Murray Family Protects Access Into the Wellsville Mountains

The Wellsville Mountains rise up behind Murray Farm in Logan Photo by: Pat Cone

by Pat Cone
Alli Murray, her gray hair bundled beneath a blue scarf, carries two heavy pails of feed on this frigid, snowy morning. "I've been doing this every single morning of my life," she says, turning down offers of help as she heads toward the barn.
Dean and Alli Murray have been milking and ranching on this land, at the western edge of northern Utah's Cache Valley, since 1949. But while Alli's work hasn't changed much over the years, Cache County has. New subdivisions are rapidly swallowing this farming community.
Three years ago, Alli Murray finally felt ready to retire, so she contacted realtor Brent Parker about selling the farm. "We had some potential buyers," says Parker, "but the Murrays didn't want to see the land developed. That's when we contacted the Trust for Public Land. When TPL's project manager, Alina Bokde, saw the land, it took her breath away."
Like a wall to a great kingdom, the Wellsville Mountains tower over Cache Valley's western border as the crimson morning sun lights the white peaks just beyond the Murrays' backyard. The mountains are among the nation's steepest, rising to their height within no more than a mile in some places. Their knife-edge ridge tops out at 9,372 feet, offering incredible vistas and a terrific spot to watch migrating raptors. Bracken ferns grow along streams deep within the range's narrow canyons, which are home to deer, moose, mountain lions, and the occasional bighorn sheep.

Early spring hike into the Wellsville Mountains Photo by: Eli Lucero

In November 2004 and March 2005, the Trust for Public Land purchased 604 acres of the Murrays' land in two phases. Using funds from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund through the Bonneville Shoreline Trail Program, the U.S. Forest Service will own and manage the land as an addition to the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The land provides an essential trail route from the valley at Wide Canyon into the Wellsville Mountains and the northern part of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, as well as important watershed protection for the city of Wellsville.
"We don't have a lot of access into the Wellsville Mountains," explains Rob Cruz, the district ranger for the Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Logan. "We have two legal access points in the north, but that's it." To provide access from southern Cache County, the U.S. Forest Service plans to build a trailhead above the former Murray farm. "There's also a great location for a campground someday," Cruz adds. "But for now, people will be able to get in and enjoy these mountains."
Cory Yeates is thrilled by this new addition to the forest. One of seven Cache County Council members and the chair of the county's public access and roads committee, Yeates sponsored a resolution to purchase the Murrays' farm and worked with Utah's congressional delegation to secure federal funds. The support of U.S. Senator Bob Bennett was crucial to the success of this project, Yeates says.
"I have been a strong supporter of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail throughout my Senate career," explains Senator Bennett. "I am delighted that we were able to secure this new parcel as another great scenic and open space resource for all to use and enjoy.
"Even though 60 percent of its land is public, Cache County is exploding with unprecedented growth. "We just turned down a 19-lot subdivision on 19 acres," says Yeates. "That was 19 wells and 19 septic tanks!" In response, the county council has enacted a six-month moratorium on development in the western part of the valley, to allow more time to update the General Plan and Development Code.
Yeates is adamant about maintaining access to public land. "I know people will be excited to have more access to the Wellsville Mountains," he says. "It really opens up the southeast end of the mountains."
Wellsville Mayor Ruth Maughn sees the protection of the land as a "win-win" situation for her town of 3,000 residents. "The property is right on the edge of our city," she says. "We're really the gateway to Cache Valley. This way we'll be able to keep the beautiful vista," Maughn adds.

Dean and Alli Murray's Farm Photo by: Pat Cone

Alli Murray confirms that the town's support has been great. "Lots of people on the street tell me that we've done a wonderful thing," she says. Today Dean and Alli are moving a little more slowly, but Dean still reminisces about riding his horse "up on top" with his family. "We had a lot of great times," he says. Now, thanks to the Murrays, all of us can have a great time exploring these mountains as well.
The Bonneville Shoreline Trail stretches 100 miles along the foothills of the Wasatch, Wellsville, and Bear River Mountains. The trail connects the foothills with a network of Contact throughout the mountains, providing easy access to places to hike, bike, ride horses, and cross-country ski. To date, the Trust for Public Land has helped protect nearly 1,000 acres along the length of the trail. To find out how you can help TPL-Utah protect access points, add trailheads, and preserve land along the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, or to make a donation, please contact Laurel Savino, development director, at (505) 988-5922 ext. 16, or email laurel.savino@tpl.org.