Killyons Canyon is a little bit of forested heaven tucked away above Emigration Canyon near Salt Lake City. For years, various entities have joined forces to try and raise enough funds to purchase 268 acres of land in the canyon for open-space preservation, which means it would then become public land. Currently, parts of the canyon is privately owned, although the public has been allowed to recreate there.
Now a deadline looms for the $2.2 million fundraising effort as Salt Lake County, which pledged $900,000 to the cause, will withdraw from the preservation project unless Utah Open Lands raises almost $1 million in the next 90 days.
Salt Lake County wants to use their money for different open space requests. Other organizations that have set aside funds include Salt Lake City with $300,000, and $100,000 from the state government. That leaves Utah Open Lands with the huge chore of finding almost a million bucks in the next three months, or else the county will take their money elsewhere.
So what’s at stake in Killyons Canyon if these open lands can’t be acquired? Development. There are miles of hiking and mountain biking trails inside the canyon among old pine forests, aspen groves and mountain streams that may be lost if developers fill the canyon with private homes. Killyons is one of many canyons that are right at Salt Lake City’s doorstep, but it is special in that it is lesser known, and therefore less crowded.
For more information, check out these articles from the Salt Lake Tribune: “Push to preserve Killyons Canyon may fall short” and “Killyons Canyon get a second chance.”
Related article: Mountain bike the Little Mountain to Killyon Canyon Loop
How do we donate to this cause
Go to http://www.utahopenlands.org to find out how to donate.