The state of Wyoming is considering selling 2 square miles of Grand Teton National Park for $125 million.
This is Wyoming’s bold attempt to grab the Department of the Interior’s attention -- and it appears to be working.
For ten years, officials from the state have attempted to trade their tiny strip of the park in return for other land, minerals or mineral royalties.
The state first received the sliver of national park land from the federal government in 1890 as a way to generate money for public education. Wyoming state was free to mine, log, or lease the land.
These days, the land is leased for cattle grazing, bringing in a measly $3,000 a year.
Under the state constitution, state officials are supposed to manage the lands for maximum profit. And cattle grazing is clearly not the best option.
Governor Dave Freudenthal’s suggestion to problem? Sell the land to the highest bidder.
Not everyone in Wyoming, however, is behind the decision. The Associated Press reported:
Even in pro-development Wyoming, however, selling off land in a national park isn’t a popular idea. Some are protesting already [...] Recently a group called Save Historic Jackson Hole took out an ad in the Jackson Hole News & Guide urging people to write Freudenthal and oppose any auction.
It is hard to imagine that anyone, even Governor Freudenthal, would prefer a fast food chain, luxury condo development, or ski resort to the natural calming landscape.
For now, the fate of the land is not sealed. The ball is in the Department of the Interior’s court.
Image: Tim Pearce, Flickr
Tags: Conservation, Mountains
comments ( )