SALT LAKE CITY — The president of a Utah
farming corporation outbid Mormon history buffs and conservation groups to
snatch up nearly 400 acres of school trust lands in an area that could become
enveloped in a Bears Ears national monument should it happen.
The Comb Ridge parcel sold for $500,000 —
$200,000 above what defeated competitors offered — to Lyman Family Farm's Joe
Hunt, who responded, "What Bears Ears?" when asked.
Lyman Family Farm prevailed in a number of
bidding wars at Wednesday's Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands auction
that garnered $5.5 million for the benefit of the permanent school trust fund,
which distributes money to Utah schools.
The Hole in the Rock Foundation wanted the
391-acre parcel at Comb Ridge adjacent to federally managed lands to lead youth
groups on historical and cultural tours of an area that was blazed by Mormon
pioneers over the winter of 1879-80 in a treacherous journey.
