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How Utah’s Tabby Mountain got caught up in a political hailstorm

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How Utah’s Tabby Mountain got caught up in a political hailstorm


Editor’s notice • This story is accessible to Salt Lake Tribune subscribers solely. Thanks for supporting native journalism.

For years, Utah wildlife officers have coveted a 28,500-acre block of state belief lands protecting Tabby Mountain, thought-about among the best large sport habitat in Utah.

The difficulty is Tabby shouldn’t be, technically talking, public land, and the Division of Pure Sources’ makes an attempt to purchase this plateau on the headwaters of the Duchesne River wound up summoning different potential patrons who might wish to exclude the general public.

Whereas value hundreds of thousands, Tabby has not generated a lot income, so the Utah College and Institutional Belief Lands Administration (SITLA) has lengthy regarded to promote to the state so long as the college belief receives full market worth.

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Such a deal was within the pipeline in 2018 with a $40 million provide from DNR, then led by Mike Styler, a tireless champion of preserving the mountain’s habitat and public entry.

Then got here the curveball.

A sealed bid was submitted by the Ute Indian Tribe to pay extra for Tabby Mountain. Much more. Underneath SITLA’s statutory mandate, company bosses needed to promote to the tribe or demand the next value from DNR, which then provided $50 million.

With DNR unable to truly safe the extra $10 million, SITLA killed the sale to keep away from risking the wrath of Utah lawmakers who have been threatening to rein within the company’s independence if Tabby wound up within the tribe’s fingers, in response to a whistleblower grievance filed by the previous SITLA staffer who oversaw the failed sale.

The company’s then director David Ure rigged the gross sales course of with the purpose of getting the land into DNR’s management — at a value the Legislature was keen to pay — to appease key leaders in state authorities, Tim Donaldson alleged in a grievance filed Aug. 30 with State Auditor John Dougall.

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This association constituted “fiduciary violations and discrimination towards an Indian Tribe by SITLA and the State of Utah,” Donaldson wrote in his grievance.

Whereas acknowledging the looks of irregularities that have been questioned on the time, SITLA officers denied the method was dealt with improperly.

“SITLA’s director [Ure] and board weighed the entire points surrounding the sale and determined that it was in the very best pursuits of the beneficiaries to not transfer ahead with the 2018 effort,” mentioned SITLA director Michelle McConkie, who succeeded Ure in March.

As a matter of coverage, SITLA doesn’t reveal the id of bidders and their bids. Accordingly, officers declined to touch upon Donaldson’s competition that the tribe might have been cheated out of a shot to amass a panorama that holds cultural significance to the Utes.

Ure didn’t reply to a voicemail.

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(Christopher Cherrington | The Salt Lake Tribune)

Placing public land in personal fingers

The Tabby fiasco illustrates the tensions which were brewing for years over SITLA’s choices that elevate earning money for the college belief over the general public’s curiosity in belief lands, even over huge contiguous blocks the place individuals have lengthy loved unfettered entry.

Reached final week, Home Majority Chief Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, acknowledged taking part in a task in thwarting Tabby’s sale to the tribe.

“You are taking 40,000 acres that presently has public entry and put it into personal possession, no matter who it’s, whether or not it’s the [Ute] tribe or anyone else, we’re going to get important backlash that in the end doesn’t mirror effectively for SITLA,” Schultz mentioned. “The general public doesn’t perceive SITLA’s position. All they see is the truth that 40,000 acres of their property was taken away from them by the state of Utah.”

The Ute tribe’s elected leaders additionally didn’t reply to invites to remark delivered by voicemail and thru the tribe’s attorneys.

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Throughout his a few years as DNR director, Styler continually angled for Tabby Mountain. He envisioned it being stored open for public searching and recreation, managed as a state forest by a number of DNR divisions.

However the Utes apparently had different plans for Tabby, which falls contained in the historic boundaries of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation. The mountain is called for Chief Tabby-To-Kwanah, who led the Timpanogos band once they have been forcibly evicted from Utah Valley within the 1850s by Mormon settlers.

When SITLA solicited exterior bids for Tabby, the Ute tribe submitted one for almost $47 million, in response to Donaldson, whose grievance marks the primary public disclosure of the tribe’s involvement.

Tabby’s acquisition by the tribe — or any personal get together for that matter — would have monkey-wrenched DNRs plans. That will immediate lawmakers to draft laws that would neutralize SITLA’s independence and alter its mission, in response to Schultz.

