Governor seeking $20 million to keep 28,000 acres open to public

TABIONA, Duchesne County — Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is asking state lawmakers for $20 million to buy 28,000 acres on Tabby Mountain. The move to secure the land now owned by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), is just what Duchesne County commissioners and many others, including Tabiona residents, had hoped for. The purchase would mean that the property may no longer be eyed by wealthy developers who could purchase it and close it to public access.

The money will "begin the discussion for the purchase of Tabby Mountain," said Huntsman, who has visited the area with his family. He made the request during his budget speech earlier this week. "It's a lovely, idyllic setting."

The $20 million, a line item in Huntsman's budget proposal for State Parks and Recreation budget, is creating a lot of buzz. Discussion over the prime hunting and fishing property has been on and off, sometimes in heated debate, for about two years now. The proposed deal must still pass scrutiny of the Legislature early next year. The $20 million won't cover what the property is worth. More money will have to be donated, but many believe the plan to be ideal.

"What it would do is preserve the current uses, it would preserve public access for hunting and fishing, it would preserve the public right to use the land for other purposes (such as) hunting and camping and OHV use," said Jim Karpowitz, director of the Division of Wildlife Resources.

And there's more good news for multiple-use advocates, said Karpowitz. "We anticipate the grazing and timber use will continue on the land if it does come to the Department of Natural Resources. I am sure there will be a management plan that will take into account all the current uses and allow them to continue."

Earlier this year commissioners from Duchesne and Wasatch counties began urging legislators to "consider whatever means necessary to retain the land in state ownership." Concerns surfaced when it was evident that SITLA was looking at lucrative offers from private developers. The administration, which oversees management of several million acres of trust lands, is obligated by law to maximize earnings from the lands. Interest from the permanent account primarily benefits Utah schools.

The Duchesne County Commission specifically recommended that the land come under the management of the Department of Natural Resources for multiple-use management and continued public access.