Sheri Schiess, a lifelong farmer in Nibley, has kept a 25.5‑acre patch of green amid rising subdivision pressure. The plot sits at the corner of 4000 South and 640 West, where rows of hay sway and a flock of sheep graze under a clear sky.
The 14‑year battle began when the Schiesses first faced a city plan that would have turned the land into a 70‑acre residential enclave. Instead, they pursued a conservation easement through the Bear River Land Conservancy, a nonprofit that buys development rights while letting owners keep the land.
Gabriel Murray, executive director of the conservancy, said the easement “locks in the farm’s agricultural future while keeping it in private hands.” The deal, signed in 2022, donated the development rights and left the property fully under the farmers’ stewardship.
Christopher Sands of the Cache Open Space Advisory Committee noted that buying easements rather than whole parcels saves public money and protects more acreage. In 2025, Cache County acquired 800 acres in Sherwood Hills, spending $7.5 million, much of it through easements.
For Schiess, the easement is more than paperwork; it preserves her late husband’s legacy and the daily rhythm of hay‑cutting and wool‑spinning. She continues to teach local schoolchildren how to dye the fleece, a living classroom on the farm.
The easement is irrevocable, meaning future owners cannot re‑zone the land for housing. The agreement closes any further development on the 25.5 acres, but the surrounding Nibley area remains open to growth.