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1) Come
out and Party for the Pronghorn on June 4! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1) Come out and Party for the Pronghorn on June 4! June 4th is our community celebration of the Teton Park antelope herd’s annual return to the valley and everyone’s invited! The party kicks off at 7 p.m. at Snow King Resort’s Grand Room -- $5 at the door includes great live music by Jackson Hole favorites Tucker Smith and Steam Powered Airplane, and much more. For details, please give us a call at (307) 733-9417 or click here. See item #6 below for other great events on deck this summer! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 2) Third draft of Comp Plan is out; hearings resume June 10 Now three-plus years into the revision process, planners released the third draft of the Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan on May 7. They’re calling it the "PC Preliminary Draft" and you can download it at www.jacksontetonplan.com/2010/04/pc-draft-comprehensive-plan-update-release. For links to our comments on the new draft, please click here. In brief, while this third draft is an improvement over the second draft that came out in April 2009, much more work still needs to be done to ensure that it includes the policies needed to protect Jackson Hole’s irreplaceable wildlife, scenery and community character. (For a May 19, 2010, Jackson Hole News&Guide article that reports on concerns regarding the new draft, click here.) Jackson and Teton County planning commissioners will hear public comments and begin reviewing the new draft starting on Thursday, June 10, 5:30 p.m. in the County commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow. The planning commissioners say they’re limiting their discussions to three topics: New ideas and additions to the draft plan; inconsistencies within the draft itself; and whether the draft accurately reflects the recommendations they’ve made during the past year. (UPDATE: Click here for a recap of what happened at this meeting.) To be included in the staff report for the June 10 hearing, written public comments on the new draft were due by May 28 to the planning staffs. However, all comments will continue to be accepted throughout the revision process via www.jacksontetonplan.com, via email to Jeff Noffsinger (jnoffsinger@ci.jackson.wy.us) or Alex Norton (anorton@tetonwyo.org), in person to the town or county planning departments, and verbally at Comp Plan public hearings. At noon on June 15, the Alliance will host a recap of the June 10 hearing at our office, 685 S. Cache. Meanwhile, we’ll continue to work for a strong plan that will serve to protect what makes Jackson Hole so unique -- our wildlife, natural resources and community character. Please click here for links to all of our comments. For background info, click here.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 3) Other community planning updates In addition to the Comp Plan, the Alliance monitors a slew of other town and county planning matters. Here’s a partial roundup, but please keep in mind that all meetings are subject to change. Call the Town of Jackson at (307) 733-3932, Teton County at (307) 733-8094, or reach Kristy Bruner at Kristy@jhalliance.org or (307) 733-9417 for confirmation. Also, this list isn’t exhaustive, since many meeting agendas aren’t finalized until shortly before the meeting takes place. Check www.jhalliance.org/allianceaction.htm, www.ci.jackson.wy.us and www.tetonwyo.org for updates. If you’d like to comment on any of these items, contact information for all local public officials is available by clicking here. “JACKSON SOUTH” HIGHWAY FINAL EIS NOW DUE OUT IN JUNE: Wyoming Department of Transportation officials now say that the final environmental impact statement on the expansion of Hwy. 26/89/289/191 from south of Jackson to Hoback Junction won’t be released until mid-June. (It was expected in May.) The draft EIS proposed two disappointing 5-lane alternatives in this 7-mile section of road and it’s unlikely there will be any pleasant surprises in the final EIS. From the time this project was first raised many years ago, the Alliance has opposed making the highway five lanes wide, given the impacts it would have on wildlife and community character. (We have supported a modified 3-lane alternative.) Moving forward, the Alliance will work to ensure that the best possible wildlife mitigation measures are incorporated into this project’s design. We’ll also continue to question the need for a 5-lane highway throughout this section and to explore other options. (You can help make Teton County's highways safer for wildlife and motorists alike by supporting our efforts for better road crossings for wildlife. For details, please click here.) RIVER CROSSING: Teton Board of County Commissioners hearing, June 1, 9 a.m., County commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow. The commissioners will resume discussions on June 1 on a final development plan and amendment to an approved Rafter J Master Plan proposed by River Crossing Church, which wants to expand by building housing units and a 658-person auditorium. The Rafter J Homeowners’ Association is opposed to the current proposal and has raised a number of concerns regarding the scale of expansion as it relates to consistency with the original master plan, as well as associated traffic impacts, impacts to Flat Creek and compatibility with the Rafter J neighborhood. (UPDATE: On June 1, the county commissioners voted 4-1 to approve plans for the River Crossing Church expansion, which allows buildings with a combined total size bigger than Albertsons in a residential neighborhood. Several commissioners said they felt they had little choice but to approve the proposal because records of past approvals regarding River Crossing's development plans were unclear and the county regulations governing such development aren't clear, either. This highlights the need for more explicit land development regulations for our community – regulations that will actually uphold community priorities as well as increase predictability for decisionmakers, the public and landowners.) ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION: For the 10th month in a row, the proposed Environment Commission is on the agenda for the town and county’s joint information meeting, this one set for June 7, 2 p.m. at Jackson Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. At the May 3 JIM, county commission chair Hank Phibbs introduced his second proposal for the commission, which he’s calling the Natural Resource Technical Advisory Group. The planning staff’s original proposal for an Environment Commission was more focused on ecosystem-wide science and had less oversight by elected officials than Phibbs’ latest version. Since this issue was first brought before the electeds last September, the Alliance has advocated for a commission capable of assessing the overall health of the ecosystem, setting their own research priorities, and helping officials make informed decisions. (For more reasons why an Environment Commission is a good idea, click here for the Jackson Hole News&Guide's excellent editorial on the topic.) The elected officials are expected to take a vote on Phibbs’ newest proposal on June 7. For our latest comments on this issue, click here and here. Our earlier comments are available by clicking here. (UPDATE: On June 7, the joint electeds changed the name of the Environment Commission to the Natural Resources Technical Advisory Group. They also scheduled another meeting to discuss possible changes to Phibb's proposal; it's set for June 14, 1 to 2 p.m. at Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl.) PUBLIC TRANSIT AND JACKSON HOLE AIRPORT: Town of Jackson and Teton Board of County Commissioners joint information meeting, June 7, 2 p.m. at Jackson Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. Also at the June 7 meeting, START is scheduled to present some proposals for public bus service to and from Jackson Hole Airport. TRAFFIC ON HIGH SCHOOL ROAD AND VICINITY: Town of Jackson and Teton Board of County Commissioners joint information meeting, June 7, 2 p.m. at Jackson Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. Also on the agenda for the June 7 meeting, county planning staff is scheduled to present the preliminary results of the South Park Sub Area and High School Road Transportation Analysis, as part of a more comprehensive look at traffic including the areas of South Park, the "Y" intersection and the proposed Tribal Trails Connector. (Click here for the planning staff's report.) There will be a public presentation of this traffic study on June 8, 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria of Colter Elementary School, 1855 High School Rd., across from Jackson Hole High School. (UPDATE: On June 8, another public meeting was scheduled regarding the proposed Tribal Trails Connector, a road that could link South Park Loop to Hwy. 22 across from the entrance to Teton Science Schools. It's set for June 22, 6:30 p.m., Jackson Hole Middle School, 1230 South Park Loop Road.) TOWN'S AUTO-URBAN RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICT: Jackson Town Council workshop, June 21, 3 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. Town planning staff will present a preliminary ordinance as well as some illustrative scenarios with regard to proposed zone changes that would allow accessory units within the auto-urban residential district to be sold separately (essentially as condominiums) to independent owners. (One single-family residence and two accessory-residential units are allowed on single lots in this district, but current regulations stipulate that all three structures must be owned by one owner.) Since the A-R zone is currently a source of affordable rentals for the local workforce, there's concern that this change could inflate housing prices. Also, this zone covers a large portion of downtown Jackson and the timing of possible changes before the new Comprehensive Plan is finalized is troubling. For links to the Alliance’s comments, please click here. IDLE-FREE JACKSON: Jackson Town Council workshop, June 21, 3 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. Also at the June 21 workshop, councilors are scheduled to pick up their discussion regarding a possible ordinance and educational campaign aimed at discouraging people from letting their vehicles’ engines run while parked. TOWN EXACTIONS, LIVE-WORK UNITS: Jackson Town Council hearing, June 21, 6 p.m., Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. Town councilors are scheduled to discuss amendments to the land development regulations regarding development exactions and the addition of live-work units as an appropriate use in the AC zone. MELODY RANCH GRAVEL OPERATION: Teton Board of County Commissioners hearing, July 6, 9 a.m., County commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow. On May 24, the Teton County Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of Melody Ranch Investments’ application for a special use permit to allow them to operate a level-one gravel operation independently from the Melody Ranch Planned Unit Development. (The commissioners did attach 35 conditions to this approval, including limits on operation dates and times.) County commissioners will consider the application on July 6. The Alliance’s concerns include factors such as the original