The property supports deer, elk, bear, cougar, birds, rare plants, numerous archaeological sites and more than 42 miles of valuable cottonwood-riparian forest. More than $6.4 million was raised from 1,500 donors to purchase and endow this project.

In exchange for the purchase of the property, two charitable remainder unitrusts (CRUTs) were created. Another provision allows the cowgirl to remain on the property the rest of her life.

This generation owes it to Utah's future and to Utahns themselves to make decisions like these, said David Gardner, former president of the University of Utah.

"Utah is growing fast. However, unlike in so many other states, we still have a chance to safeguard our most significant natural lands," he said. "This is a rare and exceptional opportunity, but it is also a responsibility."

The conservancy looks for new and unusual partners and seeks out common ground on tough land issues, said Matheson, co-chairwoman of the conservancy's board of directors.

The state's chapter of the conservancy, part of a larger national group, has practiced unprecedented conservation strategies.

In 1983, the group acquired the Layton Marsh and became the first private conservation organization to purchase land on the Great Salt Lake. In 1986, it initiated the first collaborative land protection between a private conservation group and Brigham Young University when it bought the Lytle Ranch.

In a deal along the Strawberry River in 1987, the conservancy brokered the first cooperative land preservation effort between a private conservation organization and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Utah.

The Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve in 1991 was the first nature preserve acquired by a private conservation organization in Utah's Canyon Country.

"If you want a glimpse of the future of conservation in Utah or anywhere else, watch the Nature Conservancy," Matheson said.

And 20 years of statistics show the conservancy has accrued the following record:

• Conservation projects completed — 140.
• Private and public land protected — 880,000 acres.
• Chapter members — 6,000.
• Volunteers — 400.

Brad Barber has worked with the conservancy for several years as former Gov. Mike Leavitt's top man on land issues. "Their ability to bring a lot of people together to make something happen is incredible," Barber said.

And that's not always easy in Utah. A long tradition of stalwart protection of private property rights has stymied some facets of the so-called "smart growth" and open-space movement.