“I feel we have to take a look at the statute and discover a higher pathway ahead,” Schultz mentioned. “The state of Utah should have each likelihood to match the ultimate bid to be able to hold the general public curiosity there.”

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Correcting a century of abuse

SITLA’s job is to handle Utah’s 3 million acres of belief lands — ceded by the federal authorities on the time of statehood in 1896 — as a income supply for colleges and different public beneficiaries.

For Utah’s first century as a state, these lands have been managed extra as a approach to distribute political favors than to assist schooling. That modified in 1994 when the Legislature established SITLA, giving it close to full independence and a strict mandate to handle belief lands to “optimize” income era. Thanks to those reforms, the college belief now exceeds $3 billion, and the cash retains pouring in, a lot of it from profitable land offers.

The state acquired the Tabby land from the U.S. Forest Service in Seventies in a land swap, however the subsurface remained with the tribe, that means mineral extraction stays a risk regardless of who owns the mountain. SITLA collects income off Tabby from livestock grazing, timber harvest and searching, however it’s not a lot.

Champion of the belief

A protracted-time fixture in Utah’s belief lands affairs, Donaldson filed his grievance final month shortly after he was compelled out as head of the Land Belief Safety and Advocacy Workplace, the place he served on the pleasure of State Treasurer Marlo Oaks.

In that position, he functioned because the beneficiaries’ watchdog chargeable for making certain SITLA complies with its mandates. However over the previous 12 months, he alleged, SITLA officers more and more stored him out of the loop, making it inconceivable for him to hold out his duties.

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When he was terminated in late August, he was advised that the State Treasurer’s Workplace needed him to behave in additional of a public relations capability for SITLA, relatively than its overseer.

“I simply wasn’t wired that manner,” he wrote within the grievance, which seeks an investigation into quite a few issues, beginning with the botched sale of Tabby Mountain.

Dougall’s workplace declined to touch upon Donaldson’s grievance.

SITLA routinely sells small to massive parcels at biannual auctions with out controversy, however main gross sales like final 12 months’s 8,107-acre Cinnamon Creek block happen hardly as soon as a decade, if that always. A Tabby sale would have dwarfed Cinnamon Creek, which DNR bought for about $20 million and stays SITLA’s largest land sale up to now.

Donaldson had beforehand served as belief lands director for the Utah State Board of Schooling earlier than becoming a member of SITLA in 2017. That’s when Ure employed him because the company’s assistant director for particular initiatives.

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There was just one particular mission on Donaldson’s plate and that was the sale of Tabby Mountain. This block is taken into account a “nonperforming asset” that will greatest be dropped from SITLA’s portfolio, in response to statements former SITLA board member Tom Bachtell made at a 2019 assembly of the Land Belief Safety and Advocacy Committee.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah’s Tabby Mountain gives scenic large sport habitat within the western Uinta Basin, on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022. The Utah Division of Pure Sources has tried shopping for 28,400 acres of belief lands right here to handle as wildlife protect open to the general public, however was outbid by the Ute Indian Tribe.

A flawed appraisal

As members of the advocacy committee, Bachtell and retired lawmaker Mel Brown sharply criticized how SITLA dealt with Tabby’s appraisal. This appraisal had been orchestrated by DNR’s Division of Wildlife Sources (DWR), they divulged at a 2019 assembly.

It could not be applicable to permit a possible purchaser to affect an appraisal, but SITLA approved a DWR employees member to accompany the appraiser on their tour of Tabby Mountain, mentioned Brown, the Utah legislator who shepherded the 1994 laws that created SITLA.

The appraisal got here in at $41 million, which Bachtell and others believed was low, particularly contemplating the growing tendency of ultra-wealthy individuals to purchase big spreads of open land in Western states for high greenback.

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SITLA negotiated a sale to DNR based mostly on that “flawed” appraisal. Then, as per its guidelines, the company solicited exterior bids in late 2018 searching for higher provides. Eight undisclosed events expressed an curiosity, however it was the useless of winter, with the mountain below snow and largely inaccessible. There was little time to develop bids and just one truly got here in — the tribe’s.

“The process occurred so rapidly,” Bachtell mentioned. “It was favored towards DWR. We put it out for public bid and gave individuals 30 days to determine whether or not they needed to place $1 million all the way down to bid on it, which I wouldn’t have executed, with out doing due diligence about roads, zoning, water, every thing you may consider together with Indian minerals — what can that do to my floor.”

He complained that the appraisal was “one-sided” and unfair to the belief.

