Summit County clashes with 910 Cattle Ranch friends over wildlife management

Summit County officials were clashing with friends of the previous owner of the 910 Cattle Ranch over wildlife management practices, putting the county’s biggest land purchase under fresh scrutiny. The 8,588-acre property is the county’s largest land acquisition and largest open-space acquisition in history, and the fight is now centered on who gets to define responsible stewardship there.

The county officially closed on the ranch Jan. 27, 2026, after saying days later that it hoped to open the property to the public within a year. By April, county planning had moved toward a phased opening with zoned areas set aside for community recreation. In May, county officials shifted the emphasis again, saying conservation, not recreation, would take priority and that public access would depend on limited trails and partnerships. By June, residents were already criticizing the recreation plan and asking for more restrictions.

That backdrop matters because wildlife management on a ranch of this size can affect grazing, fencing, habitat and migration patterns, especially on land that now sits inside a county policy framework rather than under purely private control. The dispute also carries a public-accountability edge: the ranch’s former steward’s friends are still pressing their case, while county officials have to show that their decisions are based on documented practices, not just a change in ownership.

The ranch has already been tied to another wildlife dispute. The Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands said Summit County did not illegally kill a bull elk on the property last summer. That finding gives the county a defense in the broader debate, even as criticism over how the ranch is managed continues to shape public discussion around the property.

For Summit County, the issue is no longer only whether the 910 Cattle Ranch opens to hikers or stays tightly limited. It is also about whether the county can manage a high-profile open-space holding in a way that holds up to scrutiny from neighbors, wildlife advocates and people still emotionally invested in the ranch’s former stewardship.