The $1.5-million deal will let Boulder Creek Canyon Ranch owner John Austin graze cattle and grow alfalfa and sorghum while improving wildlife habitat and water quality in Boulder Creek, a trout stream. Austin will get help removing invasive weeds and restoring the riparian strip along the creek.

''I feel like we are making a crucial step in helping to preserve the Boulder area, and this very special corner of the West,'' Austin said in a statement Thursday.

''It represents a slice of Utah's historic agricultural past that deserves protection,'' said Dave Livermore, Utah director for The Nature Conservancy.

Boulder, tucked in a fertile valley at the foot of 11,317-foot Boulder Mountain, is a gateway to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The town's canyons provide habitat for the Mexican spotted owl, peregrine falcon, elk, black bear and mountain lions.

The conservancy said the easement was worth $1.8 million and would be executed in about 30 days. Austin and his wife, Jacqui Smalley, will waive $295,000 of the price, with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Utah's LeRay McAllister Critical Lands Conservation Fund each contributing $400,000.