In June 1991, the Nature Conservancy dedicated this preserve in honor of Scott M. Matheson, one of Utah's leading environmental advocates. As Utah's governor, Matheson earned a reputation as a champion of natural Utah and the quality of life it sustains, a commitment rooted in his childhood in southern Utah, where he found a spiritual quality in its unique landscapes. A loyal friend of the Conservancy, he died in 1990, but his vision of a West where people come together to forge solutions for the land and its people endures. The Scott M. Matheson Wetlands Preserve protects a rare desert wetland on the Colorado Plateau for its diversity of plants and animals, and through cooperation with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, more than 875 acres have been permanently protected so visitors can experience the beauty and value of an intact, functioning wetlands ecosystem.