"Clearly, we have set a line where development ends and nature begins," she said.

John Milliken, chairman of the Nature Conservancy, couldn't agree more. He and others used Saturday's dedication, which drew about 150 invited guests, to rally support for a statewide initiative for a $150 million bond measure to preserve open space. It won't be known until July 6 whether enough valid signatures were collected to put it on the November ballot.

Backers are optimistic.

"If we can only figure out a way to get shorebirds to vote," Milliken joked.

Former U.S. Sen. Jake Garn, a supporter of the initiative, said Utah needs more open space for such wildlife — like birds that know no political boundaries. "It should not be any way partisan," he said.

Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, remarked that a place like the preserve is not about politics, but beauty and spirituality.

"Yes, solitude is great and so is contemplation," Bennett said. "But the sense of wonder in God's creation as the ultimate interior decorator can only be created in a place like this."

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E-mail: donna@desnews.com