The 910 Cattle Ranch is Summit County’s largest ever open space acquisition, with more than 8,500 untouched acres stretching across the property. But county officials and community members with a previous relationship to the land — and its original owner — have long disagreed on how the local government should manage the parcel and its abundant wildlife.
Leslie Miller, the former property owner’s personal partner, addressed the Summit County Council last month with some of her concerns during a public hearing on the proposed recreation plan for the ranch.
“You are asking us to trust you in making your promises a reality for the 910,” Miller said. “Those of us familiar with the 910 landscape and wildlife believe your staff activities and proposals are not getting this right, and I’m sorry to have to say this, but I’m not alone in that opinion. It’s not right for the wildlife, and it’s not right for the public.”
Specifically, Miller said she has “witnessed a pattern of misguided, incremental decision making” on the property under the county’s management, telling councilors that the government should have created a comprehensive plan focused on flora and fauna protections. She also decried the inclusion of recreation on the property and said the 910 Cattle Ranch should be set aside as a wildlife sanctuary, not a place for visitors to hike.
“This staff appears determined and intent on introducing their version of land management and to intend public access,” Miller said.
However, Summit County Lands and Natural Resources Director Jess Kirby said the county’s approaching the property with an “adaptive management” lens, meaning plans are flexible and may change if officials discover restrictions need to be tightened.
“Wildlife protection is the primary objective of these management practices while thoughtfully providing opportunities for compatible public recreation,” Kirby said. “Animals naturally seek out the areas with the most abundant water and lush vegetation, which can lead to concentrated use and habitat degradation if left unmanaged. By strategically directing both wildlife and recreational activity, we can allow some areas to recover while keeping others accessible. While it looks like we’re creating barriers for wildlife, they are actually designed to protect and enhance habitats.”
Miller mentioned a barbed wire fence on the property, which she said was dangerous to large wildlife. But Kirby said the barbed wire fence was installed with the guidance of Trout Unlimited, a national nonprofit focused on freshwater conservation and habitat preservation, to help the local fish population flourish.
“In the two years that fencing has been up, we’ve actually witnessed spawning of cutthroat trout,” Kirby said. “From a distance, fencing can be perceived as a barrier, but its purpose is to protect and restore the stream corridor. We’ve planted thousands of willows to stabilize streambanks that will grow to provide shade, lower water temperatures and improve habitat for fish and other wildlife. … The goal is not to restrict access to wildlife but to encourage a restored system that can support the wildlife that depends on this critical resource for years to come.”
Kirby, who has a degree in natural resource management, emphasized the county is collaborating with other environmental experts to create management plans for the property, including geologists, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Utah Division of Water Quality and Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands.
“I’ve learned that the best decisions are made through collaboration,” she said. “I don’t claim to be the expert in every discipline, and that’s exactly why we have such strong partnerships. I rely on an incredible network of biologists, hydrologists, planners, engineers and other professionals whose expertise helps inform major decisions. By bringing those perspectives together, we’re able to develop thoughtful, science-based solutions.”
The previous owner of the 910 Cattle Ranch used the property as an open range for three decades, which Kirby said was “very hard on” the land. The county’s management practices, like installing fencing or encouraging plant growth in certain areas, is an effort to rehabilitate parts of the ecosystem that didn’t adapt well to roaming cattle.
Miller’s concerns about the ranch weren’t limited to the overall management plan. She also mentioned the county’s Volunteer Ambassador Program, which has residents patrolling the 910 Cattle Ranch to assess conditions, report possible trespassers and log any abnormalities.
“Ambassadors with dogs, often unleashed, are invited on the 910,” Miller said. “Ambassador staff, friends and family are picnicking on the 910 while the public is restricted.”
Kirby said ambassadors may bring guests, including their dogs, with them on the property. She also said the dogs typically aren’t off leash entirely, but they often have electronic collars in adherence with Summit County’s leash laws.
