After a tense three-hour meeting, the state of Wyoming’s top five elected officials narrowly moved forward with an agreement to sell a prized 640-acre tract known as the Kelly Parcel to the federal government for addition into Grand Teton National Park.
There’s no closing date, but the contract for the $100 million land sale states that the conveyance shall be completed “at the earliest possible date” — and there are indications it could be done within weeks and before the change of presidential administrations. The decision to move forward was made Thursday by the State Board of Land Commissioners: Gov. Mark Gordon, Secretary of State Chuck Gray, Treasurer Curt Meier, Auditor Kristi Racines and Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder. Gordon, Meier and Racines voted in favor of the sale, with Degenfelder and Gray opposing it.
One of the last remaining major hurdles to completing the deal is Gordon’s approval of the record of decision for the Bureau of Land Management’s divisive Rock Springs Resource Management Plan — a condition that was added by the Wyoming Legislature, which authorized the sale in its budget bill during the body’s 2024 session.
Gordon’s approval of the decision for Kelly Parcel purposes does not prevent Wyoming from appealing the decision administratively, or later suing the BLM.
That record of decision, according to Meier, is expected by the end of November. Some $62.4 million — the land’s appraised value — has been secured by the U.S. Department of the Interior via the Land and Water Conservation Fund. But the balance, $37.6 million, has been pledged by the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
Moving forward with the agreement gives fundraisers “maybe another three weeks” to wrangle the funds needed to close the deal, the treasurer said.
Meier lauded what the treasurer’s office could do with the $100 million, which the Office of State Lands and Investments expects will appreciate by $6.4 million annually.
“I believe that … we can take the $100 million and turn it into $1.6 billion,” Meier said. “That could be a perpetual, actually generational fund that would benefit the students and the education system of the state of Wyoming.”
The Kelly Parcel and 3.4 million other surface acres of school trust land in the Equality State are managed to maximize revenue in support of Wyoming’s K-12 schools.
Efforts to convey the Kelly Parcel have been ongoing for nearly 15 years, ever since Wyoming and the U.S. Department of Interior struck a 2010 agreement to transact three surface parcels and 40 acres of mineral rights that were orphaned as “inholdings” within the borders of Teton Park. Three of those deals got done. The scenic, undeveloped Kelly Parcel, which rises over the Gros Ventre River and also borders the Bridger-Teton National Forest, is the last state tract that remains.
Continued resistance
Degenfelder has opposed the sale, favoring a land exchange that would send 100,000-plus acres of developable federal Powder River Basin land to the state. She tried and failed to amend the sale agreement to include contingencies across the state before ultimately voting against finishing the deal.
“I’m sorry if I failed in my effort to get the best deal for Wyoming today,” the superintendent said, explaining her no vote. “It is not in any way, shape or form because I do not want to protect the Kelly Parcel.”
Earlier during the Thursday meeting, the same five statewide elected officials met as the State Loan and Investment Board — the body that OKs acquisitions of state lands, not sales. Independent of the Kelly Parcel sale, Gordon, Racines, Degenfelder, Gray and Meier agreed to move forward with negotiations to acquire up to $162 million worth of developable federal Powder River Basin land. The dollar figure is equal to the total proceeds the state will have received from all of its Teton Park inholdings, assuming the Kelly Parcel deal goes through.
An ad hoc task force led by Degenfelder, who has professional and family ties to the oil and gas industry, is identifying BLM-owned surface and minerals in the Powder River Basin for potential oil development. The region is one of Wyoming’s most prolific for oil and natural gas production. Yet, a federal plan to allow 5,000 new wells is in legal limbo.
The task force has consulted with longtime oil and gas geologist Jimmy Goolsby, who serves on the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. The group has focused on potential acquisitions for oil-rich BLM properties in the southern portion of the basin, mostly in Converse County, Goolsby told WyoFile. Specifically, the group is identifying how the state might put together federal tracks large enough to accommodate horizontal drilling, which can reach up to two miles in any direction from a drilling location.
Alongside Degenfelder, Gray also opposed the sale. He’s often aligned with far-right members of the Wyoming Legislature who fought the sale authorization in the budget bill during the body’s 2024 session. Several of those lawmakers, who are positioned to wield more power come January, testified Thursday to the State Board of Land Commissioners.
“Definitely take into consideration this blockbuster complaint to the U.S. Supreme Court from Utah,” Sen. Bob Ide (R-Casper) testified. “Don’t get moving too fast on [the Kelly Parcel sale], because I think there’s a really good chance the Supreme Court might hear this.”
