The federal acquisition of development rights on 150 acres on the Gros Ventre River northwest of Jackson will accommodate wildlife and protect a critical landscape from development. Thomas and Enzi personally lobbied the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Clinton Administration to allocate the funds necessary to purchase the easement. In response, those resources were made available this week by the U.S. Senate and can be used immediately. Thomas and Enzi, the State of Wyoming, and the Department of Interior have been pursuing a conservation easement on the Lazy Double A Ranch in Wyoming for several years. The Wyoming Senators said today that the new easement will go a long way toward protecting a vital parcel of land that has become increasingly at risk of being further developed.
Some places are special and unique.
Today's announcement is the culmination of a lot of work here in Congress and with outstanding support from local folks in Jackson who clearly recognized the importance of preserving this particular tract. The previously unallocated fund was set up to protect valuable pieces of land around the country.