Wyoming

Opinion: It should go without saying. Don’t auction off pristine public land in Grand Teton National Park.

Published

1 year ago

December 4, 2023

Opinion: It should go without saying. Don’t auction off pristine public land in Grand Teton National Park.

There’s a 640-acre parcel of magnificent, state-owned public land in Wyoming that’s set for auction unless the state changes its mind.

Simply put, this small inholding, known as the “Kelly Parcel,” should never be privatized — never. It is one of the most awe-inspiring and important pieces of open space remaining in America.

Within Grand Teton National Park, its borders include the National Elk Refuge and Bridger-Teton National Forest. Its value was appraised in 2022 at $62.4 million. However, the director of the Office of State Lands and Investment just recommended a starting bid of $80 million.

But its real value isn’t about money: The land is a vital migration corridor for elk, moose, big horn sheep antelope, pronghorn and mule deer travelling into and out of the national park. It also hosts 87 other “Species of Greatest Conservation Need.”

And the annual, 200-mile-long migration corridor known as the Path of the Pronghorn — from Grand Teton National Park to the upper Green River Basin — passes right through the Kelly Parcel at the crux of what’s recognized as the longest mammalian migration in the contiguous United States.

Wyomingites have been resolute in their opposition to selling the state-owned parcel. Publicity generated by the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance collected more than 2,600 comments from people opposed to an auction, and hundreds of opponents turned out at each of four public hearings in November. Many others contacted the state directly for a total of more than 10,000 people opposed to a state auction.

Yet this week the Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners will decide whether a private owner gets to do whatever they want with the Kelly Parcel once they bid highest at auction– fence it, subdivide it, certainly road it.

With its iconic views of the Tetons and natural beauty that’s surrounded by public land — plus sporting one of the most coveted zip codes in the country — the Kelly Parcel will most likely be snatched up at auction by a billionaire with development and dollar signs in their eyes.

“The people of Wyoming would not want to be part of a legacy where this land fell into a private developer’s hands and see that beautiful landscape dotted with a few select starter castles,” said John Turner, former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at one of the hearings.

There is no rush to dispose of the Kelly Parcel, no deadline to cash in before the bank forecloses or a buyer backs out. But an auction changes everything, in a way that can never be undone.

That is why Dave Sollitt, executive director of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance is asking The State Board of Land Commissioners to put a stop to this auction and focus on working with state legislators to find a way to sell the Kelly Parcel to Grand Teton National Park, where it belongs.

“National parks are heralded as ‘America’s best idea,’ and auctioning off public land within Grand Teton National Park would stand out as Wyoming’s worst idea,” Sollitt said. “If they go to auction, the state and everyone loses control. That’s how auctions work.”

Though money generated from auctioning the Kelly Parcel to the highest bidder would contribute some $4,000 annually to the support of public schools, the windfall to the state would also come at an immeasurable cost to wildlife.

There is a better approach. Selling the parcel to the National Park Service — as Wyoming did with its other three parcels within the park — is projected to generate up to $120 million over 30 years. The National Park Service tried to buy the Kelly Parcel in 2015, but the agency lacked enough money to make the deal then and now.

Establishing ourselves as the first state to auction off public land within a national park is likely to blight Wyoming’s reputation beyond recovery. It should be clear: Privatizing an irreplaceable area within a national park for short-term gain is a foolish and destructive move.

Savannah Rose is a contributor to Writers on the Range, writersontherange.org, an independent nonprofit dedicated to spurring lively conversation about the West. She lives in Jackson, Wyoming, and is a wildlife photographer who cares about keeping ecosystems intact.

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Wyoming

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Sunday, March 23, 2025

Published

6 hours ago

March 22, 2025

Press Room

Don Day's Wyoming Weather Forecast: Sunday, March 23, 2025

Mostly sunny in much of Wyoming on Sunday with clouds, chance for rain and snow in some areas of the west. Breezy. Highs from the mid 30s to the mid 50s. Lows mainly in the 30s and low 40s.

Central:

Casper: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 50 and wind gusts as high as 32 mph. Mostly cloudy and windy overnight with a low near 42 and wind gusts as high as 37 mph.

Riverton: Mostly sunny today with a high near 53 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 33.

Glenrock: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 50 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 34 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.

Southwest:

Evanston: Mostly sunny today with a high near 47 and wind from 6-16 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 30.

Green River: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 49 and wind gusts as high as 36 mph. Partly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 36 and wind gusts as high as 32 mph.

South Pass: Mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 35 and wind gusts as high as 39 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 32 and wind gusts as high as 36 mph.

Western Wyoming:

Pinedale: Partly sunny and breezy today with a high near 38 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 29.

Alpine: Chance of rain and snow after 10 a.m., mostly cloudy today with a high near 38 and mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and snow and a low near 35.

