Castle Valley Ranch

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Credit: Michael Patrick

Encircled by public forest, the 665-acre Castle Valley Ranch near Cedar City, Utah, was family-owned for more than a century. The diverse landscape includes meadows, woodlands, and wetlands that are home to many species of wildlife. The land provides important habitat for elk, which use the upper meadow in the summer, and for waterfowl, which live in the ponds and marshes. The family faced economic hardship and needed to sell the ranch to a developer, who had plans for cabin subdivisions. TPL was able quickly to step in and work with the Forest Service (USFS), which was concerned about this development threat, by negotiating with the developer, who agreed to keep the land intact until funds could be assembled for the purchase. The USFS was able to buy most of the land using Land and Water Conservation Funds in 2011, and TPL will hold the remaining 105 acres until additional funding is available.