Land buy kills lodge project

Dutch John, Utah -- A key parcel of land on the Green River opposite the popular Little Hole camping and launch site has been spared from development.

The Utah Department of Wildlife Resources last Thursday purchased the 358-acre site at public auction for $1.625 million, ensuring it will remain open to public access.

This purchase ended a months-long debate over a proposed lodge construction on Utah School Trust Land that included a prime shoreline stretch often used by anglers. The property also was valued as winter range for deer and elk.

The original proponent -- Flint Timber, a Georgia-based deveolpment company, and local Spinnerfall Guide Service -- failed to bid on the property, leaving the wildlife agency to compete with another private entity in oral bidding.

A broad-based consortium that included Trout Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and rank-and-file anglers opposed the lodge project, with ramifications that echoed all the way to Utah's statehouse.

Charlie Meyers, The Denver Post