Mission & Key Programs
Summit Land Conservancy works with Utah communities to conserve land and water for the benefit of people and nature.
Summit Land Conservancy’s Utah Headwaters Initiative focuses on strengthening the agricultural and ecological health of the Weber, Provo, and Bear River systems; all of which ultimately support the Great Salt Lake.
Through conservation easements and partnerships with landowners, we protect working lands while advancing stream restoration and upland management practices that conserve water and improve land resilience.
This work spans both river corridors and surrounding landscapes, enhancing aquatic habitat, sustaining agriculture, and documenting the carbon sequestration benefits of conserved lands.
service area
Morgan County, Summit County, Wasatch County, Weber County and beyond.
Summit Land Conservancy works across Northern Utah: the high ground of long snows, sage-brush meadows, dark pine forests, and clear, cold creeks. Rooted in the headwaters of the Provo, Weber, and Bear Rivers, our work supports communities today and safeguards these landscapes for future generations.
You can experience this impact firsthand across our service area: walking your dog in Round Valley, spotting elk on Quarry Mountain, skiing through the aspens of Empire Canyon, fly-fishing the Weber River, or passing by the McPolin Farmlands.
Unique in the Transboundary Rocky Mountains
Our service area forms a critical part of the Great Salt Lake’s watershed. The mountains of the Wasatch Back provide essential wildlife habitat, store carbon, and capture the precipitation that sustains downstream ecosystems and communities.
By conserving landscapes at scale, particularly rangelands, we reduce habitat fragmentation, safeguard migration corridors, and maintain the land’s natural ability to absorb, store, and slowly release water into aquifers, streams, and tributaries.
project highlights
Our most recent success stories include: Flint Place, Oakley Trail Park, Marchant Meadows and Bally Watts. Each project reflects our commitment to conserving land, supporting agriculture, and protecting water resources. Explore all of our projects here.
We’ve also been featured in the Salt Lake Tribune, Deseret News, ABC4 Utah, KSL News and Salt Lake Magazine for innovative water leasing efforts that help direct more water to the Great Salt Lake, demonstrating how conservation can support both working lands and critical ecosystems. Links to a variety of media coverage can be found below:
Northern Utah farm reaches agreement to lease quarter of its water to Great Salt Lake
Historic farm leases water shares to help save Great Salt Lake
Former Huntsville monastery to give up water for Great Salt Lake
Northern Utah farm reaches agreement to lease quarter of its water to Great Salt Lake
Saving Great Salt Lake by Preserving Land Where the Lake Begins
