Forest Service approves Wyoming land swap
Copyright 2000, Post Register, Idaho Falls, Idaho
December 15, 2000
By Jennifer Langston, Post Register, Idaho Falls, Idaho
The U.S. Forest Service plans to trade 120 acres of public land in the Grand Targhee resort area in Wyoming, pictured here, for 400 private acres of grizzly bear habitat.
The Forest Service has approved a controversial land swap, paving the way for Grand Targhee resort to own and develop more land at the base of the ski hill near Alta, Wyoming.
The agency decided to trade 120 acres of public land at the resort for 400 private acres of grizzly bear habitat in Squirrel Meadows near Ashton, Wyoming, that the Forest Service has been trying to acquire and protect for years.
Environmental and citizens groups that have opposed other land swaps at Grand Targhee promised to appeal the decision to the agency's regional office, and take the case to court if necessary.
The swap has been unpopular among skiers reluctant to see the modest resort plastered with condos, and citizens afraid that a bigger resort will exacerbate growth problems in the already booming valley below.
"It literally rips off the American taxpayer and it harms the people of Teton Valley, Idaho," said Marv Hoyt, Idaho representative of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
Efforts to reach Grand Targhee Ski and Summer resort were unsuccessful. The resort has proposed to build condos, family homes, restaurants and shops to transform the resort into a year-round destination and compete with other ski resorts offering a wider range of activities.
The amount of land the Forest Service will swap at the base of the resort was scaled back from an original proposal that would have put 195 acres into private resort ownership.
That made the values of the two parcels of land more equitable, said Patty Bates, Teton district ranger for the Caribou-Targhee National Forest. The configuration of land that the Forest Service will trade at the base of the hill was also changed to keep wetlands in public ownership and to make sure no development is visible from Teton Valley, she said.
The appraisals approved by the Forest Service valued the land at the resort at $28,000 per acre. It valued the land at Squirrel Meadows at $8,391 per acre.
That swampy land, comprising several private inholdings in the middle of the public forest, is frequented by grizzly bears that would be displaced if owners decided to develop their property. Those animals are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, and protecting habitat is part of the agency's mission.
Hoyt and others said the appraisal grossly undervalued the land at the base of Grand Targhee. Once it goes into private ownership, the resort can sell condos and second family homes that fetch astronomical prices.
For comparison, Hoyt said, prime real estate at ski resorts across the mountain in Jackson, Wyoming, has sold for more than $100,000 an acre. Land in Teton Valley that's adjacent to the forest has sold for $50,000, Hoyt said.
Lou Parri, board president for Citizens for Teton Valley, called the decision a windfall for resort owner George Gillett. That 100-member group based in Driggs and Victor has long believed a land trade at Grand Targhee doesn't benefit the public.
"We're not surprised, but we're disappointed the Forest Service chose this route," he said. "If this decision stands, we believe the impacts to the forest and wilderness area remain as well as the impacts to the community in terms of accelerating growth."
Because the ski resort lies across the state line, taxes will be paid to Teton County, Wyoming. But the communities that would bear the infrastructure costs of more employees, more tourists, more garbage, the need for additional police or improved roads to the resort lie in Teton County, Idaho.
Parri, whose group is one of those that plans to appeal the decision, predicts a commercial airport to bring in more tourists would follow within five years. The rural county isn't prepared or equipped to handle continued rapid growth, he said.
"Once you start bringing people here and they see what's here, it's just basically going to throw more fuel on the fire," he said.
District ranger Bates said the Forest Service concluded in its analysis that growth in Teton County will continue whether or not Targhee expands. It's being driven by the proximity to Jackson, the ability of wealthy baby boomers to telecommute and the outstanding scenery.
"There wasn't a real clear distinction that this would throw us over the brink," she said. "What we found for most of those indicators like the landfill is that it doesn't matter if Targhee develops or doesn't develop. Teton Valley is going to outgrow their landfill anyway."
She also said the reduced acreage in the trade brings development potential closer to what's already been approved by the Forest Service.
In 1994, the agency approved a master plan that would allow Grand Targhee to expand on a 108-acre base. That would enable the resort to increase the amount of hotel lodging almost seven-fold, but the land would remain in public ownership.
The land swap now involves just 12 more acres than the expansion plans already on the books. With a land swap, the resort will own the land, giving it the option of selling real estate, condos and second homes.
It also puts decisions about how the resort base, more like a small town than a pristine forest, should grow in the hands of a county planning and zoning board that has expertise to make those decisions, Bates said. The Forest Service will still own and oversee the mountainous terrain with the ski runs and trails.
"We think the development will be a little greater, but there will be a different mix," Bates said. "The Forest Service can now do what we know how to do, which is manage recreation and manage the ski resort itself."