132 Acres Safeguarded Along Sage Creek

Park County Open Lands, the first community-led land trust program, is thrilled to announce the completion of its second conservation easement. Finalized today, November 20, less than two years after the program’s founding, the Sage Creek Wetlands conservation easement permanently protects 132 acres of diverse, high-quality habitat including sub-irrigated wetlands, a pond, irrigated agricultural hay meadows, and 1.65 miles of Sage Creek. Located just three miles outside of Cody, this unique wetland ecosystem provides a rare mix of vegetative, aquatic, and topographic diversity, essential to wildlife across Northwest Wyoming.

Park County Open Lands was founded by long-time local residents, now advisory council members, to provide landowners with an alternative to development. This newest conservation easement is a generous gift to the community by founding advisory council member, Anne Young. Anne’s vision to conserve these wetlands and adjacent agricultural lands from surrounding rural residential encroachment ensures critical connectivity for migratory birds and wildlife.

Sage Creek Wetlands serves as a sanctuary for neotropical migrant songbirds like the western tanager and willow flycatcher, predatory birds such as the great blue heron, many shorebirds including the long-billed curlew and Wilson’s snipe, and the area’s iconic migratory sandhill crane. Wyoming Game and Fish Department Terrestrial Habitat Biologist Jerry Altermatt praised the easement when he said, “With over a mile and a half of Sage Creek running through the property and a 20-acre off-channel pond and wetland area, Sage Creek Ranch provides valuable riparian and wetland habitat for a host of wildlife. White-tailed and mule deer are plentiful, and sandhill cranes use the property from spring to fall. Pheasants, waterfowl, and a host of songbirds benefit from the diverse habitat on the property. With Anne’s excellent stewardship and foresight, the ranch will continue to be a haven for wildlife in perpetuity.”

Conservation easements like this one are a powerful solution for preserving Park County’s natural character, open spaces, and agricultural heritage. Individual landowners can choose to voluntarily limit future development on their properties. Over time, the compounding impact of conservation easements will protect critical aspects of our local economy – tourism and agriculture – while providing the open space that is key to Park County’s identity. “We are deeply grateful to Anne Young,” said Park County Open Lands Director Alex Few. “Anne laid the foundation for the program, and as a landowner, she is among our earliest partners. By sharing this success, we hope to inspire other landowners to explore the benefits of conservation easements tailored to their land and their vision for the future.”

This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the generosity and foresight of all the local founding donors who helped turn Park County Open Lands from an idea into a reality.