Exemption sought on Steptoe Butte

STEPTOE - A private nature preserve may be sold to the state after a meeting to determine if communications towers fees can be used for weed control.

Steptoe Butte native prairie land bought in 2016 by private owners spans a wide C-shape at the base of the butte. Only about a quarter of Steptoe Butte is the state park – mainly its north side and top.

The weed control issue will be heard Jan. 26, as part of a meeting of the state Recreation and Conservation Funding Board. The 437-acre land parcel at the butte has been slated for purchase by either the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) or St...