“The appraisal was down and soiled … It’s so restricted. They have been advised the makes use of weren’t going to vary. There are a variety of new billionaires on the market. Consideration was not given to the opportunity of personal homeowners … paying a heck of some huge cash for it,” he mentioned “It’s inside helicopter distance from an airport, which issues to billionaires. And it’s lovely.”

Whereas Bachtell argued SITLA might get greater than $41 million for Tabby, he was additionally involved in regards to the Ute tribe buying the land with the next bid.

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“In the event that they get it, they will convert that land into Indian land utterly exterior the bailiwick of the state. They may management the searching, fishing on that land and the entry. If they’re the excessive bid, which I feel possibly is probably going, then there are political ramifications and points,” Bachtell mentioned. “What’s in the very best pursuits of the beneficiaries isn’t all the time cash. There are different issues to think about.”

In interviews final week, SITLA officers didn’t deny the gross sales course of might have been dealt with higher.

The objective was to forge a deal that stored the land open to the general public, whereas additionally getting the very best deal for the belief, in response to SITLA’s basic counsel Mike Johnson.

“From the start of the gross sales course of, SITLA’s beneficiaries questioned whether or not DNR was too concerned with the appraisal of the land and whether or not the appraisal was correct,” Johnson mentioned. “Additionally they expressed concern that the promoting timeframe was too quick to get a real concept of the market worth.”

However behind the scenes, in response to Donaldson, extraordinary political stress was being placed on SITLA to make a deal that ensured Tabby Mountain landed in state possession.

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A 12 months after the sale was nixed, Schultz, then the Home majority whip, known as Donaldson into his workplace on the Capitol, eager to know why SITLA was insisting on getting an extra $10 million above the $40 million negotiated value for Tabby, in response to Donaldson’s assertion.

“I used to be interrogated about how the Ute Indian Tribe turned conscious of the potential sale. I used to be threatened with legislative motion to destroy the belief mandate for the beneficiaries if I didn’t see to it that the sale went a sure manner,” Donaldson wrote. “‘Promote it to the Tribe and see what occurs to you,’ Home Majority Chief Schultz mentioned.”

Schultz mentioned he doesn’t recall the particulars of that dialog, however he reaffirmed his perception that SITLA’s mission must be reevaluated if it pursues offers that privatize large blocks of land that Utah residents maintain expensive.

Laws did materialize in final legislative session that will have constrained SITLA’s unilateral potential to promote blocks exceeding 5,000 acres. HB204 was launched by Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, who helped dealer the 2021 Cinnamon Creek deal and is an outspoken supporter of public searching.

After assembly with Donaldson in the course of the session, Snider agreed to drag the invoice earlier than it ever bought a committee listening to. Donaldson contends HB204 might have backfired by opening a authorized pathway for the tribe to pressure Tabby’s sale.

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Snider, nonetheless, mentioned he pulled the invoice as a result of he has religion in SITLA’s new management to handle its massive blocks with the general public curiosity in thoughts, relatively than merely promoting to the very best bidder. Like Schultz, he believes the lack of public entry to Tabby Mountain, the Guide Cliffs, the La Sals and different massive SITLA blocks could be a catastrophe for Utahns.

“Taking tens of hundreds of acres off of half the general public’s potential to entry is all the time a tragedy,” he mentioned. “On large consolidated blocks like Tabby, SITLA has a fiduciary duty as a part of their stewardship. However additionally they have a broader responsibility, which can also be in the very best pursuits of the belief, I consider, to take a look at the opposite values that aren’t financial on a chunk of floor.”

At the moment Tabby Mountain stays open to the general public, however it could finally price taxpayers and the searching neighborhood dearly to maintain it that manner.



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Utah hosting seven transfer portal players this week, per report

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Utah hosting seven transfer portal players this week, per report


Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham made it clear that this offseason would be one of the busiest in program history regarding the transfer portal. True to his word, the Utes have secured 14 new additions, addressing key areas as they prepare for their second year in the Big 12. With the competition ramping up, Utah’s aggressive approach reflects the urgency to remain competitive in one of college football’s most unpredictable conferences.

The Utes’ portal activity highlights a calculated strategy to strengthen positions that lacked depth or consistent production last season. Whittingham and his staff leaving no stone unturned. Despite already securing a significant haul, Utah isn’t done yet. Over the next few days, they plan to host seven additional transfer portal visitors, aiming to round out what could become one of the program’s most impactful portal classes. According to a report by KSL’s Steve Bartle, three of the seven players have been named ahead of the visit to Salt Lake City with the other four remaining anonymous.

