Our Role

The Conservation Fund and the National Guard Bureau (NGB) have entered into a Cooperative Agreement to help preserve key parcels of land in the vicinity of, or ecologically related to, Camp Williams. These efforts are being conducted under the U.S. Army’s Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) and Department of Defense’s Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) programs. The partnership will keep significant working landscapes and wildlife habitat adjacent to Camp Williams intact, minimizing incompatible development that threatens the installation’s training mission. The protection of the 662-acre “GSF Farms” is the initial conservation easement acquisition associated with the effort, and it will serve as the first step in preserving military readiness and protecting important landscapes. 

Why This Project Matters

Urban sprawl and loss of habitat adjacent to Camp Williams is happening at an accelerated rate. By preserving and protecting the unique habitat in the West Traverse landscape, WTCP is engaging in efforts that will benefit wildlife and plant species in the area, while limiting encroachment that constrains Camp Williams’ training activities. Mule Deer are a key example of the species that inhabit this area. They rely on the West Traverse landscape for critical migration corridors, breeding grounds and a winter range that sustains thousands of deer from year to year. WTCP is seeking designation as a Sentinel Landscape  through theSentinel Landscapes Partnership, a nationwide federal, local and private collaboration dedicated to promoting natural resource sustainability and the preservation of agricultural and conservation land uses in areas surrounding military installations.

Are you or your organization interested in working with the West Traverse Community Partnership? Click here to contact the WTCP.
  

Learn More

• Press release: "The Conservation Fund Receives Three USDA Awards to Support Local Food Systems and Water Quality in Georgia, Utah and Michigan" (April, 2021)
• Press release: "Military Readiness Strikes Balance with Community Growth in Utah" (April, 2020)
• Utah Public Radio: "Funds Will Allow More Conservation Easements To Be Purchased Around Camp Williams" (May, 2021)
• Deseret News: "A conservation success story: Protecting Utah farmland, wildlife and Camp Williams" (April, 2020)
• Video: Take A Ride In A Blackhawk: Conserving Critical Buffer Land At Camp Williams, UT