State officers in Wyoming determined to desk a vote to public sale off a sq. mile plot of land often known as the Kelly Parcel till subsequent yr, leaving many to surprise what’s going to occur to the land.
Whereas the concern is that Wyoming’s Workplace of State Lands and Investments will finally determine to promote it to a non-public purchaser, the consensus at final week’s board assembly was the Kelly Parcel ought to grow to be a part of Grand Teton Nationwide Park.
Megan Defenfelder, the top of Wyoming’s Division of Schooling, proposed the thought through the assembly and the 4 different board members, together with the state governor, secretary of state, auditor, and treasurer, all agreed.
“Our state is the place that we love due to stunning large open areas such because the Kelly Parcel,” Defenfelder stated, including, “To me, there’s completely no query that the parcel . . . is of unimaginable worth and actually the crown jewel of Wyoming.”
What complicates the problem is below Wyoming legislation, the parcel is up for disposal — which means it must be offered — to generate cash for state public faculties. Whereas it’s valued at $62 million, it presently solely brings in some $2,900 yearly in grazing charges.
Additionally, critics of the privatization of the Kelly Parcel argue that it must be used for conservation. Specialists say the 640-acre plot surrounded by Grand Teton is a vital pathway for migrating animals like elk, pronghorn, and different wildlife.
To handle the board’s fiduciary duties, Defenfelder stated the state ought to enter negotiations with the Division of Inside, which oversees the Nationwide Park Service, to swap the Kelly Parcel for an additional federal parcel throughout the state’s borders.
“The federal authorities has made it very clear that they’re focused on buying Kelly Parcel as a part of the nationwide park and we’ve heard from many constituents as was outlined in that presentation that they need for a similar,” she stated.
Defenfelder defined that by pushing the vote a yr, they may negotiate a deal to “actually maximize worth for our beneficiaries.” She argued the plot might be traded for an space very best for oil and gasoline improvement.
The problem has been the topic of debate since 2021 when the Kelly Parcel was added to the state’s record of disposable land. Within the two years because it’s gone by way of a number of public hearings and public commenting intervals.
