The Washington County Board voted Tuesday to spend $3.6 million to purchase 240 acres of the former Kelley Land and Cattle Co. to expand Big Marine Park Reserve.

Eventually, the county will purchase 685 acres of Kelley land for the park.

Because of the size of the purchase, county officials are buying the land over three years to assure funding is available to complete the acquisition, county officials said.

The first phase consists of 240 acres of vacant land in the southeast quadrant of 170th Street and Manning Avenue in May Township; the sale is expected to close later this month.

Purchasing the land in phases allows county officials to request reimbursement from the Metropolitan Council for 75 percent of the cost through regional park acquisition funds; the other 25 percent will be funded by the county’s Land and Water Legacy Program, county officials said.

The cattle ranch, which has been owned by the same family since 1958, is considered one of the largest tracts of undeveloped land in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

The 2,600-acre property is located in Hugo and May Township and includes woods, wetlands and small lakes.

The majority of the land, 1,840 acres, is slated to become a wildlife management area called Keystone Woods. Keystone Woods, which will be owned and operated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, will be the largest wildlife management area in the metro area.

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