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Utah Has Sold 4.1 Million Acres of State Land for Development Download

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Utah Has Sold 4.1 Million Acres of State Land for Development Download FOR SALE: Utah lands on the chopping block © Mason Cummings Former public access point to a parcel within Bears Ears National Monument that has been sold off to private interests. New research shows Utah has sold 4.1 million acres of state land for development 54% More than 54% of the original 7.5 million It’s no secret that Utah’s elected officials Since becoming a state in acres of trust lands granted to Utah at have led a sustained attack against 1896, Utah has sold more statehood have been sold, a telling sign national public lands, passing the Transfer than 54% (4.1 million acres) of what the state would do if it took over of Public Lands Act in 2012 that demands of the original 7.5 million public land. Now the state is demanding the takeover of 31.2 million acres of acres granted. 31 million more acres of Our Wild —public federally managed public lands within forests, refuges and national treasures. the state. Governor Gary Herbert signed the act into law and state representatives Utah is the essence of iconic Western led by U.S. House Natural Resources SOLD beauty. From the glory of Zion National Committee Chairman Rob Bishop have Selling land is a part of Park and the sweeping Canyonlands championed legislation intended to Utah’s management strategy carved over eons by the mighty Green and further the public land takeover effort for state lands, and in 2015 Colorado rivers, to incomprehensible stone in Utah and beyond—land that rightly accounted for 1/3 of state arches, verdant valleys and soaring peaks belongs to all Americans. land endowment revenues. of the La Sal, Wasatch and Uinta mountain ranges, Utah provides the stunning Yet, even as Utah has witnessed firsthand backdrop for outdoor experiences that the value of national public lands through have come to define the American West. a robust tourism and outdoor recreation economy that thrives alongside the boom More than just its image, Utah has and bust cycles of the oil, gas and mining cultivated its cultural heritage around industries, history shows that the state Many high value recreational the outdoors. Utah combines captivating has failed public interests miserably as a lands in Utah have been sold landscapes with extraordinary access to landlord. off by the state and access opportunities for hiking, biking, camping, for recreation has been climbing, hunting, fishing and more. Across Recent research found that more than 4 blocked off. the state, outdoor recreation drives $12 million acres of state land formerly open billion in annual consumer spending and to the public is now in private ownership, supports 122,000 jobs, the vast majority of including irreplaceable archeological them dependent upon public lands.1 sites, trophy big game habitat, national monument inholdings and scenic buffers Unfortunately, Utah is also ground zero overlooking spectacular national parks. State land is not public land, for the public lands takeover movement. Now the state wants more. and unlike public land is often closed to recreation. 1. Outdoor Industry Association survey, 2012 More than half of Utah state lands sold off. What’s next? © Mason Cummings Exploring in Bears Ears National Monument. (Left) Former state trust lands near Canyonlands National Park sold at auction and now closed to the public. (Right) State trust lands being bulldozed for development near Zion NP. Utah’s state trust lands aren’t truly public lands. They’re assets “In short, the obligated by the State Constitution to generate revenue for the state. Public access is neither a promise nor a priority and is often economic shortfall A REASON FOR CONCERN restricted to accommodate development, typically in the form of oil Land deals typically put state lands in the hands of an elite few while locking out the public. Since summer and gas drilling or mining. Undeveloped land that doesn’t generate that would occur of 2014, over 50 percent of all state trust land parcels sold were purchased by a single buyer. Lyman Family much income is simply sold. under all but the Farm Inc., a land speculator registered with the state as a “vegetable or melon farmer,” has spent more than $6.4 million to purchase over 5,200 acres of state trust lands valued for their conservation and cultural The Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) most optimistic of resources, including: was created in 1994 to curb a long history of estate management and land disposal abuses, but state trust lands already have been scenarios, and its Comb Ridge: a 390-acre parcel Cave Valley: renowned for its In 2015, Lyman Family Farm reduced from 7.5 million acres to just 3.2 million acres and continue associated imperative held dear by hikers, hunters plentiful hiking, sightseeing, Inc. bought three parcels of to diminish through twice-a-year auctions. What’s more, SITLA’s