Wyoming’s State Board of Land Commissioners approved on Nov. 7 a proposal to sell state-owned trust land that lies within the boundary of Grand Teton National Park to the federal government.
The board, comprising Gov. Mark Gordon and four other state officials, approved in a 3–2 vote to sell the 640-acre Kelly Parcel for $100 million. The land will become part of Grand Teton National Park.
Before the vote, Wyoming Senate President Ogden Driskill expressed support for the proposal, suggesting that selling the state land could benefit Wyoming public education.
“There’s clearly a right decision to be made. This is a very rare opportunity for you to do the right thing for education in Wyoming,” Driskill said.
According to the Office of State Lands and Investments, the board is obligated under the state constitution to optimize revenue from state trust lands to support public schools, but because the Kelly Parcel is within the exterior boundaries of Grand Teton, the board was unable to realize the land’s full economic value. The office said that selling the land seems to “reasonably meet” the needs of the beneficiaries.
“Disposing of the Kelly Parcel looks to provide comparatively greater and more consistent returns than what is realized by continuing to hold the parcel and allow it to appreciate in value,” it stated.
Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder voted against the state land sale. Gray said the price was undervalued and the sale appeared rushed.
“Why would we want Biden and Harris to move forward with a record of decision before the Trump administration begins?” Gray said. “We have to get the right deal for our state.”
Describing the Kelly Parcel as “the most valuable piece of property Wyoming has ever had,” Degenfelder said she believed that the board could have secured a better deal for the land.
“To me, we can’t sell Wyoming short,“ she said. ”I don’t believe that voting it down today or tabling it today, as I prefer, is closing doors.”
For decades, Wyoming governors have threatened to sell the land within Grand Teton to the highest bidder if the federal government refused to buy it. The threats led to off-and-on negotiations and three previous sales of other state land within the park to the federal government totaling $62 million. The Kelly Parcel is the last remaining state trust land within Grand Teton.
Josh Metten, Wyoming field manager for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, welcomed the board’s approval, calling it “a win for Wyoming school children” and wildlife resources.
