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Press Release

Initiative to Preserve Kamas Meadows Receives $22M in Federal Funding through RCPP

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UtahSoilWildlife HabitatRegional Conservation Partnership Program
Publish Date
Kamas Valley meadow with mountains in background

The project, funded through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, will focus on protecting vital wetlands, agricultural lands, and soil preservation within the Kamas Meadows area of Summit County.

SUMMIT COUNTY, November 7, 2023 – A project focused on protecting vital wetlands, agricultural lands, and soil preservation within the Kamas Meadows area of Summit County was awarded $22,451,221.00 through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

The project, led by Summit Land Conservancy, will utilize targeted funding to protect multiple properties in Kamas Valley that are critical to building climate resilience, and work to:

  • Preserve and protect agricultural and environmental resources through conservation easements;

  • Improve the Kamas Meadows’ resistance to climate change by preserving soils with high carbon sequestration; and

  • Protect and maintain water quality and water flow through the Weber River basin, a major tributary to the Great Salt Lake and supplier of much of northern Utah's drinking water.

Summit Land Conservancy brings a history of protecting communities that will be essential to effective delivery of funds. Next steps in the process will involve working with partners to identify key properties to be protected.  

"The Summit Land Conservancy is honored to be the organization for this critical federal funding to help save the Kamas Valley,” said Cheryl Fox, chief executive officer for the nonprofit.  “Together with our partners at the NRCS, Summit County, landowners and many individual supporters, we now have the opportunity to truly save this essential natural resource for the future."

More information on RCPP

Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), RCPP leverages a voluntary approach to conservation that expands the reach of conservation efforts and climate-smart agriculture through public-private partnerships. Historic funding is made possible by both the Inflation Reduction Act, part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, and the Farm Bill. 

“RCPP not only provides an opportunity to work hand in hand with our partners in conservation like Summit Land Conservancy, it allows us to use tools like conservation easements to treat resource concerns in a way that is mutually beneficial to the community,” said Emily Fife, NRCS State Conservationist for Utah.

NRCS has more than doubled the initial allocation for 2023, capitalizing on the demand for RCPP with a total of $1.1 billion awarded to 81 selected projects, and ensuring project partners have the maximum amount of time to successfully implement conservation activities before funds expire in fiscal year 2031. For a full list of selected projects, please visit our website.

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