Grand Teton National Park Land Could Soon Be For Sale In Wyoming

Topline

Hundreds of acres of land inside the Grand Teton National Park could be approved to go on the market as soon as this week as the state of Wyoming considers an $80 million listing that would make it the first state to ever try to sell land within the boundaries of a national park to a private buyer — a controversial proposal that has thousands of residents speaking up.

General Views of the Grand Tetons at the Snake River on May 28, 2021.

GC Images

Key Facts

A state board will on Thursday decide whether or not to auction off the 640-acre “Kelly Parcel” for sale to the public for $125,000 an acre, or about $80 million, to benefit public schools, a proposal that has raised red flags for locals worried about development, habitat preservation and other concerns.

The land, located about 14 miles from the ski-season destination of Jackson, Wyoming, provides views of the “entire” Teton mountain range, a state document says, and is home to elk, bison, pronghorn and mule deer—it also sits in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the country.

While land within the bounds of a national park is typically protected from being sold to private developers, the Kelly Parcel was given to Wyoming before it became part of the park, and so the state retains control over the parcel, which is designated as school trust land and must be used to benefit the state school system.

Jennifer Scoggin, director of the Wyoming land office, on Friday recommended to the State Board of Land Commissioners that it sell the land by the end of January and not accept a bid less than $80 million—which is $18 million higher than the lot’s appraised value, Politico reported.

If the sale goes through, it would likely be the first time ever that a piece of a national park could be sold to a developer.

Key Background

The Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments was formed when Wyoming became a state in 1890. The federal government granted 4.2 million acres of land to the state upon its joining the nation and the board was created with the legal mandate to manage the land for value growth and sustainable revenue. Today, it is required by law to manage the lands so they produce as much income as possible for public schools and is run by a five-member Board of Land Commissioners made up of Republican Gov. Mark Gordon, and four of the state’s top officials: the secretary of state, auditor, treasurer and superintendent of public instruction. When Wyoming was granted statehood, it was given four pieces of land in what later became the Grand Teton National Park. Today, the state retains control of only one of those lots: The Kelly Parcel. The rest have since been acquired by the Department of the Interior, which manages the National Park Service, and are now under federal control. Because the Board of Land Commissioners has a financial responsibility to make state lands profitable to the benefit of the public school system, it is obligated to explore a sale as the most revenue-producing way to manage the Kelly Parcel.

Grand Teton National Park.

LightRocket via Getty Images

Big Number

$2,845. The Kelly Parcel is currently generating only $2,845 per year for the state through grazing lease and special permits. If sold, the state estimates investments from the sale could generate at least $119.8 million over the next 30 years.

Chief Critic

Since it was first proposed, the potential sale of the land has spurred thousands of Wyoming residents to protest, submit public comments and attend meetings where they expressed concern about selling the land to the highest bidder. Some decried the potential damage to native animals and plants. One resident said it was obvious the land would then be subdivided, sold for millions of dollars and turned into a development of “mansions for wealthy out-of-staters,” while another called the Kelly Parcel the “crown jewel of the Wyoming state land’s inventory.” Several alternative ideas have been floated for the property, including a sale to the National Park Service—which would require the approval of the state legislature—or a “conservation buyer” who would keep it largely as is. Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, who sits on the land board, told Wyoming Public Media that a sale to the highest bidder is “short sighted” and called for a way to “create a generational benefit to Wyoming citizens.”

Crucial Quote

“We are really concerned about inappropriate development,” Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said at a meeting on the sale.

Contra

Rob Wallace, former assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks in the Department of the Interior, told Politico the state has no choice but to consider the option of a sale—the Kelly Parcel makes close to nothing as is, and the land board is required by law to make land profitable in benefit of the school system. “You’ve got arguably one of the most valuable pieces of land within a national park and it’s… not fulfilling the fiduciary responsibility they have for the education system,” he said.

What To Watch For

The State Board of Land Commissioners will vote on the potential sale at a meeting starting at 10 a.m. Eastern Thursday. Three of the board’s five members will need to vote “yes” for the proposal to be approved. If the Kelly Parcel does go up for sale, experts say it could set a precedent that would lead to other state land boards looking to offload valuable parcels. Aaron Weiss with the conservation-focused Center for Western Priorities told the Colorado Sun that the listing of the Kelly Parcel could be seen as a “playbook” for the sale of currently protected land to the highest bidder.