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1) State
Game & Fish Wants Wolf Plan Comments by Oct.
10 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1) State Game & Fish Wants Wolf Plan Comments by Oct. 10 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could remove Rocky Mountain gray wolves from endangered species protection as early as Feb. 2008, and state officials want to make sure Wyoming’s wolves are included in the delisting. In September, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission released for public comment a draft plan for managing wolves once they’re delisted. A compromise between what state legislators wanted and what Fish and Wildlife wanted, the plan commits Wyoming to maintaining only 15 breeding pairs of wolves. It also stipulates that wolves will be managed as trophy game in the northwest corner of the state and as predators subject to being shot on sight or worse everywhere else. Information on the plan and comment forms, due by Oct. 10, are available at http://gf.state.wy.us. Comment online or via mail to: Wolf Comments, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 5400 Bishop Blvd., Cheyenne, WY 82006. Although Wyoming Game and Fish commissioners are expected to adopt the plan without changes during their next meeting on Nov. 15, your comments could have an influence as they begin their next step in early December -- outlining regulations for hunting wolves as trophy game. Please visit www.jhalliance.org/issueswildlife.htm and click on "Managing Wyoming’s Wolves" and "Endangered Species" for background information to bolster your comments.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 2) Get Involved in the Comprehensive Plan Update The Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan, which guides our community’s growth and development, is being revised. Your input is vital to help protect Jackson Hole’s character, wildlife and scenery. Although the next public meetings aren’t scheduled until November, it’s important for you to get involved now. Town and county officials and consultants from Clarion Associates want to hear your thoughts and concerns about our current Comprehensive Plan. Right now, they’re looking for answers to these questions: “Is the 1994 vision for the community still valid? If not, what would you change or add?” It’s up to all of us to voice our concerns and ideas, so we can collectively create a better Comp Plan that truly protects what makes Jackson Hole special. Speak up! Visit www.jacksontetonplan.com for details and to submit comments on the website blog (click on Public Input, then on Get Involved, then on Join the Plan Blog). You may also email your comments to feedback@jacksontetonplan.com. The following public meetings have been scheduled
for early November: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 3) Decisions Pending on Affordable Housing Requirements To help alleviate Jackson Hole’s housing crunch, the Town Council and Teton Board of County Commissioners are moving toward increasing the amount of deed-restricted affordable housing developers are required to provide. At a joint meeting on Sept. 10, the Teton County Housing Authority asked commissioners and council members to either enact an emergency ordinance to increase the mitigation rate from 15 to 25 percent, or begin writing new regulations to make the switch. Since then, the two boards have considered the proposal separately, and on Oct. 8, county planning commissioners will make a recommendation, which commissioners could vote on the next day. Jackson’s Town Council has already voted to ask its planning staff to draft an ordinance to change the rate to 25 percent in the town’s land development regulations. The Conservation Alliance supports policies that demand sufficient mitigation from developers to offset one of the primary effects of rapid growth -- a lack of affordable housing. It’s high time to heed the 2007 Housing Needs Assessment (available at www.tetonwyo.org/housing), which recommends increasing the mitigation rate to 40 percent. (For comparison, in Aspen, Colo., 60 percent of new housing units are required to be affordable.) The assessment also recommends increasing the fees developers would have to pay in lieu of providing affordable housing. Substandard mitigation rates have caused pressure to allow high-density spot zoning in inappropriate places, risking our community’s wildlife and rural character. For these reasons, the Alliance supports efforts to increase mitigation and will advocate for further commitment during the Comprehensive Plan revision process. Check www.jhalliance.org/monthly.htm for dates and times of public meetings in October when affordable housing is expected to be discussed.