Teton County residents press commissioners to object to Idaho Department of Lands sale of 160 acres near Driggs

Hundreds of residents and local lessees urged Teton County commissioners on Aug. 11 to oppose the Idaho Department of Lands’ plan to dispose of a 160‑acre parcel near Driggs.

At the meeting’s open‑mic public comment period, Jeff White, a resident between Driggs and Tetonia, said he had sent written concerns and asked the commission to “object to this sale,” calling the parcel public property that should remain in public ownership. Nick Beard, whose family holds the current lease, told commissioners his family has run the parcel for 33 years and said a sale would “pull the rug out” from under a long‑running lease and harm working ranches and wildlife habitat.

The county later heard from Roger Hall, the real estate bureau chief for the Idaho Department of Lands, who said the Land Board directed the department in July to dispose of the parcel because it is an isolated, low‑revenue asset that creates management challenges when surrounded by residential development. “It’s an isolated small parcel…that is being encroached on at the moment by residential development,” Hall said, adding that sale revenue goes into a land bank for reinvestment in timberland; proceeds subsequently support state beneficiaries, including public schools.

County residents stressed local impacts. Dan Verbaten of Teton Valley Trails and Pathways said the parcel had been examined for future recreational grooming and that sale would end that possibility. Other speakers, including Kate Goons and Jan Betts, urged commissioners to take the community’s concerns to the Land Board; commissioners were shown a petition the county described as having more than 1,400 signatures opposing a sale.

IDL officials outlined the procedural path for objections and said the department would accept formal letters and public comment at the Land Board meeting in mid‑September. Jim Melvin, trust‑lands division administrator, emphasized the Land Board still has several steps of due diligence and that the department is not required to advertise or immediately deliver the parcel to auction. He also said IDL would consider evidence of leasing opportunities and noted potential remedies such as transfers of water or lease adjustments during its review.

Commissioners asked whether existing leases would transfer to new owners, how revenue from a sale is distributed and whether local benefits — including property tax receipts after private sale — would offset community concerns. Hall said lease outcomes depend on the department’s decisions and confirmed revenues enter the land bank and are later reinvested for trust beneficiaries rather than distributed directly to the county.

The Board did not vote on a formal position at the meeting. Commissioners directed staff to clarify the formal objection process and deadlines so residents could file written objections to IDL in advance of the Land Board’s Sept. 16 meeting.