Sitla Plans to Sell Trust Land Parcel near Little Hole on Green River at Public Auction

By Sun Advocate

The 356-acre trust land parcel located near Little Hole on the Green River will be offered for sale at a public auction. The property is approximately four miles down river from Flaming Gorge Dam.
The decision to sell at auction stems from a June 2005 application to the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration to lease the property for a fishing lodge.
Public notification of the application to lease resulted in two additional proposals for the parcel – one from the Utah Department of Wildlife Resources and one from a private individual.
Additionally, there was substantial interest in the property following the closing period for the acceptance of the competing offers.
After extensive examination of the proposals and an appraisal-based analysis of the property, the trust lands administration determined that the agency will deny all three pending applications.
SITLA decided that the best alternative for the trust beneficiary – Utah’s public schools – is to offer the property in question for sale at a public auction.
The date for the auction has not been set, explained the agency. But the auction will be scheduled at least 90 days following the completion of all preliminary processing.
The details of the auction will be announced and widely advertised as soon as they are available.
According to SITLA, the sale will be subject to the following conditions:
•Public access to the river will continue – utilizing a public easement that has been in place since 1961.
•The new owner will be required to comply with Daggett County zoning and other ordinances.
The property in question is not state public land, but trust land, indicated SITLA. The trust lands administration is required by the state constitution and by state statute to manage trust assets in the financial interests of its 12 beneficiaries.
The administration is an independent state agency that manages 3.4 million acres of Utah trust lands for the financial benefit of the state’s public schools and 11 other public institutions.