The Greenwood Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary represents a mosaic of valuable wildlife habitats, from talus slopes and seasonal ponds to sagebrush-dominated shrub steppe and juniper woodlands. More than 411 wildlife species have been sighted on the property or may occur within its boundaries, including 4 amphibians, 15 reptiles, 310 birds, and 76 mammals. Among the latter are pronghorn, elk, black bears, badgers, and the elusive mountain lion. The preserve also contains three year-round sources of water – a rarity in the West, and critical for wildlife.

Another important benefit of protecting this property is that it may also serve as an important wildlife corridor for animals moving between vast private and public lands in the region, including those managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the adjacent Fremont National Forest. Such habitat linkages are increasingly recognized for their importance to species that need big wild spaces for their survival. “There are not that many remote spots left in the country,” noted the donor, who wishes to remain anonymous. “As the urban interface encroaches on the animals, what are they going to do?”

The property was originally acquired in 1995 by an aerospace engineer interested in creating a nature preserve. During the first decade of this project, the owner’s efforts were focused on planting some 4,400 trees. Gradually, a growing awareness of the wildlife diversity on the property evolved into a quest for a land protection group that specialized in habitat conservation. This quest was underscored by a recognition of the rapid loss of habitat as population growth and commercial land development soared in the West.

“Finding an organization both to serve the general conservation purposes and to provide a wildlife sanctuary was not an easy task for the owner and took several years to accomplish,” says Robert Koons, Executive Director of the Wildlife Land Trust. “Our niche, as the only national organization that prohibits recreational and commercial hunting and trapping on its sanctuaries, offered the donor the opportunity to fulfill his key goals.”