Southern Utah Resort Gives Helping Hand To Utah’s Endangered Species

Though the news of the new resort in Ivins is far from “new” and the public's opinion is split in half, there is an ecological benefit to the resort.  

Black Desert Resort is still under construction and will be 630 acres, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. It will be a place for golfers and tourists to lounge and though some residents are concerned about the traffic that will come with it, they can’t complain about this benefit; protecting endangered species.  

Last week the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources in conjunction with Black Desert Resort and Utah Tech University, released 400 Virgin River Chub into the resort's lakes.  

This species is native to the Virgin River but due to habitat loss and drought, it has become endangered. Since this fish is only native to the Virgin River, its loss would be detrimental, and it is even protected under Federal regulations.  

So, even though the resort will change Ivins in some ways, it's also giving back not just to the economy but also to the native wildlife of Utah.  

Ultimately, the resort will act as a haven for the Virgin River Chub to grow and populate in a place where they don’t have to worry about predators. Once they reach a certain age and size, they will be taken back to their native habitat, the Virgin River.  

The resort is paying to maintain the water while students from UT are surveying the quality of the lakes. It's essentially an “insurance policy” in case the Virgin River hatchery which also helps these fish has a catastrophic event.  

To add to this, Black Desert Resort is also helping with the protection of the Mojave Desert tortoise and planting “pollinator gardens” for monarch butterflies.