The litigation Ide referenced seeks to force the Bureau of Land Management to hand over ownership of its “unappropriated” lands to western states. Wyoming filed an amicus brief in support of the land seizure effort last month. Some 26 far-right members of the Legislature went either further, seeking “parks, monuments, wilderness” and other classes of federal land.
If the cohort succeeds in its quest to acquire all of Wyoming’s federal land, it’d be a “pretty big problem” to sell the Kelly Parcel and then “get it back,” Rep. Bill Allemand (R-Midwest) testified to land commissioners.
Rep. John Bear (R-Gilette), past chairman of the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus, also opposed the deal. The conditions in the budget bill related to the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan “really have not been met,” he said.
Gordon and Racines disagreed with that assessment. The auditor likened where they’re at with the Kelly Parcel sale to entering into a contract to purchase a house, which comes with conditions. The governor’s approval of the Rock Springs RMP record of decision is a condition, she said, giving the state an out.
Finish line in sight
Most officials and members of the public who testified Thursday encouraged the state board to get the deal done.
“We’ve been working hard to raise $38 million to round up to the $100 million to purchase this parcel,” Grand Teton National Park Foundation President Leslie Mattson said. “If this transaction gets delayed I think we’re in real jeopardy of losing that funding, given tax year planning for many of our donors.”
Rob Wallace, an Interior Department appointee during the first Trump administration, also pushed for expediency. The $62 million that the Park Service devoted to the transaction competes with the needs of 422 other units in the National Park Service, he said.
“If we can’t close the deal quickly, these other greedy hands are going to pull that money away and take them to their own park,” Wallace told land commissioners.
Although Wyoming and Interior’s now-in-effect Kelly Parcel contract doesn’t specify an exact closing date, the deal is supposed to be completed “within 60 days,” Office of State Lands and Investments Acting Director Jason Crowder told the board. The timeline can be extended if both parties agree to it, he said.
Gordon issued a statement after the Thursday meeting, reiterating his support for completing the Kelly Parcel “pending sale.”
“This is an iconic parcel, and we have been given a unique opportunity for it to join Grand Teton National Park in perpetuity while protecting current hunting and grazing uses,” the governor said. “I thank Treasurer Meier and Auditor Racines for putting Wyoming’s future first.”
—WyoFile reporter Dustin Bleizeffer contributed to this story
Darn, I was hoping to win the mega lottery just so I could buy that land.
Would have left it just as it is.
Drill baby drill
biggest deal since Seward bought Alaska from the Russians. Q: Whats in this for the people of WY?
Selling Gods land bears no merit! Lies upon lies! Not one appropriate cent will be spent on good and right education. Bill Gates is most likely involved in this deal! Cheers Nuevo Wyoming, well on your way to becoming to much like Colorado! Deceptive. Instead of cannabis sales, land and resource becomes the coveted commodity! Repugnant to make deals with devils. Wyoming top officials officially added to top names on the greedy and corrupt list. All ‘officials’ are bought and sold too of course.
Yet again, in this meeting we had to endure the shameful and childlike antics of Secretary of State Chuck Gray. I wish Chuck would grow up and start acting like an adult instead of acting like a spoiled child throwing a temper tantrum when things don’t go his way. His continued needling and criticisms of Governor Gordon, as well as other members of the SLIB show just how childlike he is. Too bad he can’t heed his own statement during this meeting when he stated how important it is for the members of the SBLC to work together. This guy definitely doesn’t have the qualifications to serve as a future governor in Wyoming!
The Kelly sale is spectacular! The counter proposal by Sec of Education is stupid and is ignorant and how impossible a federal land sale would be. Shame on her! Good use of my taxpayers dollars!
Congratulations to Gov. Gordon for moving this forward and thanks to Treasurer Meier for recognizing the long-term benefits to the Common School Fund. Auditor Racines again displayed her practical approach to government.
Degenfelder made no case for her alleged land exchange. She offered no map that identified specific blocks of land the state would accept in exchange. She failed the people of Wyoming by standing in the way of this deal.
I’ve nothing to say about Secretary Gray except to note that he again displays his lack of stature.
Why is noone paying attention to this? The right outcome for the right reasons. I say Bravo!
Gray and Defingelder are greedy and they dont care if the property would be purchased by some developer or millionairre. It is our respondsibility to protect and genuinely preserve that piece of property for our state and our nation.
