Colorado land board agrees to sell 46,000 acres in San Luis Valley, despite worries about federal policy

Colorado will sell nearly 46,000 acres of pristine wilderness it has held since statehood in a deal long sought by communities in the San Luis Valley — despite worries voiced by State Land Board commissioners Thursday about the future of federal public land management.

The board, in a 4-1 vote, approved the $49.6-million sale of the La Jara State Trust Land property in Conejos County, with most of it going to the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management and the rest to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

The State Land Board owns 2.8 million acres of land in Colorado and manages it to earn money for the state’s public school system. It began considering selling the La Jara property in 2017 because it was not generating enough revenue.

After nearly a decade of work, the deal to sell the 45,952 acres to the three agencies seemed rock solid, proponents of the sale have said.

But some members of the State Land Board commission in recent months became concerned about selling the vast majority of the land to federal agencies under the Trump administration, which has repeatedly weakened conservation rules and hollowed out agency staff. Members of the Republican-majority Congress have also attempted to sell off public lands in the West.

“We were all-in until the world went nuts,” said Commissioner Christine Scanlan, who expressed concerns about federal management but ultimately voted in support of the sale.

The early afternoon vote to continue with the sale followed hours of public comment — all in support of the deal.

All three Conejos County commissioners drove to Denver to urge the board to support the project, saying it had widespread support in the San Luis Valley. The deal would protect access to the land that people rely on for hunting, fishing, firewood and recreation, said Commissioner Mitchell Jarvies.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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