Big Piney: Mostly sunny today with a high near 41 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 27.

Northwest:

Dubois: Slight chance of snow after 4 p.m., otherwise mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 39 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Partly cloudy and windy overnight with a slight chance of snow before midnight, a low near 36 and wind gusts as high as 49 mph.

Jackson: Chance of rain and snow after 11 a.m., mostly cloudy today with a high near 39 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a chance of rain and snow, a low near 33 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park: Chance of snow mainly after 4 p.m., mostly cloudy today with a high near 33 and mostly cloudy overnight with snow likely mainly before 10 p.m., a low near 30 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Bighorn Basin:

Thermopolis: Mostly sunny today with a high near 51 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 33.

Cody: Mostly cloudy and windy today with a high near 47 and wind gusts as high as 39 mph. Mostly cloudy and windy overnight with a slight chance of rain before 10 p.m., a low near 43 and wind gusts as high as 38 mph.

Ten Sleep: Mostly sunny today with a high near 49 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 37.

North Central:

Buffalo: Mostly sunny today with a high near 42 and mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain and snow after midnight and a low near 37.

Sheridan: Partly sunny today with a high near 50 and mostly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain after midnight and a low near 31.

Dayton: Partly sunny today with a high near 48 and cloudy overnight with a chance of rain mainly after midnight and a low near 32.

Northeast:

Gillette: Mostly sunny today with a high near 45 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 33 and wind gusts as high as 18 mph.

Newcastle: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 44 and wind gusts as high as 32 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 33 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.

Moorcroft: Mostly sunny today with a high near 45 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 31 and wind gusts as high as 18 mph.

Eastern Plains:

Torrington: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 55 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 30 and wind gusts as high as 25 mph.

Wheatland: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 53 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 40 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.

Kaycee: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 48 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Partly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 34 and wind gusts as high as 22 mph.

Southeast:

Cheyenne: Mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 50 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Partly cloudy and windy overnight with a low near 37 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.

Laramie: Mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 45 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Partly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 32 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph.

Medicine Bow: Mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 46 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Mostly cloudy and windy overnight with a low near 35 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.

South Central:

Rawlins: Mostly sunny and windy today with a high near 47 and wind gusts as high as 45 mph. Partly cloudy and windy overnight with a low near 36 and wind gusts as high as 40 mph.

Encampment: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 42 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 32 and wind gusts as high as 35 mph.

Baggs: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 52 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph. Mostly cloudy and breezy overnight with a low near 33 and wind gusts as high as 30 mph.

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Wyoming

Wyoming Valley Women’s Club celebrates 120th anniversary

Published

17 hours ago

March 22, 2025

Press Room

Wyoming Valley Women’s Club celebrates 120th anniversary

Wyoming Valley Women’s Club met March 11 at the Holiday Inn, East Mountain Inn. The club celebrated its 120th year anniversary.

Program presenters were Cindy Mitchell, Anna Elmir, Gayle Delano Slezak, Debbie Hannon, Mary Reynolds, and Sue Rivello. Tony Books, guest speaker, was introduced by Romaine Stout.

Tony Brooks is executive director of the Wilkes-Barre Preservation Society and curator of the 1793 Zebulon Butler House and serves on the Wilkes-Barre City Council. Brooks presented background information on landmarks in Wilkes-Barre and a historical summary of a variety of local people who have influenced and made their mark on our country.

Brooks presented a children’s book entitled, “Get Set. Get Ready: A Tour of Wilke-Barre with Tony and Debi.” Proceeds from this book will provide hundreds of third graders with copies of this book. It is currently a fundraiser for the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre. Books are available for sale at the Osterhout Library.

Hazel Markowski, nomination chairperson, provided ballots for members to nominate ladies for the election, which will be held in April 2025. Sign-up sheets were also available for ladies to volunteer for next year’s meetings and committees.

Maureen Riley, Scholarship Chairperson, presented an update on Scholarship program.

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Wyoming

Special Olympics Wyoming seeking volunteers for annual summer games

Published

1 day ago

March 22, 2025

Press Room

Special Olympics Wyoming seeking volunteers for annual summer games

CASPER, Wyo. —Special Olympics Wyoming is currently seeking volunteers for its annual summer games.

That’s according to a release from SOW, which states that on Sunday, April 13, Special Olympics Wyoming Area V is hosting a portion of their annual area summer games at the Casper YMCA, beginning at 2 p.m.

`”This event offers competition in swimming and basketball,” the release states. “All are encouraged to come and cheer on these amazing athletes. To hold this quality event, we are in need of volunteers to help keep score, assist with skills stations, and assist with awards.”

Those interested in volunteering can sign up at this registration link.

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