I am a fourth-generation rancher and land steward, raised in Carbon County, Utah, where my family’s history is inseparable from the land itself. My great-grandfather, Robert McKinnon Jr., served as the company veterinarian for United States Fuel Company during the early coal-mining era in Hiawatha, Utah. He managed one of the state’s most advanced dairy operations at the time, providing food security, work animals, and stability to a rapidly growing industrial town.

My grandfather, Robert Francis McKinnon, was raised on that farm. A cattleman at heart, he spent his life in the Gentry Mountains, horseback and under open sky. After his early death, the family lost its 50-year lease in a moment that abruptly ended our ability to carry the operation forward. The land eventually fell silent, later absorbed into another industrial chapter.

My parents carried the agricultural tradition on a smaller scale. My mother, Janis McKinnon Gitlin, devoted 30 years to teaching in Carbon County. My father, Robert Gitlin, worked as a teacher, coal miner, and power-plant operator—and is still raising cattle. Their dedication to land, husbandry, and education informed the very foundation of Eden Sky.

I always loved the land, but severe allergies kept me at arm’s length from it for much of my life. That changed about 2 years ago while caring for my father. During that time, I realized the allergies that had plagued me at childhood had quietly disappeared. For the first time, I could fully return to the land without limitation—physically as well as emotionally.

Like many from rural communities shaped by economic instability, I left Utah for college and work. Yet the land never released its hold. Through my daughter Rachel’s deep connection to the family farm, and a pivotal conversation that crystallized with my fiancée, Alicia Moonbeam, the vision for Eden Sky took root as a commitment to care for land and animals in a way that restores ecosystems while building a livelihood and heritage our family can inherit and grow. 

We spent the last year and a half working to build that vision in Utah, submitting multiple proposals through Utah State Trust Lands. Despite strong planning, those proposals were repeatedly rejected for being outside traditional frameworks. Ultimately, we made a hard but necessary decision—to move where innovation and stewardship could move forward together.

That decision brought us to Oregon, where Eden Sky is entering a new chapter centered on raising bison and practicing regenerative agriculture. Bison represent resilience, restoration, and a return to balance—values that align naturally with our family’s heritage.

Why We Chose Bison

Bison offered the answer.

Bison are not just livestock. They are ecosystem partners—animals that evolved alongside North American grasslands and shaped them through movement, grazing, and disturbance. Their presence strengthens soil, supports native plants, improves water retention, and builds resilience into working landscapes.

For us, bison represent a return to balance:

• Regenerative grazing that improves soil and plant health

• Lower-input systems aligned with natural behavior

• Food production with a lighter ecological footprint

Bison allow working and natural landscapes to become a tool for restoration rather than depletion.

Why Oregon

We spent years attempting to bring this vision forward elsewhere, navigating rigid systems that left little room for adaptive land stewardship. Eventually, it became clear that innovation requires the right place—not just the right idea.

Oregon understands working landscapes.

Here, conservation and production are not opposing goals. Oregon’s agricultural heritage, emphasis on watershed health, and openness to regenerative practices make it a place where land stewardship can evolve responsibly.

Oregon’s landscapes also face real challenges—wildfire risk, water scarcity, and climate variability. Bison help address these realities by:

• Reducing fine fuels and supporting fire-resilient landscapes

• Improving soil structure and water infiltration

• Supporting recovery after drought, fire, and extreme weather

One of our core tenets is to:
“Live life as if you always have something
to learn—and you will.”

Where We Are Headed

Eden Sky exists to prove that animals can restore land, support rural economies, and produce food with integrity—at the same time.

We are building a model rooted in:

• Stewardship over extraction

• Regeneration over depletion

• Accountability to land and community

Our story is about stepping away from the noise of the city and returning to a life more connected to the land and animals.

Oregon is where that next chapter begins…