Sardine Canyon placed on building moratorium by Wellsville City Council

Bridle Path Estates, the 900 acres purchased by a developer in Sardine Canyon, has been put on building moratorium by the Wellsville City Council due to concerns over water and critical wildlife wintering range.

The building moratorium restricts building above a certain elevation until another water source is found or more water is available. The order will last for a year or longer.

Glenn Ames, a Wellsville resident and the Cache Trails Alliance director of special projects, has been a leader in efforts to preserve the property.

“We want to show them that this is not the best use of the land,” Ames said. “Then we want to offer to purchase the property, and leave it to permanent recreation, just as it is right now.”

Ames said developing land at Wellsville’s water source could not only contaminate and overuse the water, but the purchased land is also a critical habitat for wintering wildlife.

There is a tunnel under the highway built for migrating deer, elk and other animals, but the development would block this tunnel, forcing wildlife to cross the highway. Currently, there are more than 100 head of elk wintering on the property.

“The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is helping us with this study,” Ames said. “They said if the animals can’t go through the tunnel, they will cross the highway. No matter how big the fence is.”

Alyson Ward, the community partnerships director for the CTA, has worked with Ames to preserve the property.

“We’ve all seen tremendous growth throughout the state and in Cache Valley,” Ward said. “We want to be proactive — and sometimes reactive — when that open space is threatened.”

Ward said open space is what makes Cache Valley special.

“The corridor between Mantua and Wellsville gives people pause from their busy lives and gives them a moment to enjoy nature on their way to and from Cache Valley,” she said. “I think Sardine Canyon is a type of signature space for our valley. The thought of losing that to more development is nauseating.”

While the property is under building moratorium, Ames encouraged anyone who studies groundwater to contact him if interested in helping to preserve the land or those interested in helping to purchase the land.

“We are looking for anybody that wants to get involved from the technical side,” Ames said. “Whether it’s the water, whether it’s the view coming into the canyon. On the purchase side, anybody that feels they have access to help us raise money to be able to purchase the property.”

Glenn Ames can be contacted at 435-512-9322.

-Maya.Mackinnon@usu.edu

Featured photo by: Paige Johnson