Swaner Preserve Is Memorial, Education Center
KUTV, SALT LAKE CITY
Nov 26, 2006
Upon his death in 1992, Leland Swaner’s family ranch might have become just another Park City-area subdivision.
In fact, 300 new homes had already been plotted and approved for the site.
But it was land deal Swaner’s wife and children couldn’t stomach. They chose instead to memorialize Swaner by creating the Swaner Nature Preserve – a 1,200 acre wetlands paradise in the heart of Snyderville Basin where creeks meander and moose, deer and red foxes roam.
“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.”
The Swaner family spent more than a decade buying up land parcels surrounding the original family farm to create the preserve.
The land spans both sides of Interstate 80, with the historic Wallin Farm at its southwestern corner. The land is a watershed crossed by three creeks.
It’s also surrounded by development. Subdivisions abut the north, east and southern preserve borders. To the west are two shopping centers.
“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.”
Despite it’s location, few people know about the preserve, Rush said. So, managers are looking to raise its profile through education programs that stress land and wildlife preservation, restoration and community-based conservation, Rush said.
“Our message is not this tiny little local message. It’s national,” Rush said. “Our educational message is why this wetland in the middle of the mountains is so important.”
Plans for a $10 million world-class nature center are also in the works. A campaign to raise funds for construction of the 10,000-square-foot center is under way, with a planned opening of 2008. The center will include exhibit space, a theater, observation tower and pier.
© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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