Residents rally in protest of the Kelly parcel auction

JACKSON, Wyo. — Jackson residents fueled with hand-made signs and a rallying cry, gathered on Town Square to oppose the auction of the “Kelly parcel,” an area comprising of 640 acres of state trust land.

The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance hosted the Rally to Stop The Auction on Monday, Nov. 6 in order to bring attention to an “iconic piece of Grand Teton National Park (GTNP).”

The Kelly parcel is bordered on three sides by GTNP, with the National Elk Refuge to the south and the Bridger-Teton National Forest on the eastern boundary.

“We want to hold this rally to show that Teton County constituents care about the preservation of public lands and GTNP,” Outreach Manager for the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Kaya Patten-Fusselman said.

Some locals were adorned with pronghorn heads, while others proudly held up their protest signs while passing cars enthusiastically honked their horns. Kelsey Persyn, civic engagement manager for the Alliance, led the crowd in several chants.

“Preserve and protect, the park deserves respect! Hey hey, ho ho, the auction has to go! Tell the commission you don’t have our permission!”

Persyn, leading the crowd in several chants

According to Persyn, there’s been a lot of community support for preventing the auction. “Most people moved to Jackson Hole because they love the natural habitat,” Persyn said. “The park’s mission is to preserve and protect the land for years to come and this auction is threatening that.”

The best outcome, according to the Alliance, is to avoid the state auction in hopes that GTNP will gain control of the parcel. For the auction to proceed, the State Board of Land Commissioners must approve it during a December meeting.

“If we can get a transfer of ownership to the park, everyone will be happy,” Executive Director of the Jackson Hole Alliance David Sollitt said. “It’s too big of a risk to have a billionaire buyer and lose all control. The park is a core part of the state’s economy, losing the Kelly parcel will hurt tourism. This land is also a wildlife thoroughfare to elk, pronghorn, moose and bison, it’s not something that should be turned over to real estate.”

Many locals residents attended the rally to voice their concerns. Ron Wood, a resident in Kelly for almost 50 years, says the community can not let the auction happen.

“This land is part of the pronghorn migration route, which goes way back, before any of us were living in Jackson,” Wood said. “We don’t want mega homes on our public land.”

Sally Yocum, a valley resident for the past 40 years, describes the parcel as a jewel of our county and wrote this excerpt from the Wyoming Constitution on a large poster board, “the Board of Land Commissioners, comprised of the Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, State Treasurer and Superintendent of Public Instruction, is constitutionally charged with optimizing revenue from state trust lands to support public education and beneficiary institutions, while concurrently striving to protect, conserve and maintain the lands so they may be used by future generations.”

Twenty-eight year old Henry Sollitt grew up in Jackson and said he understands the state’s need for funding for education but finds the sale of the Kelly parcel unnecessary, especially when there’s other state parcels.

“This auction will most likely be sold to luxury condos and it comes at a cost to an already fragile ecosystem that continues to be parceled off,” Sollitt said. “Luxury development caters to a very few. The land could be sold to the park and still generate funds for the state.”

Residents can share their comments during the Office of State Land and Investments public meeting at Teton County Library on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m.

Written comments can be sent to 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.

“This is a Wyoming issue, not a partisan issue,” David Sollitt said. “We need to convince them to stop the auction. If we ask nicely but loudly, we can get it done.”

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