and well defined in order to protect private property and natural habitats on either side of the road.

“The Conservancy has been working for more than a decade to protect the most at-risk areas of the Colorado River Corridor,” said Chris Montague, the Conservancy’s Director of Conservation Programs. “It’s always exciting to see another important acquisition move us closer to realizing long-term conservation success for this incredible part of our state.”

The Conservancy is actively fundraising to support this purchase. Already, $180,000 has been raised toward the $462,000 goal, and the Conservancy is working to secure the remaining $282,000 needed prior to closing in mid-March. Utahns can contribute by calling 801-581-0999 or sending an email to: utah@tnc.org. Moab residents can contribute by shopping at Moonflower Market at 39 East 100 North in Moab on Tuesday, February 22, during which 5 percent of their purchase cost will go to support the Conservancy’s work at Moab Rim.

Piece by Piece…the Conservancy’s “Big Picture” for Protecting Utah’s Colorado River Corridor

Since 1990, The Nature Conservancy has worked to protect key natural areas along a 35-mile stretch of the Colorado River Corridor, lying largely between Moab and Dewey. Following is a brief timeline and overview of specific conservation actions:

1990-1991—In nearly 20 transactions, purchased the Scott M. Matheson Preserve, an 895-acre tract of wetlands, which provides critical habitat for a variety of birds and other wildlife. The preserve lies next to Moab, and is jointly owned and managed by the Conservancy and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.

1993 to 1994—Purchased the Mayberry Preserve, 210 acres of open space and contiguous wildlife habitat, including more than one mile of frontage on the Colorado River.

2000—Worked with private landowners to protect four separate tracts of land spanning 160 acres. The landowners purchased the parcels from School & Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), and then sold or donated conservation easements on the properties to the Conservancy. The properties featured largely undisturbed desert habitats located 27 miles northeast of Moab.

2001—Purchased three additional SITLA parcels totaling about 1,456 acres near the Mayberry Preserve along the Colorado River.

2001—Purchased a conservation easement with private owners on an 80-acre parcel of private land in Waring Canyon—a tributary to the Dolores River near Cottonwood Bend Ranch.

2001 to present—Participating in the Bureau of Land Management planning process to nominate a certain portion of the Colorado River Corridor for increased environmental protection as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC).

2002—Worked with the Utah Quality Growth Commission and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to place a conservation easement on the 184-acre Cottonwood Bend Ranch, protecting it from further development in perpetuity.

2003—Signed an agreement with SITLA to purchase Onion Hill, a 640-acre tract located at the foot of Fisher Towers. This purchase will stave off future development and help lessen the impacts of threats on the rest of the Corridor.

2004—Signed a purchase agreement for the Moab Rim, a 160- acre parcel (formerly the site of the Moab Adventure Park) that forms a conservation corridor between the Behind the Rocks Wilderness Area and the Conservancy’s Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve.

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The mission of The Nature Conservancy is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have protected more than 12 million acres in the United States and helped protect more than 80 million acres in the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. In Utah, The Nature Conservancy has completed over 140 conservation projects protecting nearly 900,000 acres of public and private land statewide.