By Marcus Huff
Staff Writer 

County holds Public Lands Initiative introductory meeting

 

December 7, 2016



WORLAND – Washakie County Commissioners held a special work session Tuesday to introduce the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative, and formally announce applications for interested parties to form a special committee to help the county develop recommendations for Congress, on how to handle Wilderness Study Areas in Washakie County.

Led by Chairman Aaron Anderson and Commissioners Fred Frandson and Terry Wolf, the information session was attended by 15 members of various agencies from Washakie and Hot Springs counties, along with agriculture and conservation representatives.

As outlined by on an overhead projection, Anderson explained that the goal of the committee was to reach a consensus as to the use of Wilderness Study Areas in the county, through public input. The primary areas of concentration include the Honeycombs (located between Ten Sleep and Worland), Cedar Mountain (south of Winchester and shared with Hot Springs County) and Bobcat Draw (in the northwest corner of the county, shared with Big Horn County).

Anderson explained that across the state, where similar WSAs are shared by more than one county, subcommittees have been formed to examine the areas, a solution that may be possible going forward, regarding Bobcat Draw and Cedar Mountain. Anderson also indicated that Honeycombs WSA would be Washakie County’s primary, initial point of concentration.

The Washakie County Advisory Committee will be comprised of representatives of non-motorized recreation, motorized recreation, agriculture and ranching, sportsmen, energy interests, conservation and environmental concerns, the local conservation district and the general public. Anderson noted that alternates may be needed if more than one member represents a particular interest.

Once assigned members, the Washakie County Advisory Committee will develop a proposed management recommendation for the WSAs within the county. The committee may also consider other areas of interest for potential inclusion, including other land use designations, transfers, or other management not necessarily related to the WSA designation.

Once the committee’s recommendations have been formalized and approved by the county commission, the final recommendations of the WPLI will be sent to a federal delegation for introduction in the U.S. House and Senate in 2018.

The Wyoming County Commissioners Association (WCCA) launched the initiative in December 2015 to resolve issues with federal land designations the have existed across the state for over 40 years. The Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI) will empower county commissioners to develop county-by-county agreements on the final designation or release of Wyoming’s 45 Wilderness Study Areas (WSA).

According to the WCCA, Wyoming is currently home to 15 designated wilderness areas, covering over 4 million acres. The Bureau of Land Management also manages 42 WSAs for a total of 577,000 acres of public land. The Forest Service manages 3 WSAs, adding another 130,000 acres.

Applications for the WCCA Advisory Committee will be accepted until Jan. 6, with final review by commissioners on Jan. 17. Applications are available from the Washakie County Clerk’s office, or online at http://www.washakiecounty.net/commissioners.

 
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