Bridger-Teton National Forest acquires formerly private land
JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Forest officials in Wyoming have announced that the Bridger-Teton National Forest increased by 240 acres after formerly private land was transferred to the forest.
The Bridger-Teton, The Conservation Fund and the Jackson Hole Land Trust said last week that the forest received the Loomis Park Ranch, about an hour south of Jackson, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reported.
"It's been a top priority for the forest for a couple of decades," The Conservation Fund state Director Dan Schlager said. "We're really excited to conserve it, to work with all these great partners, and to add that to the Bridger-Teton going forward for generations."
The group purchased the land after it went up for sale in 2016 for about $3 million, officials said. The Bridger-Teton National Forest didn't have the funds, so the Jackson Hole Land Trust held onto ownership until it could gather enough funds.
Forest officials said they received enough money after the U.S. Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which included annual funding of $900 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. That fund uses oil and gas royalties to buy wild lands.
"The Loomis Park Ranch parcel is a great example of what is possible when partners come together for the benefit of our public lands," Forest Supervisor Tricia O'Connor said.
