lone_hunter
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Ogden Standard Examiner Editorial, May 18
To Utahns who fish, the words "Little Hole" conjure an almost indescribable image in the mind's eye: clear, slow-moving water running between high canyon walls. It's quiet; typically, the only audible sounds are oars hitting the water's surface, flyline whizzing past an angler's ear, the calls made by the various types of birds that make the place their home -- and by the occasional whoop of a man or woman who's just landed a lunker of a trout.
Little Hole is a glorious place, whether or not you fish. It's beautiful, ripe with wildlife and a peaceful stretch of the Green River several miles below Flaming Gorge Dam. And now it will remain that way for the foreseeable future, since the state's Division of Wildlife Resources ponied up $1.6 million last week to buy 356 acres of school trust lands at Little Hole.
Now, if that sounds odd -- You mean one state department had to spend all that money to buy land from another state department? -- you're not the only one who thinks so. Here's how it happened: The state's School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration is governed by state statute directing it to focus on the land's monetary worth.
With that narrow mandate, the historical, environmental and/or recreational value of the land in question is mostly ignored.
SITLA manages a patchwork of land parcels that were granted to Utah by the federal government when it became a state in 1896. It frequently leases and sells parcels, often to mining companies or the like, and the proceeds are earmarked for Utah's schools.
The land at Little Hole was of obvious interest to a private developer who hoped to purchase it, then build a lodge and cabins on the site, catering to hunters and anglers at one of the nation's premiere fishing spots.
It would have been a great deal for the private company, but a disaster for the people of Utah. In order to preserve Little Hole for present and future Utahns, the DWR had to get creative. It spent money derived from hunting and fishing license fees, and enlisted the help of Questar Exploration and Development Co., which put up about $400,000, and the Utah Reclamation and Mitigation Commission, a federal agency that spends money healing damage to the environment caused by building dams.
This experience throws a spotlight onto a quirk in Utah law that could be easily amended by the Legislature during its next regular session in 2008. When SITLA is considering whether to sell or lease a given parcel of school trust land, it should be directed to consider all criteria -- not only the monetary value, but the historical, environmental and/or recreational worth. The bullet-dodging experience with Little Hole should send shudders down the backbones of Utah lawmakers. It makes no sense for the state to be at odds with itself on this issue.
Our thanks to Questar Exploration and Development Co., and the Utah Reclamation and Mitigation Commission for helping to mount this rescue mission.
To Utahns who fish, the words "Little Hole" conjure an almost indescribable image in the mind's eye: clear, slow-moving water running between high canyon walls. It's quiet; typically, the only audible sounds are oars hitting the water's surface, flyline whizzing past an angler's ear, the calls made by the various types of birds that make the place their home -- and by the occasional whoop of a man or woman who's just landed a lunker of a trout.
Little Hole is a glorious place, whether or not you fish. It's beautiful, ripe with wildlife and a peaceful stretch of the Green River several miles below Flaming Gorge Dam. And now it will remain that way for the foreseeable future, since the state's Division of Wildlife Resources ponied up $1.6 million last week to buy 356 acres of school trust lands at Little Hole.
Now, if that sounds odd -- You mean one state department had to spend all that money to buy land from another state department? -- you're not the only one who thinks so. Here's how it happened: The state's School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration is governed by state statute directing it to focus on the land's monetary worth.
With that narrow mandate, the historical, environmental and/or recreational value of the land in question is mostly ignored.
SITLA manages a patchwork of land parcels that were granted to Utah by the federal government when it became a state in 1896. It frequently leases and sells parcels, often to mining companies or the like, and the proceeds are earmarked for Utah's schools.
The land at Little Hole was of obvious interest to a private developer who hoped to purchase it, then build a lodge and cabins on the site, catering to hunters and anglers at one of the nation's premiere fishing spots.
It would have been a great deal for the private company, but a disaster for the people of Utah. In order to preserve Little Hole for present and future Utahns, the DWR had to get creative. It spent money derived from hunting and fishing license fees, and enlisted the help of Questar Exploration and Development Co., which put up about $400,000, and the Utah Reclamation and Mitigation Commission, a federal agency that spends money healing damage to the environment caused by building dams.
This experience throws a spotlight onto a quirk in Utah law that could be easily amended by the Legislature during its next regular session in 2008. When SITLA is considering whether to sell or lease a given parcel of school trust land, it should be directed to consider all criteria -- not only the monetary value, but the historical, environmental and/or recreational worth. The bullet-dodging experience with Little Hole should send shudders down the backbones of Utah lawmakers. It makes no sense for the state to be at odds with itself on this issue.
Our thanks to Questar Exploration and Development Co., and the Utah Reclamation and Mitigation Commission for helping to mount this rescue mission.
