State of Utah School & Institutional Trust Lands Administration

675 East 500 South, Suite 500

Salt Lake City, Utah

May 17, 2012

AGENDA: 9:00 a.m.

Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes

Confirmation of Upcoming Meeting Dates

Public Discussion

EnergyNet Presentation – John Munroe: Proposed Rule Change for Mineral Lease Offerings

5600 West Exchange with DWR

Draft Policy on Land Block Sales

Beneficiary Report – Borrowing From Trust Fund

Litigation Update (Closed Session)

Consent Calendar:

• Tide Water OBA at Crescent Junction

Notification:

• Minor Development Transaction – Development Lease (DEVL 1010) with Sun River St. George Development LC

Six-Month Follow Up:

Negotiated Sale with Mr. James Hanley (PS 7801) – Lower Miller Creek Parcel

ADJOURN: 11:20 a.m.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing auxiliary communicative aids and services for this meeting should call Nannette Johnson at 801-538-5110, giving her at least three days’ notice.

February 27, 2012

Students, Schools, Safety and Land Stewardship all win

in Off-Highway Vehicle Video Challenge

The Second Annual Ride On! Video Challenge is now open through May 14. Utah students of all ages may submit their creative and educational videos promoting safe and responsible off-highway vehicle (OHV) use and stewardship of School and Institutional Trust Lands.

“Off-highway vehicles are a great way for families to enjoy Utah’s spectacular beauty,” said Greg Miller, CEO of the Larry H. Miller Group, in launching the contest. “Learning good land stewardship and safety at an early age are essential to ensuring generations of Utahns can enjoy this activity.”

Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands (SITLA) and Utah State Parks and Recreation co-sponsor the challenge, in collaboration with the Larry H. Miller Group.

“Many people don’t realize that responsible OHV use can translate into increased school funding, but there is a connection,” said Kevin Carter, director of SITLA. “Local school community councils receive funds from the wise management of SITLA land. They decide how the money will be spent to benefit their local school.” Respecting SITLA land benefits schools and the environment.

The Challenge: Students create videos and include OHV stewardship and safety messages. The Utah OHV Advisory Council selects winners in each of these categories: Elementary; junior/middle school, high school and post-secondary. Cash prizes are awarded for first place in each category. Students can earn $500 for themselves, plus an additional $500 for their teacher and $500 for their school. Second and third place earn gift cards. No tax dollars are used for prizes.

A new “People’s Choice” category was added this year to encourage students to complete their videos early to get more views on the Ride On! YouTube video channel. The People’s Choice award is also $500 cash.

Utah State Parks and Recreation is the state’s off-highway vehicle authority, providing safety, education, access enforcement and search and rescue. 

“As OHV riders, we’re always learning,” said Utah State Parks Interim Director Fred Hayes. “The RideOn! video contest is a great way for students to teach and remind us all about safe and responsible riding in Utah.”

Last year, students from across Utah showed great creativity with their videos. They used everything from clay figures to active demonstrations to communicate the importance of safety and stewardship. More information and last year’s winning videos are available at www.stateparks.utah.gov/rideonvideocontest.

Contacts:

Dave Hebertson

SITLA

801-538-5102 (office)

801-901-9990 (cell)

davehebertson@utah.gov

Deena Loyola

Utah State Parks

801-538-7347 (office)

801-554-5199 (cell)

deenaloyola@utah.gov

Vicki Varela

V.V. Strategic Communications

801-673-5066 (cell)

801-419-0642 (office)

vicki@vvstrategy.com

SCHOOL & INSTITUTIONAL TRUST LANDS ADMINISTRATION

675 EAST 500 SOUTH, SUITE 500

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH  84102

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday September 19, 2011       

Contact: Dave Hebertson 801-538-5102

TRUST LANDS DIRECTOR NAMED CHAIR OF WESTERN REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP

Kevin S. Carter, Director of the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), has been appointed Chairman of the Western Regional Partnership’s governing body – the partnership’s Steering Committee.  The Western Regional Partnership (WRP) is an organization originally created by U.S. Department of Defense to develop solutions supporting the WRP Partners and protecting natural resources, while maintaining United States homeland security and military readiness.

Carter says, “It is a privilege to serve the WRP, and help coordinate the important goals and activities that it engages.  I look forward to the things we can accomplish for the good of all the partners and the security of the United States.”

The partnership includes:

·        State government leaders from Utah, Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Nevada

·        Federal agencies including the Department of Defense, BLM, EPA, and others

·        Native American tribes

The WRP is addressing a variety of local issues such as:

·        Border security

·        Disaster preparedness

·        Energy

·        Wildlife corridors, critical habitat, and threatened & endangered species

·        Land use

·        Tribal relations

The WRP mission provides a proactive and collaborative framework for senior-policy level Federal, State and Tribal leadership to identify common goals and emerging issues in the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah and to develop solutions that support WRP Partners and protect natural resources, while promoting sustainability, homeland security and military readiness

For Information Contact:

Kim Christy              801-538-5187

Bryan Torgerson     435-259-7417

SITLA Teams-up with Proactive Stakeholders to Implement OHV Pilot Program on La Sal Mountains 

The State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) launched an OHV pilot program in the La Sal Mountains in the fall of 2010 with a simple bottom line: off-highway vehicle users can protect their privileges by using designated trails.