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 4) County Postpones Grand Targhee Vote till Oct. 16 The Teton Board of County Commissioners met Sept. 26 for what many thought would be the final hearing on Grand Targhee’s bid for resort zoning. But due to the absence of one commissioner, and to the developer’s objections to conditions of approval, the final vote has been put off until 9 a.m. Oct. 16 at the Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow St. (DUE TO APPLICANT'S PROPOSAL CHANGES, THIS HEARING WAS CONTINUED TO DEC. 11, SAME TIME & PLACE) On Sept. 5, county commissioners set 11 conditions to reduce the scope of proposed development at Targhee. Major items included limiting the number of lodging and employee units to 450, restricting commercial and resort services to 120,000 square feet, and establishing a fixed boundary to Targhee’s 120-acre site through a conservation easement to prevent future expansion. The commissioners failed to address concerns about air pollution from wood-burning stoves and the lack of a density cap, meaning that resort owners could be asking for even more development rights within a few years. The developers argued that Grand Targhee won’t make enough money if it has to comply with the county’s conditions. However, the case they presented for why Targhee needs 592 housing units (not counting employee units) to be successful looked only at ski lift ticket sales and operating costs. It didn’t factor in anticipated real estate sales, lift ticket price increases, or revenues from an expected increase of summertime visitors. Targhee’s model only lightly addressed day-use skiers, and didn’t count income from visiting skiers staying at accommodations other than Targhee’s. In addition, resort owner Geordie Gillett said he was considering rescinding his previous offers of mitigation, such as open space and a privately funded transportation system, if commissioners don’t back down. Targhee is surrounded by such pristine wildlands that any development is bound to have serious off-site impacts. Please support the commissioners’ stance to limit development by emailing your comments to commissioners@tetonwyo.org, and by attending the Oct. 16 hearing. Background information is available at:www.jhalliance.org/Library/Perspectives/GrandTarghee.10-07.htm and www.jhalliance.org/Library/PressReleases/GrandTarghee.6-07.htm. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 5) Local Development Issues Abound In addition to the above items, the Conservation Alliance continues to monitor other county and town private lands matters. Here is a brief roundup of meetings at which you may share your concerns; you may also email county comments to commissioners@tetonwyo.org. (All times and dates are subject to change -- please call Teton County at (307) 733-8094 or the Town of Jackson at (307) 734-3993 for confirmation.) For more information on all community planning issues, please contact Kristy Bruner at kristy@jhalliance.org or (307) 733-9417. OSPREY CREEK (old Teton Village Road KOA) DEVELOPMENT
PROPOSAL -- Oct. 2, 9 a.m., County Commissioners’ Chambers,
200 S. Willow St., Jackson (THIS HEARING HAS
BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR NOV. 13) NATURAL RESOURCE OVERLAY HABITAT MITIGATION --
Oct. 8, 6 p.m., County Commissioners Chambers,
200 S. Willow MINIMUM LOT SIZE AMENDMENT – Originally
scheduled for Sept. 25, this hearing was postponed
to Oct. 9, 9 a.m., County Commissioners’ Chambers,
200 S. Willow In response, a county-level amendment has been proposed to “support the use of minimum lot or parcel size as a basic planning and zoning tool.” (A similar county proposal failed 3-2 in March 2006.) Earlier this summer, Wyoming enacted a requirement that family members must hold the lot for five years before they can sell. Locally, on May 15, county commissioners enacted an emergency regulation that allows the planning director to evaluate whether an applicant’s use of the exemption is legitimate. The proposed minimum lot size amendment will go a step further by “closing the loophole that permits divisions of land to create parcels well below lot sizes permitted within the applicable zoning district.” The Conservation Alliance supports efforts to remedy some of the unintended consequences of this exemption. As stated in the planning staff’s report, “approval of this amendment would enhance the protection of natural and scenic resources by requiring all divisions of land smaller than 35 acres to cluster development and preserve open space, as intended by the Comprehensive Plan.” While there are other options for landowners to pursue higher densities (i.e., a planned residential development), they would have to go through the planning process, unlike subdivisions under the family exemption. SNAKE RIVER CANYON RANCH -- Next hearing to
be determined TETON MEADOWS RANCH (Seherr-Thoss property)
-- Hearings to be determined MARRIOTT PROJECT SPECIAL MEETING -- Oct.1, 11:30
