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A 640-acre parcel of Wyoming trust land that\u2019s rich in wildlife habitat and hunting and fishing access is on the chopping block as the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments considers auctioning it off to the highest bidder. The \u201cKelly Parcel,\u201d which has been valued at over $62 million for its unfettered Teton views and access to the Gros Ventre River, also resides squarely within the Grand Teton National Park boundary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The section\u2019s location is just one layer of this complicated issue, which is currently the source of much protest<\/a> in Teton County and across the state. If the State Board of Land Commissioners votes to move forward with the auction, it would be the first time in U.S. history that a state body auctioned off a piece of land adjacent to a national park, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance says<\/a>. Wyomingites are concerned that the land would go to a real estate developer who would make quick work of the untainted expanse, building multi-million-dollar second homes and cashing in on the ever-growing wealth boom in the American West<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The parcel borders the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the National Elk Refuge and sits on an ancient elk and pronghorn migratory corridor. It also offers habitat to dozens of other species of nongame mammals, birds, and fish and hosts premier elk and bison hunting access and ample fishing opportunities on the Gros Ventre, according to Joel Webster, the vice president of Western conservation for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership<\/a>. If the National Park Service were to acquire the parcel, conditions allowing for bison hunting could be written onto the deed when it transfers hands, Webster tells Outdoor Life<\/em>. (A very limited elk hunt<\/a> already occurs in Grand Teton National Park every year as part of the park\u2019s elk management strategy.)\u00a0<\/p>\n But even if bison hunting opportunities were lost in a NPS acquisition, he says, keeping the habitat intact is the obvious best-case-scenario for the conservation community.<\/p>\n \u201cGiven the importance of this parcel for fish and wildlife, specifically big game species, it makes the most sense for this piece to go to the Park Service. So whatever the state chooses to do, that needs to be the outcome,\u201d Webster says. \u201cThe worst option is some big roller from New York City comes in, buys this land, and subdivides it. Not only are the hunting opportunities gone, but the wildlife habitat value is gone, too.\u201d<\/p>\n In Wyoming, the Office of State Lands and Investments has a fiscal responsibility to the state\u2019s public schools, from K-12 to the state university system. (State trust lands contribute funds and real estate to other state entities<\/a> as well, like the penal and healthcare systems.) Revenue from state trust lands makes up a portion of the state\u2019s education budget, which is also funded<\/a> through mineral royalties, motor vehicle registration fees, and a variety of other sources. Currently, the only money the Kelly Parcel makes for the state comes from grazing leases, conservation easements, and \u201ctemporary use permits.\u201d This revenue<\/a> totals $2,845.65 a year, or .000046 percent of the current valuation of the land. (That\u2019s less than half of one ten-thousandth of a percent.)<\/p>\n During a public meeting in Jackson on Nov. 9, one member of the public pointed out that, at $97,000 an acre, that would make this land shockingly cheap when compared to other property values in the region<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone else in the room shocked that an acre of land with pristine Teton views is appraised at $97,000?\u201d she asked the room packed with concerned residents, according to Wyoming Public Media<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019d like to buy one\u2014or five. That\u2019s crazy!\u201d<\/p>\n Although the unidentified speaker suggests the property is undervalued, the process by which the $62,425,000 valuation was reached is detailed in a 156-page\u00a0appraisal report<\/a>\u00a0from July 2022. Even if the parcel is fairly priced and the land were to go to auction, it would be difficult for the NPS to win a bidding war against private sector money.<\/p>\n The state has always planned to transfer the state\u2019s four inholdings in Grand Teton National Park to the DOI, per an agreement<\/a> between the state and the NPS from 2010. The first purchase\u2014mineral rights on the Jackson Lake Parcel\u2014happened in 2012. The second purchase occurred in 2013 when the DOI\u00a0bought<\/a>\u00a0the 86-acre Snake River Parcel from the state for $16 million. Then, after much back-and-forth, the state\u00a0sold<\/a>\u00a0the 640-acre Antelope Flats Parcel to the DOI for $46 million in 2016. This transfer\u00a0occurred through legislative action<\/a>\u00a0at the state level, which solidified both the buyer and the price in the bill. The Kelly Parcel is the state\u2019s final inholding in Grand Teton National Park, and the state has tried and failed<\/a> multiple times to legislate the transfer.<\/p>\n