PROTECTING OUR NATIVE ECOSYSTEMS
Together, we can return the land to nature through careful stewardship.
Our stewardship has taken form through a variety of restoration and preservation projects that mark the first steps in our journey towards lasting sustainability. These programs have preserved the wilderness in our backcountry, returned developed areas to wetlands, maintained our wild fish stock and more. This work just scratches the surface of what we intend to do in our pursuit of sustainability that will protect our 6,700 acres for generations to come.
PLASTIC REDUCTION
Our first sustainable initiative at Victory Ranch targets plastic use and generated waste. With state-of-the-art Crysalli Artisan Filtered Water Systems located at The Post, The Barn Fitness Center, 875 Main and both golf course comfort stations, we have already begun reducing the number of water bottles, cups, lids and straws provided. In 2019, our goal is to reduce our plastic bottle use by 50% and we kindly ask that all members, guests and employees help by using their own reusable water bottles on their adventures.
If you do not have a reusable water bottle, we have new Conservancy water bottles available for purchase at The Post, The Barn General Store and JuiceBar. All proceeds will go to The Conservancy at Victory Ranch and help fund future initiatives that are in line with maintaining the natural diversity of our native environment and their ecosystems.
PROTECTING THE COLUMBIA SPOTTED FROG
To protect this native, ecologically important wetland species, we’ve joined forces with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources for its Head Start program, building a number of frog ponds in prime habitats to serve as protective nurseries for eggs and tadpoles. Our trained Outfitters staff help delicately extract egg masses from below the Jordanelle Reservoir for placement into protective cages where, once they hatch, will be fed and cared for to increase their rate of survival until their release into the surrounding wetlands. Victory Ranch is the first private development to ever attempt this type of conservation program, which we hope will reinvigorate the species that is currently petitioned to list under the Endangered Species Act.
PROTECTING THE AMERICAN KESTREL
In an effort to help address the declining American Kestrel population, Victory Ranch has installed multiple Kestrel nest boxes along the conservation easement. These nesting boxes attract kestrels and assist in conservation efforts as lack of suitable nesting sites is cited as the single most limiting factor to kestrel populations, placing nest boxes in suitable habitats is an excellent way of contributing to healthy populations of this beautiful falcon.
ECOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF FENCING
Fences have been utilized at Victory Ranch and all over Utah for the past 150 years for a variety of reasons, from delineating property boundaries to containing livestock and preventing trespassing. Although Victory Ranch still allows livestock grazing, the majority of fencing is no longer necessary and it has been identified as problematic to Utah’s wildlife.
Fencing in the backcountry at Victory Ranch was constructed years ago and put up in a several ways without considering the implications it would have on a variety of wildlife.
For example, some of the fences were constructed too high, requiring wildlife such as moose, deer and elk to jump higher than they would naturally. Other wildlife, such as raptors and upland birds, frequently collide with fences, thus injuring their wings or becoming tangled.
There are many species of wildlife that never leave Victory Ranch property, but there are dozens that migrate through which is why removing much of our fencing will benefit everyone.