As Park County commissioners debated the future of the Beartooth Ranch in Clark over the past few months, two local residents waited patiently for permission to remove some of the dilapidated buildings at the site.

The Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments, which manages the state-owned property, recently granted separate permits allowing the citizens — Chris Kulesa of Clark and Harlee Cushman of Cody — to salvage and remove the former ranch house and outbuildings.

The renovation of the property — essentially returning the land to its natural state — has been in the works for a number of years, said Cole Lambert, field supervisor in the Office of State Lands and Investments.

However, many were surprised as the buildings started coming down earlier this week, including county commissioners.

Just a couple weeks ago, commissioners sent a letter asking Gov. Matt Mead for his help in improving the former Beartooth Ranch, saying it had fallen into “extreme disrepair.”

That letter followed public meetings and debate over what should be done with the property, including discussions between the commission and Lambert.

“I guess that’s one issue off the table,” Commission Chairman Loren Grosskopf said of the buildings’ removal, saying he’s glad the materials will be re-used. However, Grosskopf found it “kind of curious, disconcerting” that “we had all those conversations, letters to the editor and [newspaper] stories and nobody came forward and said, ‘There’s a contract out to demolish all the buildings.’”

The federal government seized the land from a drug smuggler in the 1990s and later turned it over to the State of Wyoming.

The property includes a large log cabin house and garage — that’s what Cushman asked to remove — and several outbuildings of various ages Kulesa is salvaging.

“The salvageable parts will be dismantled and moved to other properties in the area,” said Lambert.

Neither Cushman nor Kulesa, who purchased the permits for $50, can sell the salvaged materials for profit.

The buildings, falling into disrepair after more than two decades of neglect, have become a liability concern, drawing parties to the isolated location. The interior of the main residence is littered with beer cans and bottles and walls and fixtures have been vandalized.

“I would’ve loved to see the home in its prime,” said Lambert, who has visited the property.

Kulesa began salvaging three outbuildings, fencing and farm structures Monday.

“They gave us a year, but I want to have my part done by the end of the week if I can,” he said.

Kulesa plans to use the building materials — mostly hand-hewn logs and old timbers — to recreate the original building sites on his Clark ranch. His property was initially homesteaded by August Myling in 1903 and he has located the original foundation of the home.

Kulesa spent the past six months in constant contact with the Office of State Lands and Investments, he said. He offered plans for the removal as well as the future use of the materials.

The wood from the first outbuilding he removed at the former Beartooth Ranch was mostly rotted.

“Even if they’re small pieces, I can do something with them. Maybe as a table leg, but it’s all going to get used,” Kulesa said.

Cushman and Kulesa are not associates. Lambert said Cushman plans to move the main house to his property, fix it up and live in it. Lambert’s office will conduct periodic inspections of the site as work is done plus a final inspection.

Park County Commissioner Tim French — who knew nothing about the salvage project until Monday — said he’s glad the ranch is being cleaned up.

“I think this is a terrific first step, but they need to keep it going,” French said.

The issue was first put on the commission’s radar in December, when Clark resident Lloyd Thiel expressed frustration that restrictions the federal government has placed on the ranch makes it difficult for anyone to use it.

Controversy erupted when some commissioners, including French, suggested the county could potentially try to acquire the property and then sell it to a private owner. After hearing concerns from the local Trout Unlimited chapter, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and some local residents, commissioners decided to form a committee to explore options for the future management of the land.

Commissioner Grosskopf said Wednesday that he’d like to move forward with a committee aimed at making the land more usable and productive.

“I would like to see it, just like all the other state land, see it leased,” French said Monday, suggesting cattle could be grazed on the property.

Meanwhile, Tom Reed, president of the East Yellowstone Chapter of Trout Unlimited, said he’s happy to see the property being returned to its natural state.

“Hopefully soon it will be just like any other public access property,” Reed said.

The angler group had protested the possibility of the deed being signed over to Park County, fearing the property would be sold and access jeopardized to the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, which flows through the property.

Stewart Allen Bost — who purchased the ranch in the 1980s with money he made from smuggling cocaine — had cut off access to the popular fishing area when he owned it. That illegal action was one reason why authorities began taking a closer look at Bost, eventually discovering he was a wanted man in Florida.