Close to 100 people crowded into the Bluff, Utah, Senior Center on Tuesday night to speak out about the future of a square mile of state trust land.
The nonprofit Hole in the Rock Foundation wants to buy the land, located six miles west of Bluff on Comb Ridge, to preserve it as a piece of pioneer history. The state School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, called SITLA, which administers trust lands, has said it will put the tract up for auction in October. But locals made it plain Tuesday that they don’t want the land sold. Citizen after citizen rose to tell stories of visiting the ridge in heat and rainstorms, with children and elderly parents, for barbecues, parties, even bridal showers. They voiced concerns that, if sold, the land could be fenced off or developed. A member of the Hole in the Rock Foundation board, Lynn Stevens, said the board has no intention of denying access or building any structures. However, citizens noted that at auction the land will go to the highest bidder. SITLA Director Dave Ure said the agency is duty-bound to raise money for its beneficiaries, mainly Utah’s schools, and must balance that mission with locals’ desires. The foundation’s Stuart Matheson said it would consider alternative parcels and would take suggestions via its web site, www.hirf.org.
