Land Near Zion National Park Set Aside For ‘Forest Legacy’

In a move approved by the Washington County Commission, a major conservation investment is coming to Southern Utah.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $3 million to fund the Zion Connectivity Project, a Forest Legacy initiative aimed at preserving forestland just north of Zion National Park.

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The project, managed by Utah’s Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, will protect 766 acres of ecologically critical land through conservation easements.

These agreements allow the land to remain in private ownership, while preventing development and maintaining its natural habitat.

The land is home to the California condor -- North America’s largest land bird. Once extinct in the wild, the condor has made a comeback through a captive breeding program, with more than 500 birds now living both in the wild and in captivity. Southern Utah remains a vital habitat for their survival.

The area also includes four miles of streams, including a stretch of La Verkin Creek, a federally protected Wild and Scenic River.

These waters support several native and endangered fish, such as the Virgin River chub, woundfin, and Virgin spinedace, all species that depend on cool, clear stream flows during their seasonal migrations.

Beyond aquatic life, the forest also serves as a key wildlife corridor for deer and elk, providing summer range and year-round habitat for animals like black bears and dusky grouse.

Towering old-growth ponderosa pines offer essential nesting areas and natural fire resistance.

The Zion Connectivity Project joins two other Forest Legacy initiatives, Zion Overlook and Viewtop, along with nearby BLM Wilderness Areas like La Verkin and Taylor Creek, to form a 1,752-acre network of protected lands.

Officials say the effort represents a model for public-private partnerships that balance conservation with landowner rights and will help preserve Utah’s scenic and ecological heritage near one of the country’s most iconic national parks.

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