JACKSON, Wyo. — After an outpouring of community support, a 640-acre parcel situated on Munger Mountain state trust land has been officially protected from future development. The Wyoming Office of State Lands & Investments (OSLI) unanimously voted to approve a 35-year recreational and conservation lease for the land easement on the morning of Thursday, August 1.
Teton County will now pay the state $75,000 annually — a total of more than $2.6 million plus an inflation adjustment — towards the lease for the next three and a half decades.
Max Ludington, President of the Jackson Hole Land Trust, told Buckrail that the approval of the Munger lease was a “huge win for the community and a huge win for the State.”
According to the Jackson Hole Land Trust, the recreational lease will generate $2.625 million for Wyoming’s K-12 public schools. The lease terms are compatible with existing grazing leases.
The grassroots citizen group, Friends of Munger Mountain, has been advocating for the recreational lease on Munger Mountain for the past three years. Katherine Dowson, Executive Director of Friends of Pathways and member of Friends of Munger Mountain, told Buckrail that it “took a village to get the proposal across the finish line.” According to Dowson, it was community members showing up to meetings, letters of support and the approval of the Conservation Opportunities Specific Purpose Excise Tax to pay for the annual lease that made all the difference.
“Many people and organizations worked toward a solution that respects the fiduciary responsibilities of the State with the community’s desire to preserve public recreational access and the unique wild and natural resource values that exist on the parcel,” Dowson said.
The forest service trail system on Munger encompasses 20 miles and accommodates a diverse range of recreational activities, including hiking, dog walking, trail running, hunting, mountain biking and horseback riding.
