JACKSON, Wyo. — Six hundred and forty acres of state trust land, known as the Kelly parcel, located in Teton County could head to public auction, the Office of State Lands and Investments (OSLI) announced Oct. 2.
The OSLI on behalf of the State Board of Land Commissioners has initiated an administrative review and detailed analysis proposing the disposal of the state parcel. The State Board of Land Commissioners will consider the proposal for disposal at their Dec. 7 meeting.
According to the detailed analysis, disposal of the land will “provide comparatively greater and more consistent returns than what is realized by continuing to hold the parcel and allow it to appreciate in value.”
The income from the Kelly parcel is used to fund public schools, which currently generates $2,845.65 annually from grazing leases and temporary use permits. The appraised value of the land is $62,425,000, at $97,539.06 per acre.
According to the detailed analysis, “the appraiser determined that the maximally productive use and most reasonably supported highest and best use for the State Parcel is for residential subdivision into thirty-five (35) acre, or greater, sites for residential development.”
The parcel is the last remaining state-owned land within the exterior boundaries of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). The Kelly parcel borders GTNP to the north, west and south, the National Elk Refuge also to the south and the Bridger-Teton National Forest on the eastern boundary.
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department completed an evaluation of the parcel and found that the parcel contains high-value wildlife habitat that supports a number of big game and sensitive wildlife species. The parcel provides hunting and fishing opportunities as well as crucial winter habitat for elk and a migration corridor.
“Pulses of elk, totaling 1,000 head or more, as well as antelope and deer also traverse the area each spring and fall,” WGFD said.
In the evaluation, WGFD also noted that 87 Wyoming “Species of Great Conservation Need” have distributions on the parcel, including moose, bald eagle, bighorn sheep, brewer’s sparrow and American kestrel.
“If the State Parcel was disposed of and remained undeveloped, impacts to wildlife and wildlife habitat would be minimal although loss of hunting opportunity may occur,” WGFD commented. “If the State Parcel was disposed of and developed, the resulting habitat loss and fragmentation may have substantial impacts to area wildlife.”
According to the OSLI, “A consistent effort by the Board and OSLI to effectuate an
exchange [of the four parcels to the Department of the Interor] had been pursued since the late 1990s.”
In 2010, the State Board of Land Commissioners entered an agreement with the Department of the Interior “wherein the Department agreed to acquire the trust lands that lie within the exterior boundary of Grand Teton National Park on a parcel-by-parcel basis, for a specified amount, on or before a specific date.”
The parcels included Jackson Lake ($2,000 on or before Jan. 5, 2012), Snake River ($16 million on or before Jan. 5, 2013), Antelope Flats ($45 million on or before Jan. 5, 2014) and the Kelly Parcel ($46 million on or before Jan. 5, 2015).
The Department of the Interior was able to acquire the Jackson Lake parcel and the Snake River parcel prior to the deadline outlined in the agreement but was not able to secure funding for the other two parcels. The agreement was amended and in 2016, the Department of the Interior purchased the Antelope Flats parcel for $46 million. The agreement expired in 2016 and following multiple failed Legislative attempts to transfer the land, the Kelly parcel remains under Wyoming ownership.
Now pursuing disposal, the OSLI has opened up public comment on the detailed analysis of the Kelly parcel for 60 days. The comment period closes Dec. 1 at 5 p.m.
A public hearing will be held in Teton County to gather comments. The date, time and location of the public hearing will be advertised at a later date, says OSLI.
Public comments are welcome in writing at Attention: Jason Crowder, Office Of State Lands and Investments, 122 W. 25th Street, Herschler Building Suite W103, Cheyenne, WY 82002 or email at jason.crowder@wyo.gov.