“The ambassadors are allowed to bring a buddy with them, and they are allowed to bring up to two dogs with them,” Kirby said. “That’s a choice that the county made so that the ambassadors feel safe when they are on the property.”
Kirby pushed back on Miller’s assertion that the ambassadors are using their volunteer position to recreate on the ranch, saying that they need to hike on the property to access the land and file reports with the county.
“Their job is to monitor and be the eyes and ears for the county,” she said. “It would take someone two days to walk the entire property, so sometimes we allow them to use mountain bikes to access areas where we need signage or an area that needs to be monitored. … It’s not recreation. They’re there for a task and a job, and that’s what they’re doing.”
Each ambassador volunteer undergoes training with the county, and only two are allowed on the property at any given time. The county has an app for ambassadors to note their observations for their shift, which Kirby and other county staff review.
“It’s not willy-nilly,” Kirby said. “It’s very organized and very monitored. We know who’s on the property, when they’re on the property, how long they were on the property and what they saw.”
The county intends to manage and open the 910 Ranch in phases to better control and study how visitors are impacting the land, with the property split into three distinct pieces: the community zone, exploratory area, and conservation core and research area.
The plan, if approved, would allow dogs in the community zone at the base of the property. The county expects to create a 5-mile stretch of trails for recreationists in the same area, which Miller opposed because of their proximity to the ranch’s main water source.
But Kirby said the county intentionally placed the trails where they are based on how people are already using the land, which is why the plan also lets visitors bring dogs to certain areas of the property.
“On average, we see about 300 walkers a day that have a cellphone going up and down that road,” Kirby said, referencing data collected through the county’s cellphone analytics platforms. “Typically, they walk about 3 to 5 miles, which is from the gate to the dilapidated bridge and back. … When we do counts, the majority of people that are out there have dogs with them.”
Kirby said the number of people walking their dogs on the main road is a “public safety hazard,” which is why the county wants to let dogs in the community zone.
“If we don’t, they’re just going to walk the road,” she said. “It’s a public road. I cannot regulate that. The criticism of why I’m allowing dogs next to the most sensitive piece of the property, which is the creek, is an interesting one. … The road and the trail are both located right next to the creek, but when you actually walk the proposed alignment, you’re further away from the creek on the trail than you are on the road.”
She acknowledged there are a few spots where the trail is close enough to the creek to form a small “beach,” but Kirby said it was an unfortunate truth that the county had to “sacrifice” certain areas to better protect the 8,500-acre property as a whole.
“Effective land stewardship sometimes means concentrating use in carefully selected areas to protect the broader landscape,” Kirby said. “Right now, dogs are leaving the road and accessing the creek down very steep slopes, creating erosion and damaging sensitive habitats. Rather than allowing that impact to spread across the property, we’re proposing to direct access to a location that can be engineered and hardened to withstand regular use.”
Kirby emphasized that the county is planning for the future of the property, including environmental protections for the broader ecosystem.
“By intentionally concentrating recreation where the land can sustain it, we reduce widespread degradation, protect wildlife habitat and water quality and preserve the ecological integrity of the ranch,” she said. “It’s a thoughtful, science-based approach that balances public access with long-term conservation. We understand not everyone will agree with every element of the plan, but every proposed improvement is guided by the goal of leaving the property healthier and more resilient for future generations.”
Miller was not the only community member who advocated for a complete prohibition of recreation on the ranch during last month’s public hearing, but an outright ban may not be possible. Kirby said the conservation easement and agreement with Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands that allowed the county to acquire the property requires the local government to open it for public access.
She said the county is working to regulate usage, though. Specifically, Kirby said she plans to bring a series of ordinances to the County Council for approval that will formalize restrictions, such as commercial uses on the property or where dogs are allowed.
Utah Forestry, Fire and State Lands will also need to approve the recreation plan before it is implemented and the property is opened to the public.
The County Council is expected to revisit, and possibly vote on, approving the recreation plan later this year. However, the recreation plan is only one piece of the overall management plan, and other pieces of the plan will dictate preservation strategies, wildlife management and other issues in more detail.