The federal government is buying a one-square-mile parcel of land from the state of Wyoming. It means that the land will receive permanent protection in Grand Teton National Park.
The federal government is buying the Kelly parcel. It’s a 640-acre plot of land that Wyoming held in its state school trust.
The parcel has been a target for conservationists but was nearly auctioned off for potential home development.
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The land is in the middle of a migration corridor for elk, pronghorn and mule deer and includes striking views of the Teton Range.
The $100 million comes from a mix of private donations and the National Park Service’s Land and Water Conservation Fund.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said, “Today marks an incredible milestone, decades in the making, to permanently protect an essential wildlife migration corridor and treasured landscape within Grand Teton National Park.”
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon certified the project days before the start of the new legislature when a conservative bloc takes power. The legislators suggested they might try to prevent the deal from going through during their new session in January.
Gordon says he plans to buy other land back from the federal government, saying, “along with the protection of an iconic parcel of land, we now begin working to ensure that there is no net-gain in federal lands in Wyoming.”
The land investment is part of Wyoming’s efforts to make the $100 million benefit the state’s public education system.
