On November 17, Payson City officials voted in favor of a conservation easement, solidifying Forebay Recreation Area as a place where people can experience the great outdoors for generations to come.
Forebay Recreation Area is located right at the mouth of Payson Canyon and encompasses 480 acres. The land was initially purchased by the city in 2001 as a protected watershed and animal habitat with additional recreation capabilities. The recreation part, however, needed a little help from local legend, Carey Pierce.
In fact, the singletrack trails originally came about after a mountain bike race held in conjunction with the city’s Golden Onion Days in 2003. Pierce, who had background building trails at the Sundance Ski Resort, said that the event was on “old dirt trails,” and he thought that it would be “fun to have some actual trails out there.”
With the permission from the city, he began building trails for his friends, and over time, word spread.
“For years, there were just a few people who used the area, and I would just see people I knew, and then it slowly started turning into people I didn’t know,” Pierce said. “Then I would see people up there with their kids, and I always thought that was just really fun because people were using it.”
People were using it, and by 2008, the first Forebay management plan was drafted to focus on conserving the area. As the area grew in popularity, more trails were approved, and an official Friends of Forebay committee was formed. In 2016, the area was declared “surplus property” and in 2019, a National Parks Service Grant for the management of the area was granted. 2021 brought the building of a parking lot, and 13 years after the initial draft for conservation was created, Forebay is now officially a conservation easement.
“For the last 10 years, I looked at more long-term than short-term,” Pierce said. “It’s great to have people there using it, but as the canyon and all the areas in the canyons have gotten more private. I’ve always looked at Forebay as the last stronghold of nature in our canyon. So, 20 years from now, that’s when I think the value will be.”
Friends of Forebay committee member Adam Cowie presented the conservation plan to the city, and said that it feels good to be a part of preserving the land.
“This is pretty significant where it’s preserving recreational open space forever,” Cowie said. “It’s likely one of the most significant things I’ve ever been involved with in my life. I can drive by that property and people won’t know (who was a part of it), but they’ll know that they enjoy the open space when they’re walking or hiking or mountain biking or riding a horse. It’s awesome to have been part of preserving something that future generations will enjoy.
We were part of a committee and elected officials that designated this land as permanent open space forever and that’s probably one of the most significant things I think I’ll ever be a part of in my life.”
Cowie said that he is grateful to the other committee members and city council members for all their work and support, adding his gratitude for who he calls the “grandfather” of all this, Carey Pierce.
Pierce told Serve Daily that he had to step away from the committee following a move to Spanish Fork, but said that he has been happy to see how people like Cowie have taken it upon themselves to continue on with what was started.
“I spent 20-plus years of my life working to get Forebay to a good place,” Pierce said. “It was hard, but I felt like it was in a good place. We had the Forebay committee and the support of the city. It was hard to go, but I felt like it was good to go away from it. When I moved almost two years ago, I knew that the committee was still in support of the conservation easement idea. I’m really happy that they passed it, and it’s been a long process.”
With the conservation easement in place, Cowey said that this gives Forebay the opportunity to grow into something that can be accessed by even more outdoor recreationists, and he said that this is something he is excited for.
“With the conservation easement, there’s quite a bit of property to the north end of Forebay that is still fairly undeveloped as far as recreational trails go,” Cowey said. “Many members of the committee have gone up and marked out and cleared an equestrian trail on the north end that will loop all the way around, and so it’s awesome to see. The recreation department is really trying to expand the types of users. It’s not just mountain bikers.”
More information can be found on the Payson City website at paysonutah.gov/parks. There is also a Friends of Forebay Facebook group for those interested in getting involved.
