Earlier this month the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources purchased the Cinnamon Creek property in Cache and Weber counties, designating the property as a state wildlife management area for conservation and outdoor recreation. While the purchase of the property is credited to the UDWR, a number of partners came together to make it a reality.
One of these partners, the Mule Deer Foundation, was able to put one million dollars toward the bid. Mike Laughter, the director of field operations at the Mule Deer Foundation said he and his colleagues exhausted their donors list to raise money.
“Once the Division had expressed an interest in purchasing this piece of land, we then started to compile the partners,” Laughter explained. “I went to bed every night wondering who I still needed to visit with the next day…so, we just were very fortunate to put it all together and have it come off the way it did.”
Cinnamon Creek has been popular for hunting and fishing for generations, and the area contains high quality wildlife habitat that’s important for recreation.
“Wonderful recreational opportunities. It’s very good mule deer habitat, good elk habitat, sharptail grouse and a pure strain of Bonneville cutthroat,” Laughter said.
It took the Mule Deer Foundation just three months to raise the one million dollars, underscoring the significant interest in the property. Laughter said he’s heard overwhelming response to the purchase from across the state.
“The public response has been huge and very, very positive…I’ve gotten texts and calls from so many people, thanking us for taking the initiative and involving ourselves as sportsmen and procuring this piece of property for the Division to manage and for people to use forever. So, I think that's the big takeaway, this is a huge win,” Laughter said.
