Wyoming could sell hundreds of acres inside Grand Teton National Park to benefit public schools

A proposal to sell state land inside Grand Teton National Park at auction will be voted on by the State Board of Land Commissioners on Thursday.

The Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments recommended on Friday to auction off 640 acres of state land inside Grand Teton National Park at a minimum bid of $80 million, or $125,000 an acre. Under the Wyoming Constitution, state land boards are mandated to manage land to raise money for public schooling.

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The land is known as the Kelly Parcel, located north of Jackson, and touches Jackson’s National Wildlife Refuge. The Kelly Parcel is used for grazing and agricultural leasing and temporary-use permits. It generated about $2,845 a year in revenue and is appraised at $62,425,000, according to an analysis from the Office of State Lands and Investments in October.

If the sale of this trust land goes through at the recommended minimum bid, it would be $18 million higher than the lot’s appraised value and raise millions of dollars for state education.

Speaking at one of four public hearings, Jason Crowder, deputy director of the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments, said he is focused on providing the greatest fiduciary benefit “first and foremost.”

“Our first priority is obviously revenue generation, and that’s what we look at first and foremost. How does that benefit the beneficiaries, their revenue streams?” Crowder said on Nov. 16 in Casper.

“The second inside of that bucket is the investment value. How does the land portfolio currently held benefit — should we diversify, should we move it, what’s its impact, whatever use that we’re analyzing,” Crowder said, adding that improving manageability is another objective.

Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Chip Jenkins said during the public hearing in Jackson last month that while he recognizes and values “quality education” for children, he’s “concerned about inappropriate development” of the national park.

The Kelly Parcel is one of four state trust parcels inside the park, and efforts to exchange the four parcels inside the park to the Department of Interior date back to the 1990s. However, progress on the swap was minimal, and in 2010, the State Board of Land Commissioners said it would auction the four parcels off the highest bidders instead.

The Interior Department already acquired the other three parcels — Jackson Lake, Snake River, and Antelope Flats — but could not find the funds for the Kelly Parcel.

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The Kelly Parcel and the three others inside the park have been owned by Wyoming since the time of its statehood — before the national park was created.

The five-member board that will vote on the future of the Kelly Parcel is composed of Gov. Mark Gordon (R-WY), along with the state auditor, treasurer, secretary of state, and school superintendent.