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State wildlife division seeks to add 53.4 acres to Cook Wildlife Management Area; commissioners ask for tax and neighbor-impact data
Summary
Division of Wildlife Resources staff described a planned acquisition of 53.4 acres adjacent to the Cook Wildlife Management Area and answered county questions about PILT, access and grazing; commissioners asked staff to return with tax comparisons and neighbor outreach results within weeks.
At a Daggett County Commission meeting, Division of Wildlife Resources staff Pat and Hailey described a proposed purchase of a 53.4-acre inholding within the Cook Wildlife Management Area and said the division hopes to close on the parcel on or before February 2026. The parcel, located on Philpico in the Birch Creek area near Dutch John, is privately owned and currently used only occasionally for recreation and hunting, the presenters said.
The purchase would fold the 53.4 acres into the Cook Wildlife Management Area. Hailey, Division of Wildlife Resources staff, said, "I calculated it at $26.70" when asked to estimate the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) the county would receive for the parcel. Pat, also with the division, and Hailey said the acquisition would simplify wildlife management across contiguous public lands and could reduce depredation on nearby agricultural ground by giving big game a larger managed refuge.
Commissioners raised county fiscal concerns. One commissioner said converting private ground to public ownership reduces the county's taxable land base and asked whether the property is in agricultural (Greenbelt) taxation and how the parcel's current property tax compares with the state PILT figure. Hailey and Pat said Greenbelt status was not confirmed in the meeting record and that the division would research the current property tax and return with a comparison to the estimated PILT.
The commission also asked about access and whether neighboring privately owned parcels would become landlocked. Pat and Hailey said there is no legal access through the current Cook WMA to several nearby private parcels; those owners hold legal access through School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA). The presenters said the division had reached out to the five or six owners of nearby 50–53-acre parcels; some were unreachable and one neighbor (referred to by staff as "Broadband") was satisfied with the status quo. The division said it will continue outreach.
Commissioners asked whether an existing law on rollback taxes would apply. Pat said a state legislative change that took effect in January removed rollback taxes in the division's circumstances; the presenters did not supply the statute citation in the meeting. The commission requested written confirmation of the rollback rule and associated calculations comparing the parcel's current tax revenue to projected PILT.
Staff described related state land-auction activity. Pat and Hailey said the division has posted a separate parcel in Dutch John to a public auction site and that an interested buyer raised zoning and access questions. The presenters advised the prospective buyer to consult the Town of Dutch John for zoning (the town is the land-use authority for that parcel) and noted that easements can generally be obtained through SITLA.
On management and public use, Pat said the division is beginning a management-plan process that will include county invitation and public input; meetings are expected in the winter months and may be virtual. Pat said grazing is a likely tool for habitat management and that the division intends to continue discussions with local ranchers and neighbors about grazing timing, duration and stocking levels. Pat also noted the division has developed access facilities, including updated corrals, and that public response to earlier Cook WMA additions has been strongly positive.
Direction from the commission: the presenters said they could provide tax information and further neighbor outreach results in about one to two weeks and return to a subsequent commission meeting. No formal county action or vote on the acquisition occurred during this meeting; commissioners directed staff to gather and report additional information.
The commission said it intends to weigh the potential fiscal impact on the county — including the possibility that current taxes could exceed the projected PILT — against wildlife and public-access benefits before considering any formal position or agreement.