Among themo notable names visiting Utah is Washington State receiver Carlos Hernandez. Hernandez has been a productive receiver for the Cougars, tallying 55 receptions for 655 yards and five touchdowns across two seasons. At 6 feet and 189 pounds, Hernandez brings a combination of route-running precision and reliable hands. His visit to Utah on January 3rd is part of a packed schedule that also includes meetings with Wake Forest and Virginia. Despite missing part of the 2024 season due to injury, Hernandez finished strong, accumulating 31 catches for 397 yards and five touchdowns. His proven ability to stretch the field and produce in high-pressure moments makes him an intriguing addition for Utah’s receiving corps.

In the backfield, Utah is pursuing Utah State standout Rashul Faison. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back rushed for over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns last season, emerging as one of the top available backs in the transfer portal. Faison’s physical running style and breakaway ability caught the attention of several major programs, including Florida State, Alabama, and North Carolina. However, Utah remains in the hunt, with Faison set to visit Salt Lake City on January 7th. The Utes’ running back room is already solid, but Faison’s dynamic play during Utah’s matchup against Utah State in Logan left a lasting impression on Whittingham’s staff. Adding him could provide Utah with a one-two punch in the backfield.

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Another player on Utah’s radar is Arkansas receiver Dazmin James, who brings tantalizing speed and athleticism to the table. James, a 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver, clocked a 10.46-second 100-meter dash in high school and recorded sub-4.4-second 40-yard dash times during his recruitment. While his production at Arkansas was limited—he redshirted in 2023—James showed flashes of his potential in Arkansas’ bowl win over Texas Tech, where he recorded three catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. James will visit Utah alongside Faison, adding another layer of excitement to what could be a transformative weekend for the Utes.

The remaining four transfer visitors have not been publicly identified, reflecting the competitive nature of the portal process. Two of these players visited earlier this week, while the final two are expected on Sunday and Monday. This cloak-and-dagger approach underscores Utah’s desire to keep potential additions under wraps until deals are finalized.

Utah’s proactive stance in the portal aligns with the realities of modern college football, where roster turnover and reloading talent through transfers are essential for sustained success. The Big 12’s physicality and speed demand depth at every position, and Whittingham’s ability to identify and recruit impact players will be crucial as the Utes aim to contend for a conference championship.

Utah has ‘big money’ problem with a billionaire calling NIL shots for rival

The broader significance of Utah’s portal success speaks to the evolving identity of the program. Once known for developing under-the-radar talent, Utah is now competing head-to-head with national powerhouses for premier transfer targets. This shift is a testament to Whittingham’s longevity, the program’s stability, and Utah’s growing reputation as a destination for players seeking to maximize their potential.

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Steve Smith Sr. becomes first-time finalist for Pro Football Hall of Fame

As the portal process continues, Utah fans can expect more fireworks in the coming weeks. Whether it’s landing high-profile names like Hernandez, Faison, and James or pulling off surprise commitments, the Utes’ aggressive offseason sets the stage for a potentially exciting 2025 campaign. With Whittingham at the helm, Utah is making it clear that they’re not just participating in the Big 12—they’re here to win it.



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Brian Higgins: In 2025, there will be even more reality TV shows about Utah

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Brian Higgins: In 2025, there will be even more reality TV shows about Utah


This is part of a series of forward-looking predictions for 2025. Read more.

When I was asked to write about my predictions for 2025, a number of important topics ran through my head. The post-election political landscape. The increasing presence of artificial intelligence in our lives and what it means for the future of work. The health of the Great Salt Lake, Bear Lake, the Colorado River or any number of important waterways in Utah and the West. But setting out to answer those questions would leave another, more important question unanswered.

So I will answer that question: Yes, they will make more trashy reality TV shows about Utah in 2025.

How could they not? Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” is one of 2024′s most talked-about shows. Meanwhile, Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” is as popular as ever, and its spinoff “The Trial of Jen Shah” had great ratings on C-SPAN. It’s clear from these shows that America wants to know more about Utah. Or at least the fabulously wealthy, mostly white, occasionally religious women of Utah.

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This isn’t going to change in 2025. In fact, I predict there will only be more interest in the Beehive State. And rather than being an annoyance, this will actually be a great opportunity to showcase what life is like for Utahns who exist outside of the realms of dramatic cocktail parties, lavish getaways, soft-swinging affairs and high-profile financial crimes. We’ll all get our shot at reality fame next year.