and a pioneer heritage group camping and fishing along the state land just outside of Bryce aggressive real estate development and leasing of state land to develop public originally proposed as a portion southeast border of Zion National Canyon National Park for a continue to expand at near-record pace. Should public land transfer of the new Bears Ears National Park, the 200-acre parcel was total of $292,000. Company advocates get their way, Utah plans to expand state authority by land, should concern Monument. Rich in both cultural offered at auction by SITLA with president Joseph L. Hunt establishing an autonomous new Department of Land Management everyone who and conservation value, the land a minimum bid of $860,000. recently paid $270,000 for 180 with a director hand-picked by the governor. includes portions of the Hole- Lyman outbid Montana-based acres at Photograph Gap, near values state fiscal in-the-Rock trail and the iconic recreation group Under Canvas Canyonlands National Park and AT WHAT PRICE? ridge some Navajo call the Adventurers, settling at $1.74 world-renowned rock climbing Studies conducted by three Utah universities and the state’s own responsibility or our “backbone of the world.” The million and effectively closing off at Indian Creek. A local climber Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel conclude that public lands.” parcel was originally nominated former public access. had hoped to buy the land management of current public lands would change drastically for auction by the Hole in the with money left to him by two under state ownership, as Utah struggles to offset millions of Rock Foundation to protect and deceased brothers. dollars in new management costs.2 Fiscal realities would force (The Transfer of Public Lands interpret the trail for the public, more development, decreased resource protection, and eventual Movement: Taking the ‘Public’ Out only to be outbid by $200,000 sale. Meanwhile, public access for hunting, fishing, camping, and of Public Lands; University of Utah by Lyman Family Farm. other uses would continue to diminish. College of Law) 2. “The Transfer of Public Lands Movement: Taking the ‘Public’ Out of Public Lands,” Keiter, Ruple, 2015 UTAH 52,696,960 7.5 million 4.1 million 31.2 million With more than 54 percent of state lands already sold off, BY THE total state acreage acres of federal land granted (and counting) acres of additional acres of public to Utah at statehood original land grant sold by land demanded by Utah’s Utah’s public lands heritage NUMBERS: the state Transfer of Public Lands Act Arches National Park at night. has never been at greater risk. © David Kingham, flickr. On belay at Arches National Park. Paddling the Green River through Desolation Canyon © Neal Herbert, NPS © Ray Bloxham, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. WHY PUBLIC LANDS ACCESS ARE A WAY OF MATTERS: LIFE IN UTAH Outdoor recreation is a primary driver for Utah’s robust tourism industry and depends upon Raising revenue has come at a cost to public • In 2013, SITLA leased 96,000 acres in the Book Cliffs public lands. interests. In addition to the outright sale area of eastern Utah to Anadarko Petroleum for oil of more than 65,000 acres since 1994, the and natural gas development. The lease area is home Yet the $12 billion in Federal Dollars The Cost of Leaving State Budget Burdens constitutional mandate to maximize income to prized mule deer and elk herds and cutthroat trout annual consumer spending, Make Sense The Utah House of Despite an uptick in recovery efforts, eliciting vehement opposition from $3.6 billion in wages and If Utah assumed control of Representatives recently visitors, Utah’s 43 state- from state trust lands administered by SITLA sportsmen and even energy-friendly officials like Gov. $856 million in state and its public lands, the state passed a resolution to owned parks have endured has led to several unfortunate decisions: Herbert and Congressman Bishop, none of whom had local tax revenue fostered would need to generate acquire the new Bears Ears budget allocations slashed an opportunity to provide input on the transaction. by outdoor recreation in $100 million more per National Monument. To from more than $12 million • In 2005, SITLA offered to lease 356 acres of land near Despite the opposition, the SITLA board voted Utah are not calculated year than the same lands pay for the acquisition, the in 2007 to less than $5 “Little Hole,” an important access point along the Blue unanimously to grant the lease. as revenue generated currently generate. The resolution’s author, State million today. Adding Ribbon trout waters of the Green River below Flaming on state lands. Applying loss of federal funding will Rep. Mike Noel, illustrated millions more acres to the Gorge Reservoir, one of the nation’s premier recreational • In 1989, 2,440 acres near the Green Springs golf the state’s development- necessitate dramatically Utah’s land management state lands system will fisheries.
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