From Ranch land to Rooftops: Did Development Supplant Utah’s Conservation Promise?

How Housing in Leeds Fueled Distrust Over Rural Land Use, Conservation, and the Displacement of Ranching in the American West

In the rural outpost of Leeds, Utah, a new housing and commercial project rises where open space once stretched toward red cliffs and the Mojave desert winds. For residents and the ranching families whose roots run generations deep, the construction is more than a sign of economic growth—it’s a bitter reminder of the promises made and broken in the name of conservation.