From Deseret News archives:
Preserve reaches out to public
Focus of Summit County meadow, wetlands is education, conservation
But it was a land deal that Swaner's wife and children did not feel comfortable approving. Instead, the Swaner family chose an unusual way of memorializing its husband and father: They preserved the land as 1,200 acres of open space.
For over a decade, the Swaners acquired parcels that connected to the ranch. Piece by piece, the land was secured with conservation easements and officially named the Swaner Nature Preserve.
Today, this nonprofit land trust is nestled in the middle of massive development. Housing units border the north, east and south sides of the preserve, and the popular Redstone shopping center and the Newpark Town Center sit on the west.
"We're doing everything we can to stay ahead of this encroaching development," said Colleen Rush, the preserve's executive director. "We don't pretend we're a natural forest far away from development. We're part of this community."
The land spans both sides of I-80, and the historic Wallin Farm serves as a landmark on the southwest corner. The land is a watershed, and East Canyon Creek, Kimball Creek and Spring Creek run through the property.
However, few people know about the preserve, Rush said, and many think of it merely as fields and views. "But there's so much more," she said.
Education is also the first step toward restoring the wetlands and teaching community-based conservation, she added.
"There's a very meaningful and rich story that can be told about this ecology system that actually nourishes the preserve," said Leland Swaner's son, Sumner Swaner, a former wildlife and fishery ecologist who is president of the preserve's Board of Trustees. "We've been dying to tell these stories for years and years."
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