Wyoming is selling land in Grand Teton National Park to the federal government for $100 million.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming officials voted Thursday to move ahead with the sale of a spectacular, pristine piece of public property in Grand Teton National Park to the federal government for $100 million, ending decades of threats to sell it to the highest bidder to a private developer.

The Board of State Land Commissioners, made up of Gov. Mark Gordon and the state’s four other top elected officials, all Republicans, voted 3-2, making the 2.6-square-kilometer (2.6-square-kilometer) site unobstructed views of the entire state. The Teton Range is one step closer to becoming part of the park.

Land that has been a bone of contention between Wyoming and federal officials for decades may now finally be sold by the end of this year.

“Obviously the right decision needs to be made. This is a very rare opportunity for you to do the right thing for education in Wyoming,” Republican Ogden Driskill urged the board before the vote.

Conservationist and sports groups have made similar calls to keep the property out of private hands, even though selling it to developers could generate the highest monetary returns for the state.

The state land, surrounded on all sides by national parks, has belonged to Wyoming since statehood. However, leasing it for grazing brought in only a few thousand dollars a year, far below the amount the state could have received from the modest return of investing the proceeds of the sale.

As in other states, especially in the West, revenue from public lands funds public education.

The two officials who voted against it said they hope to negotiate a better deal under President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration, possibly including a swap for fossil-fuel-rich federal lands in other parts of the state. One of them was state Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder, who said she wanted to protect the land but get the best deal possible.

“This is the most valuable piece of real estate that Wyoming has ever owned,” Degenfelder said before the vote. “In my opinion, we can’t short-sell Wyoming. I don’t believe that voting against it today or bringing it to the floor today, as I prefer, is closing the door.”

For decades, Wyoming governors have threatened to sell land in the Grand Tetons to the highest bidder unless the federal government buys it. The threats have led to on-and-off negotiations and three previous sales of other state lands in the park to the federal government totaling $62 million.

Last winter, the Wyoming Legislature approved $100 million in state purchases. Under the terms of the deal, the federal foundation will provide an estimated value of $62 million for the land and raise the rest from private sources.

Lawmakers stipulated that the governor could withdraw from the deal if President Joe Biden’s administration pursues a plan to limit oil and gas fracking and other development in a wide swath of southwestern Wyoming. The plan rankles many in Wyoming, where fossil fuels are a source of jobs and income.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management appears set to meet lawmakers’ demands by approving a less-restrictive plan by the end of this month, State Treasurer Kurt Meyer said.

“Now is the time to move forward,” Meyer said before voting to approve the sale.

Grand Teton Superintendent Chip Jenkins said in an emailed statement that he appreciates Wyoming’s support in protecting the land and looks forward to finalizing the deal.