Privatize trust parcel? Battle brews

DUCHESNE — One family ranches there, another family vacations there but both are strongly opposed to having the scenic Tabby Mountain area in northwest Duchesne County being sold to private developers.

School and Institutions Trust Land Association (SITLA), the trust that manages the 28,000 acres known as the "Tabby Mountain block," has acknowledged that they are considering putting the property up for sale after being contacted by private developers. They hasten to add that no deal has been made.

"I want to stress that the impact this will have on the Tabiona and the Fruitland area is devastating, if this thing goes private," said Lanny Young, who runs about 1,000 head of cattle in the area. "We are getting a royal one here, us cowboys. There's not many of us but that doesn't mean we aren't going to make some noise. There's thousands of hunters that go up there in the fall and I think they need to be aware of this. If this goes private, that's all gone."

The Tabby Mountain block consists of 15,000 acres in Duchesne County and 13,000 acres in Wasatch County. The 28,000-acre parcel is surrounded by wilderness owned by the state Division of Wildlife Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It has been a favorite hunting and recreational site for the public and by all assessments, is home to one of the best elk herds in Utah.

SITLA, a state agency, has fiduciary responsibility of managing the trust's 3.4 million acres to garner revenue for public schools. SITLA acquired the Tabby block from the U.S. Forest Service in 1965.

"The beneficiaries have turned the land over to us to manage," said Kay Burton, block resource planner for SITLA. "We must represent their interest. So if people say, 'This is a great camping spot' or 'We go hunting there,' that's great. But we have to ask the question, 'What is in the best interest of the beneficiaries?' "

According to Burton, SITLA spends between $80,000 to $100,000 a year to manage the Tabby block — none of which is tax money. In terms of revenue produced from the property, Burton noted it doesn't amount to a great deal:

• $17,446 in fiscal 2003

• $22,889 in 2004

• $34,910 project for 2005

Developers have made offers, Burton said, adding, "Have we already made a deal? Absolutely not."

He said that he will make sure that the public is kept advised, noting, "The Tabby block mostly belongs to the public schools. They want us to manage it for the purpose of raising money to fund public education. Schools can't operate on raw land."

State Division of Wildlife Resources Northeastern Region Director Walt Donaldson said options will be carefully reviewed to "keep it open to benefit both the school kids and the hunters in the same way."

The county doesn't support sale of the land to a private party, said Duchesne County Commissioner Rod Harrison.

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