The networks will be strategic about it, of course. They’ll ease people into it with the tried and true “wives” theme. “Keeping Up With Utah Jazz Wives” will premiere first. Imagine the drama of watching Jazz couples shop for houses in 29 different cities during the trade deadline or trying to find an outfit that matches those highlighter-yellow jerseys. A show like this would also offer a refreshing twist on the genre, since the average NBA player is about 100x more dramatic than any housewife.

After that, we’ll slowly move away from the upper class. It’s time for “The Real Ski Bum Condo-Wives of Salt Lake City.” This is drama. This is intrigue. If you thought the showdowns on “RHOSLC” were intense, wait until you see how Aspen from Cottonwood Heights reacts when her husband, River, buys a third pair of powder skis with the rent check. Throwing a glass of wine in someone’s face is interesting; throwing a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon in their face is cinema.

At this point, America will have full-blown Utah fever. It’s time to let the men shine. “The Secret Lives of Mormon Husbands” is Hulu’s next smash hit. The male version will be a bit different, though. Unlike “Mormon Wives” and “RHOSLC,” which follow the women throughout their daily lives, “Husbands” will be a “Hard Knocks”-style sports documentary following a full season of church ball.

No one will be able to resist the highs and lows of recreational basketball in suburban Utah. It’ll blow “Hard Knocks” out of the water. Sure, when a passionate, hard-working kid from a D2 school narrowly misses out on his NFL dreams, that’s sad. But when Jeff from Layton tells his wife and kids that he missed the game-tying free throw in overtime? Devastating.

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This show will also help America move away from its mystical fascination with Mormons. For whatever reason, it seems the viewing public thinks LDS members live very different lives than their own, whether they be devoted members or “Bad Mormons,” like “RHOSLC’s” Heather Gay. But if viewers want a glimpse at some Utahns who truly live unique lives, they’ll go crazy for “The Real Desert Kangaroo Rats of Moab.”

The catty critters didn’t come here to make friends; they came here to strut their stuff, speak their minds and survive on a diet of grass seeds and mesquite beans in desert scrub, open grasslands and creosote flats. Sir David Attenborough will narrate and say things like, “Here in the desert, water is scarce. But there’s plenty of tea and — like the temperatures — it’s piping hot.”

We haven’t even touched on dating shows, and Utah is the perfect venue for some of America’s biggest love-centric trash TV. Have the producers of “The Golden Bachelor” even heard of Park City? These are the fittest 70-somethings in the world, people. Forget pickleball; this will be the first season with an ultramarathon group date.

Netflix’s “Love Is Blind,” the show where contestants fall in love through a wall and get married six weeks later, should also take a visit here. Fans of the show deserve to see a family that’s almost entirely unfazed by the idea of getting married that fast.

It’s going to be a big year for Utah, and I think there will be room for everyone to cash in. And if you think that you, yes you, aren’t interesting enough for your own show, just remember the golden rule of reality TV: No idea is too stupid.

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(Photo courtesy of Brian Higgins) Brian Higgins

Brian Higgins is a writer and comedian in Salt Lake City.

The Salt Lake Tribune is committed to creating a space where Utahns can share ideas, perspectives and solutions that move our state forward. We rely on your insight to do this. Find out how to share your opinion here, and email us at voices@sltrib.com.



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Utah Jazz Trade Rumors: It’ll take a LOT for this Jazz player

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Utah Jazz Trade Rumors: It’ll take a LOT for this Jazz player


According to Jake Fischer during his NBA rumors chat on Bleacher Report, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson are both available. But he also says that the Utah Jazz would prefer to keep Walker Kessler. (Big shoutout to David J. Smith for the notice on this one.)

This is not something new regarding each of these players but it does provide some clarity with Kessler. But this idea that it would take a “major package” to get him reminds me of something. Oh, that’s right, all of last offseason where we heard the same thing with Lauri Markkanen. That ended up turning into nothing, and we’re seeing the same playbook. Utah is happy with Kessler, but if there’s a team out there to give a major overpay, it sounds like Utah won’t turn that down. Looking back at this offseason and how it panned out. Teams like the Warriors and Kings, who were very interested in Markkanen, certainly look like they might regret not paying the huge price tag.

As far as Sexton and Clarkson, it seems pretty obvious that Utah is likely going for the highest possible package they can get for Collin Sexton. That may take time but Utah needs to think about the ramifications of having Sexton potentially costing them losses down the road. Utah is in an extremely tight race for Cooper Flagg and should think about making a move sooner than later to make that more possible.

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