Land Trust inches closer to reaching Democrat Gulch preservation goal
Hailey nonprofit Wood River Land Trust has surpassed a major benchmark in its campaign to purchase and permanently protect the 2,300-acre Hailey Hot Springs Ranch west of Hailey.
Donations collected for the property acquisition totaled approximately $10.5 million as of this week, the nonprofit announced in a Friday news release—leaving it $5.5 million short of its goal to raise $16 million by the end of 2025.
The organization announced in January that it would set aside $15 million to buy the privately held ranch—which flanks the 6-mile-long Democrat Road and is surrounded by public land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service—and another $1 million for long-term maintenance and restoration projects on the preserve.
The nonprofit said it met a critical “due diligence” prerequisite of $10 million in the bank on Feb. 11, a requirement to move forward with its planned acquisition from Seattle-based Sweet Potato Ranch LLC.
“We know it’s going to take a lot of work, but to be about two-thirds of the way there in such a short time is encouraging,” Land Trust Executive Director Amy Trujillo said Friday.
Trujillo also said Friday that the Land Trust has received a “substantial” $500,000 pledge from the Blaine County Recreation District.
BCRD is planning to partner with the Land Trust to potentially build up to 6.6 miles of continuous trails in Croy Canyon and restore public access to a cluster of hot springs on Hailey Hot Springs Ranch, the Express previously reported.
Other collaborators who have expressed interest in the preserve’s formation and maintenance include the Heart of the Rockies Initiative, The Nature Conservancy-Idaho and the University of Idaho. The university is hoping to use the preserve as a “living laboratory” for students and an extension of its operations on nearby Rinker Rock Creek Ranch, according to the Land Trust. Learn more about Hailey Hot Springs Funding here