CHEYENNE, Wyo. — On Thursday, Wyoming officials voted to move forward with the sale of an exceptional piece of state land located in Grand Teton National Park, agreeing to a $100 million deal with the federal government. This decision aims to put an end to longstanding threats of selling the land to the highest private bidder.

The state Board of Land Commissioners, which comprises five Republican officials including Governor Mark Gordon, cast a 3-2 vote in favor of the transaction. This square-mile (2.6-square-kilometer) parcel offers breathtaking views of the Teton Range and is now one step closer to becoming an integral part of the national park.

The land in question has been a contentious topic between state and federal authorities for many years, but there are indications that a sale could be finalized by the end of the year. Before the vote, Wyoming Senate President Ogden Driskill emphasized the historic opportunity at hand, stating, “There’s clearly a right decision to be made. This is a very rare opportunity for you to do the right thing for education in Wyoming.”

Various conservation and sports-related organizations have advocated for keeping the land out of private ownership, arguing that despite the potential high financial gain from selling to developers, the benefits of preserving the property for public use far outweigh any monetary incentive.

Since Wyoming gained statehood, this land has remained under state ownership, surrounded on all sides by national park territory. While leasing it for grazing purposes has resulted in minimal annual income—only a few thousand dollars—the return on investment from the sale could be significantly advantageous for funding education in Wyoming, which is reliant on revenue from state lands.

The two board members who opposed the sale harbored hopes of negotiating a better deal under the incoming Trump administration. They suggested the possibility of exchanging this land for federal territories rich in fossil fuels located elsewhere in the state.

For years, Wyoming governors have repeatedly threatened to sell the land within Grand Teton if the federal government did not express interest in purchasing it, leading to various cycles of negotiations. In the past, the state has sold other parcels of land within the national park to the federal government in three separate transactions that collectively brought in $62 million.