The primary goal of the Pilot Project was to work with stakeholders to develop and implement a Motor Vehicle Travel Management Plan (MVTMP) that addressed access and SITLA’s responsibly manage the properties for its beneficiaries through a designated trial system.

The MVTMP implementation included the placement of over 150 directional signs and trail markers and the reclamation and re-seeding of miles of old logging roads, redundant routes and spur trails. Collaboration with diverse stakeholders helped shape the project but it didn’t end there. SITLA has been working with those same stakeholders to implement the plan during this past year and a lot of work was done this spring and summer.

“SITLA has worked closely with key OHV groups, such as San Juan Public Entry & Access Rights (SPEAR) and Ride with Respect to sign all of the dedicated routes. We also worked to rehabilitate and re-seed many acres of land. We are proud of the trail map that has been created and also very appreciative of the help that we received from San Juan and Grand Counties and the Division of State Parks and Recreation. Full color fold-up maps are available to the public at information kiosks that are strategically located at entrance points to the trust land blocks,” said SITLA’s Assistant Director Kim Christy.

SPEAR Representative Bob Turri said, “It was a real opportunity to work throughout the entire process with an agency such as SITLA and to help implement the plan. We really appreciate the kind of input that we had. We are really proud of the trail system up there and we are glad to be able to demonstrate what our organization can do to balance OHV use and protection of the land. It’s nice to be able to show how much we care about the unique resource in the La Sal Mountains.”     

On August 17^th, 2011, there was a volunteer work project to install a new bridge on one of the ATV loops. The work project was held at a spot on one of the ATV loops between Sheepherders’ Haven and the Dark Canyon Road. The project was a collaborative effort between SITLA, SPEAR and the many stakeholders. The bridge was named the new SPEAR Bridge because many of the materials for the bridge were donated by SPEAR and then assembled by SITLA’s Resource Specialist Adam Robison.

Clif Koontz, Program Director with Ride with Respect said, “This beautiful bridge symbolizes the strength of teamwork, planning, and trail design to conserve both recreational opportunities and natural resources. We appreciate SITLA's follow-through to make this vision a reality on the ground and, in this case, above the ground.”

SITLA is an independent state agency that manages 3.4 million acres of Utah trust lands for the benefit of Utah’s schools and other public institutions. Money generated from the school trust lands is deposited in the state Permanent School Fund, a perpetual endowment that annually distributes income to each K-12 school in Utah.

The seven-member Board of Trustees of the State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration has a new member. Governor Gary R. Herbert has appointed James M. Lekas of Vernal, Utah. Mr. Lekas takes the position vacated by Board member David J. Lambert, who retired from the Board June 30, 2011. Mr. Lekas’ term is for six years. He was confirmed by the state Senate July 20, 2011.

Mr. Lekas is the co-founder of Lexco Inc., a Utah company that has become the world’s second largest producer of gilsonite. Prior to the founding of Lexco in 1988, Lekas managed research and development projects of Geokinetics Oil Shale in Vernal, Utah. He sold Lexco assets in 2009 and retired to his ranch in Uintah County.

Michael Brown, Chairman of the Trust Lands’ Board of Trustees says, "We welcome Mr. Lekas to the Board of Trustees and know that he will make a tremendous contribution to the Trust and the schoolchildren of the great State of Utah. We know that he will find great satisfaction serving with all of those committed to the success of this great institution."

Lekas is the founding member and Chairman of the Uintah County Public Lands Committee.

He graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a Bachelor’s degree in Geology.

The School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration is an independent state agency that manages 3.4 million acres of Utah trust lands for the financial benefit of Utah’s public schools and 11 other public institutions. Money generated from school trust lands is deposited in the state Permanent School Fund, a perpetual endowment that annually distributes income to each K-12 public school in Utah.

Contact: Dave Hebertson 801-538-5102
             NormaLee McMichael 801-538-5105

675 East 500 South, Ste 500

Salt Lake City, Utah  84102

The May 25, 2011, real estate auction held by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) brought in $1,360,000 for the schoolchildren of Utah.  The auction featured four parcels totaling about 1,832 acres.  The various parcels are located in Millard, Carbon, Emery, and San Juan Counties.

According to Kim Christy, SITLA Assistant Director – Surface, “We are very pleased with the results of this auction – particularly in light of the currently soft real estate market.   All of the properties we offered at the auction sold, at or above, the minimum prices we asked.  We appreciate the public’s interest in this offering.”

The properties sold were:

• Snake Valley Parcel, Millard County, 640 acres

• Range Valley Mountain, Parcel A, Carbon County, 560 acres

• Range Valley Mountain, Parcel B, Emery County, 360 acres

• Hatch Rock, San Juan County, 272 acres

The proceeds of the auction are deposited into the State Permanent School Fund that is already in excess of a billion dollars.  The fund has grown from a few million dollars at the time SITLA was created in 1994 to the current billion-dollar mark.  Utah’s public schools get interest and dividend distributions earned on that fund during the year.

More information on the properties offered (including maps and photos) can be seen on SITLA’s Internet site by following these links: www.trustlands.com > Current Activities > Land Auction May 25, 2011 > then select the individual parcel from the list under “Property Name.”

SITLA manages 3.4 million acres of state trust lands granted to the State of Utah at statehood for the support of public education, universities, and other state institutions. 

Contact:

Dave Hebertson                    801-538-5102

NormaLee McMichael         801-538-5105