We are fortunate that this sale was approved. The Freedom Caucus idiots don’t understand the implications of the Utah lawsuit to transfer Federal Public Lands to the States. It has been well documented that Wyoming can’t afford and is ill-equipped to manage and administer these lands. They will be forced to sell them off. The Wyoming Constitution demands that revenue from State Lands must be maximized, so they will be sold to the highest bidder. Rep. Allemand leases BLM lands are very low prices for grazing. He won’t be able to afford to purchase those lands from the State, they’ll be sold to the wealthy, a corporation, or Private Equity. Goodbye grazing lease. Rep. Bear is a big proponent of this transfer. Interesting that his constituents in Campbell County are enthusiastic users of National Forest Lands for Camping, ATV riding, hunting and fishing. Go up on the Bighorns on any month of the year and look at the number of Campbell County License residents that are recreating, it is staggering. What is he going to tell his voters, when they are locked out? Rep. Ide has a major conflict of interest because he is an Oil Executive, anything he can do to benefit himself and his industry is his focus. What about his constituents that aren’t in that industry? What about all the Wyoming businesses and workers that are in the tourism and recreation industry? No access to public lands, no business or jobs. The Freedom Caucus is not only hellbent on tearing down Wyoming State Government, but it’s economy, and lifestyle and culture along with it. Tell these idiots to “Pound Sand”!
Don’t forget that many of the right wing goofballs collected ppp loans, including Bear, Allemand, Hageman, Enthrone, etc……. For me but not for thee. When are we going to vote them out of office?
I’d like to see a follow-on story on how “….I believe that … we can take the $100 million and turn it into $1.6 billion…..”
What kind of investments? What time period? What risk parameters? etc etc.
That’s a bold statement, but maybe not with further information.
Kudos to the Governor, Auditor and Treasurer for making the correct common-sense decision, in my opinion. The alternative BLM surface land & minerals estate exchange sounds great in the political statement in the current political environment, but the reality would be years (likely) of grinding work to bring to reality, with a lot of uncertainty and complications along the way. In my opinion, the two dissenters don’t fully understand that reality.
YES!!!!!
What? The right decision for a relatively small chunk of land that some high roller can’t build a ridiculously high-dollar house on? I’m astonished but delighted. This is at least good news — as opposed to that of three days ago.
I applaud all efforts and monies raised to add the Kelly parcel into Grand Teton park lands. Otherwise, industry will move in and ruin a last great area, which Wyoming used to claim to be but sadly is no more. Go Governor Gordon!
It’s past time for the state to close this deal on the Kelly parcel, to finally generate real school trust revenue and to conserve it inside Grand Teton National Park. The beloved quality of this school section created years of delay, as politicians tried to use it as leverage for their own purposes.
I congratulate the Board of Land Commissioners for finally approving the sale, so the $100 million in the common school permanent land fund can generate estimated income of $6.4 million a year — $1.6 billion over the next few decades — for public k-12 schools. As we know, the purpose of school trust lands — and the duty of Wyoming as trustee — is to generate revenue for public schools, hardly met by the current $1,800 annual grazing lease. This is no “fire sale,” folks.
I also congratulate the BLC for keeping this deal separate from other proposals to buy federal land and minerals.
Good news for Wyoming, Grand Teton NP and the residents of the great little town of Kelly.
In the process, one thing became clear. Megan Degenfelder is running for Governor in 2026. Her opposition was about making Governor Gordon appear disorganized and capitulating to the Feds. He was neither. The State Legislature set the price and conditions. As the State Executive Gordon brought the parties together and got the deal done.
I had the same thoughts on the two dissenting votes, and Degenfelder in particular
Her political aspirations are her business, but I don’t believe she’ll be the next governor of Wyoming 🙂 Maybe in a decade or more
Still, watching Degenfelder and Gray slice each other up in a 2026 primary race might be fun to watch.
Gray and Degenfelder (along with most of the Freedom Caucus) obviously do not listen to their citizens. Thank you to the rest of the board for doing what is right for Wyoming and it’s citizens.
Just think: when the incoming Trump administration agrees with the Utah public lands lawsuit, which Wyoming has joined, and gives ALL of the federal lands (BLM, USFS, NPS) except military bases and reservations to the western states, Wyoming will have both the land and the $100 million, along with millions more acres to sell to the lowest bidding legislative crony. Too bad the WY legislature isn’t completely infested with real estate brokers, developers, bankers, title company executives, mortgage brokers, and their attorneys like Utah “the best run state.”