Peaceful Valley Ranch

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Credit: Nevada Wier

Located on the eastern border of the Wasatch Mountains near Salt Lake City, 7,300-acre Peaceful Valley Ranch epitomizes the region's pastoral beauty. This working ranch has been in the same ownership for more than one hundred years. The ranch contains mountainsides of gambel oak, rich riparian corridors of cottonwood and willow, and lush valleys that support large herds of elk and mule deer. Historic features include the Mormon Pioneer Trail, a restored Pony Express Station, and fortifications erected by the Mormon Militia during the "Utah War" of 1857.

But with the coming of the Winter Olympics to Utah in 2002, development in the region had reached a fevered pitch. At the request of the state, and working with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other groups, TPL crafted and raised funds for a conservation easement that ensures the land is never developed. The project was part of the Utah Forest Legacy Program, a joint federal and state program that receives the bulk of its funding from the U.S. Forest Service.