200 Acres Added to Bonneville Trail (UT)

Lindon, Utah, 5/7/2003 – The Trust for Public Land, a national nonprofit conservation organization, today announced it has protected a key 200-acre parcel of land which will be included as part of the popular Bonneville Shoreline Trail (BST).

The property is located in Lindon, 35 miles south of Salt Lake City, along the hillsides below the mouth of Dry Canyon, at the base of Mount Timpanogos. This open hillside provides public access to Dry Canyon, the Mt. Timpanogos Wilderness and thousands of acres of the Uinta National Forest. This parcel will be transferred to the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest and will be a major link between the City of Lindon and all of the recreational opportunities offered by the BST and the Wasatch Range. Funding for the project came from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

“This is a wonderful addition to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and its protection had broad-based support, said Jenny Parks, TPL project manager. “This would not have been possible without the support of Utah’s congressional delegation. In particular, Sen. Robert Bennett, a member of the Interior Subcommittee which oversees funding for the LWCF, was instrumental in securing the funds necessary to protect this property.”

“This addition to the Bonneville Shoreline Trail is a great scenic and open space resource for the city of Lindon,” said Sen. Bennett. “Protection of this property will provide public access to Dry Canyon and the tremendous recreational opportunities of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. I’m glad we were able to secure funds necessary to protect this part of the Trail for all to enjoy.”

Larry Ellerston, mayor of Lindon, said, “This preservation of open space is something we have been working on for several years. I am very appreciative of the efforts of everyone who has helped it come to fruition. The residents of Lindon, as well as the surrounding communities and areas, will be benefited greatly by this accomplishment. We have some work yet to do regarding restoration and repair of the hillside. With everyone’s help, we can accomplish this and have a beautiful resource which we can all enjoy for the years to come.”

The BST has become one of the top recreation sites in the increasingly urban Salt Lake City region. When completed, it will run for more than 100 miles from Brigham City to Nephi, following the prehistoric shoreline of Lake Bonneville within the national forest along the foothills of the Wasatch Mountain Range. Although much of the trail is on private land, for years it has been heavily used by residents of six rapidly-growing counties – Box Elder, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, Utah, and Juab. Acquisition of this tract by the Forest Service will provide much needed public access to the trail system and popular forested recreation lands.

The Trust for Public Land is a national nonprofit land conservation organization conserving land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and natural areas, and ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since its founding in 1972, TPL has helped protect more than 1.6 million acres of land in 45 states. TPL depends on the support of individuals, foundations, and businesses.