intentions of the Melody Ranch approval process, the wildlife and scenic values of the site, and the future gravel needs of the county -- especially with looming highway work (see Jackson South above), which will require gravel and lots of it. Our preliminary comments on this application are available by clicking here. GRAND TARGHEE UPDATE: On May 4, the Teton Board of County Commissioners agreed to give Grand Targhee Resort more time to get started on its expansion. (Targhee's owner says the recession threw a wrench into his original schedule.) They decided to extend the Alta resort's deadline for submitting a final development application by two years to Feb. 4, 2013. They also decided to allow the resort to do limited facility expansions between now and then without complying with conditions specified under the master plan that were meant to provide mitigation for the impacts of expansion. Specifically, Targhee is now allowed to make interim expansions up to a total of 5,000 square feet; individual projects representing increases of 1,000 square feet or more will require the commissioners' approval. Any interim expansions are to be subtracted from the total square footage allowed under Targhee's master plan. (For background info on Grand Targhee Resort, click here.)• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 4) Bridger-Teton land sale back in the news In May, Bridger-Teton officials said they’re planning to start studying two new options for the forest’s administrative site on North Cache: Leasing part of the 15-acre parcel and moving the supervisor’s office to Star Valley. On June 2, noon at the Alliance office, 685 S. Cache, Michael Schrotz of the B-T will provide an update on the situation for people who’d like to help find ways to keep the supervisor’s office in Jackson, plus help the B-T figure out how to fund needed new facilities and employee housing without selling off public lands. A previous Alliance meeting raised the possibility of the B-T partnering with the Teton County Housing Authority, which would lease a portion of the parcel and build employee housing on it. The June 2 discussion will delve into this possibility, as well as address Regional Forester Harv Forsgren’s recent directive for the B-T to proceed with finding a site in Star Valley suitable for relocating the supervisor’s office. For more information, contact Louise Lasley at (307) 733-9417 or Louise@jhalliance.org. Background info on the land sale is available at www.jhalliance.org/Library/AllianceAction/AA.2010/April10AA.htm#AA3 and www.jhalliance.org/Library/AllianceAction/AA.2009/Nov09AA.htm#AA3. In related Bridger-Teton news, longtime B-T Supervisor Kniffy Hamilton, who has supported keeping the S.O.’s office in Jackson, announced her retirement in late May. She’ll be missed. During the past decade, Hamilton has engaged the community, listened to concerns and made some hard decisions that have gone a long way toward protecting our wildlife and forests. Hamilton’s work with conservation organizations, other agencies and the Jackson Hole community to keep lands in the upper Gros Ventre and the Wyoming Range safe from energy development has been a major factor in keeping our wildlife diverse and abundant. Hamilton also helped the Teton Park pronghorn herd by protecting their migration corridor through the Bridger-Teton. It’s been evident that she shares the Alliance’s goal of making sure that human activity is in harmony with the area’s irreplaceable wildlife, scenic and other natural resources. We wish her the best for the future and look forward to her continuing participation in community issues.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 5) Conservationists seek to protect health of elk herds In May, a coalition including the Alliance appealed U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon’s recent ruling allowing supplemental feeding on the National Elk Refuge to continue indefinitely. Crowded conditions on feedlines increase the risk of diseases, such as brucellosis and the always fatal chronic wasting disease. Phasing out feedgrounds while working to improve native forage will help avert the spread of these diseases that could decimate Jackson Hole’s iconic wildlife herds. Click here for more information on this issue. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 6) Summer Rendezvous Series offers something for everyone The Conservation Alliance has lined up a full slate of engaging events for this year’s Summer Rendezvous Series and we’d love to see you at them! Check out all the offerings by clicking here. Here’s a list of our June gatherings, plus several other local events of interest to conservationists: Wednesday, June 2 Wednesday, June 2 Wednesday, June 2 Friday, June 4 Saturday, June 5 Sunday, June 6 Tuesday, June 15 Tuesday, June 15 Wednesday, June 16 Thursday, June 17 Saturday, June 19 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 7) Valley Voices “In the end, our society will be defined
not only by what we create, - John C. Sawhill
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Alliance Action is a publication of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. The Conservation Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to responsible land stewardship in Jackson Hole to ensure that human activities are in harmony with the area’s irreplaceable wildlife, scenic, and other natural resources. We’re located at 685 South Cache Street in Jackson, Wyoming. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 2728, Jackson, WY 83001-2728 and our phone number is (307) 733-9417. If you'd like to sign up to receive our monthly Alliance Action via email, please click here. |
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