The Utah Inland Port Authority is committed to fostering economic growth while respecting and preserving the rich cultural and archaeological heritage of Utah’s landscapes. The Castle Country Project Area exemplifies this commitment, ensuring that development decisions honor the historical significance of the land.
UIPA’s Cultural Resource Strategy guarantees that no development within the Castle Country Project Area occurs at the cost of destroying cultural or archaeological resources. In collaboration with landowners, a rigorous due diligence process is implemented, including a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment and an updated cultural resource survey by qualified archaeologists. In addition to these studies, landowners are required to work with the Utah State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to determine appropriate buffer zones around any cultural and archaeological artifacts and sites that have been identified within the project area. This process exceeds compliance to genuinely safeguard heritage.
Chris Merritt, Ph.D., from the Utah State Historic Preservation Office, recently commended UIPA’s approach, noting the proactive measures to protect these resources.
“I am quite happily surprised at their requirements,” Merritt said. “They have the most restrictive development procedures I have seen in the state, particularly in requiring buffers and avoidance protocols even though in this case they are not mandated by state or federal cultural resources laws.”
UIPA works closely with the SHPO to catalog any discovered cultural resources and define appropriate buffer zones between these resources and development activities. This ensures that these precious historical artifacts are preserved and protected for future generations.
As UIPA continues to develop the Castle Country Project Area, it remains committed to its dual mission of economic enhancement and cultural preservation. Preserving our past is crucial to building a sustainable and prosperous future.
Author: Kaitlin Felsted
Published: June 25, 2024