Wyoming officials made the decision this week to sell a portion of land within Grand Teton National Park to the federal government.
The Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners approved the sale in a 3-2 vote of the state’s Kelly Parcel for $100 million to the U.S. Department of Interior on Thursday. The board is made up of five state officials, including Gov. Mark Gordon, who voted in favor of the sale. A closing date on the sale has yet to be set.
Megan Degenfelder, Wyoming superintendent of public instruction, voted against the sale, favoring a table of the decision for a later meeting. She also expressed support for a trade deal, whether than an outright sale.
One of Degenfelder’s main concerns is the amount of land the federal government already owns in Wyoming. She said 48% of the state’s surface area and 65% of the state’s minerals are owned by the federal government.
“I want to protect the Kelly Parcel from development. I have recreated there, I’ve hunted there, I’ve fished there, I’ve climbed the Grand Teton, as I believe the governor has, I don’t want to see that be developed.” Degenfelder said on Thursday. “I do want the best deal for Wyoming, and this is the most valuable piece of property Wyoming has ever had. To me, we can’t sell Wyoming short.”
Others expressed concern in delaying the project, which has been in the works for more than 15 years, including Grand Teton National Park Foundation President Leslie Mattson. Since March 2023, the foundation has raised more than $38 million to assist the federal government with the $100 million parcel purchase.
“If this transaction gets delayed, I think we’re in real jeopardy of losing that funding, given tax year planning for many of our donors, who expect to provide funding before the 31st of December. That will be problematic for us and then puts us in a challenging situation to go back to them in the future,” Mattson told the board on Thursday. “That money isn’t fulfilled to our organization; it could go elsewhere to other organizations across the country and won’t be used to fund public education in Wyoming.”
Mattson was one of many speakers who shared their thoughts on the sale with the board during a more than three-hour long meeting.
Grand Teton Superintendent Chip Jenkins was another, who highlighted the importance of the national park to the state.
“All across Wyoming, new Welcome to Wyoming signs are being installed along state highways and prominent on those state highway signs is a picture of Grand Teton National Park. That is one of many examples of how Grand Teton National Park is important to the state of Wyoming,” Jenkins said Thursday.
Jenkins added that the national park will “stand ready” for what the future holds, prioritizing tourism, conservation and supporting local schools.
USA TODAY contacted Grand Teton National Park for a statement about the sale but was unsuccessful in reaching a team member by deadline.
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A long time coming
The decision made by the Board of Land Commissioners on Thursday follows years of conversations about the sale of the Kelly Parcel.
Over the past 12 years, the Board of Land Commissioners has disposed three parcels of land near the national park to the U.S. Department of Interior.
Between 2012 and 2016, the Department of Interior purchased the Jackson Lake Parcel, Snake River Parcel and Antelope Flats Parcel in Wyoming for about $62 million, as presented during the Board of Land Commissioners meeting on Thursday. The Board is permitted to use this money to acquire other federal land.
As far as the Kelly Parcel, over the years, the Board has discussed selling this land to the federal government and the possibility of opening it up for public auction, meaning that private developers could purchase the land.
As a part of its state budget last year, the Wyoming legislature approved the sale of the Kelly Parcel for at least $100 million.
What is the Kelly Parcel?
Located within Grand Teton National Park, the Kelly Parcel stretches 640 acres through the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. It has been owned by Wyoming since the state’s establishment but only a part of Grand Teton since a park expansion in 1950. Elk, bison, moose, mule deer and pronghorn call the Kelly Parcel home.
In addition to being a natural wonder, the Kelly Parcel is a state trust land. The Wyoming constitution requires that assets from the land generate income for public schools. The parcel currently obtains about $2,800 annually through various permits, according to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
This week’s sale will return approximately $69.6 million into Wyoming’s Common School Permanent Fund within the first 10 years, according to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
“This once-in-a-lifetime investment into the Common School Permanent Fund is much-needed at this time, especially while mineral revenues remain uncertain for the state of Wyoming,” a statement on the foundation website reads.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wyoming selling land in Grand Teton to federal government for $100M
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