Conservation district discuss budget with legislators
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WORLAND – The Washakie County and Hot Springs Conservation Districts hosted a lunch for State Senator Wyatt Agar (R-Thermopolis, District 20) and Representative Mike Greear (R-Worland, District 27) along with Washakie County Commissioners Aaron Anderson, Fred Frandson and Terry Wolf on Tuesday, to discuss budget concerns for 2017, and conservation efforts for 2016.
Chaired by Conservation District Chairman Dan Rice and Director Victoria Dietz, district board members including Dave Slover and Charley Orchard expressed their concerns to Greear and Agar, while giving a brief overview of district programs and recent studies.
According to a summary handed out to attendees, the district directed projects including water management, range management, youth education, water quality monitoring, and waste and recycling management throughout 2016, funded by grants and mill levies totaling just over $500,000.
Citing budget concerns, Rice questioned Greear whether the same funding could be expected moving forward, and how the state would regard conservation efforts and special programs and districts, when making appropriations.
Greear explained that the Legislature is anticipating cuts at the program level, up to $60 million, but with the November passage of Amendment A (allowing for the investment of state funds), 40 percent -50 percent of equity earned could result in increased income for special programs and the state’s agriculture budget, the current facilitator for conservation funds.
Concerning a controversial measure to return federal lands in Wyoming and Utah to state control, Rice expressed the concern, on behalf of the district, that state control of public land would limit access for conservation, recreation and grazing.
“The thing you’ve got to realize,” answered Greear, “is that the federal government owns 45 percent of Wyoming’s public land, as it stands now. They could sell it off at any time. It would be better to have those lands under state control in the long run.”