a.m., Jackson Town Council Chambers, 150 E. Pearl
Ave. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 6) WYDOT Seeks Input on Hoback Junction Reconstruction The Wyoming Department of Transportation will hold an open house on its environmental assessment of the proposed reconstruction of Hoback Junction from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Oct. 9, at the WYDOT office at 1040 Evans Rd., south of Jackson. WYDOT wants to reconfigure the unsafe intersection of Highways 26/89 and 189/191 to either a “T” or a roundabout, and rebuild the 60-year-old bridge just southwest of this intersection. This is the first of three phases planned under the Hoback Highway reconstruction project. Work on the other two segments -- South Jackson to Hoback and East of Hoback -- will follow. You can download the Hoback Junction EA at www.dot.state.wy.us (click on Information Central, then Manuals and Publications, then Environmental Documents, then Hoback Junction EA). Comments on the EA are due by Oct. 26 and may be emailed to hobackcomments@dot.state.wy.us, faxed to (307) 777-4193, or mailed to Mr. Timothy Stark, Wyoming Department of Transportation, Environmental Services, P.O. Box 1708, Cheyenne, WY 82003-1708. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 7) County to Reconsider Bear-Proof Trash Containers Drought conditions, a shortage of berries and acorns, and increased development in bear country have driven bears to town in search of food, escalating conflicts with people. Wyoming Game and Fish officials say they expect the number of incidents to reach 150 this year -- more than the past five years combined. In response, Teton County commissioners will review a revised amendment they hope will reduce bear-human conflicts at 9 a.m. on Oct. 9 at the Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow. (THIS MATTER HAS BEEN TABLED UNTIL OCT. 23, SAME TIME AND PLACE.) In September 2006, Teton County passed “Phase 1” amendments, which included requirements for all property owners to have bear-resistant trash containers. But this requirement was not enforceable because it didn’t specify standards for the containers. To help remedy this and other problems, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and Teton County have collaborated on a new amendment to refine bear-protection measures. The Bear Conflict Mitigation and Prevention Amendment establishes garbage, landscaping and bear-attractant standards as a condition of approval for new development proposals. The stringency of these standards varies depending on which “conflict priority area” (among three proposed areas based on Game and Fish data) the development falls in. The Conservation Alliance strongly supports and commends these proactive efforts to minimize conflicts with bears. For more information, please visit www.tetonwyo.org/plan and click on the link in the Announcement box.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 8) Forest Planning Rule Comments Due by Oct. 22 A draft environmental impact statement on the Forest Planning Rule, released in August, will determine how the current Bridger-Teton National Forest management plan revision will proceed. The preferred alternative (virtually identical to the Bush administration’s 2005 Planning Rule, which a district court judge tossed out in March) would significantly reduce protective measures, scientific rigor and public input on Forest Service plans. The DEIS is available at www.fs.fed.us/emc/nfma/2007_planning_rule.html. The Conservation Alliance believes that preferred Alternative A will NOT ensure a planning process that will protect our irreplaceable national forests and wildlife. Page iii of the DEIS provides comments made during scoping by people critical of Alternative A. Charts comparing the alternatives are on Pages 28 to 38. Significantly, at the bottom of Page 36 it says it would be “typical” under Alternative A for officials to “categorically exclude” proposed projects on the forest from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act. In our comments, we’ll advocate for Alternative B, which would reinstate the more environmentally responsible 2000 Planning Rule. If you’d like to discuss ways to make your comments effective, please contact Alliance Public Lands Director Louise Lasley at (307) 733-9417 or louise@jhalliance.org. Comments are due by Oct 22 and may be emailed to planningrule@fscomments.org, faxed to (916) 456-6742 or mailed to Planning Rule Comments, P.O. Box 162969, Sacramento, CA 95816-2969. Remember, we can best express our respect and appreciation for Jackson Hole’s natural wonders -- diversity of wildlife, scenic beauty, pristine air and water -- by participating in the public processes that determine how the lands around us will be managed.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 9) Sen. Barrasso Pledges to Protect Wyoming Range, Snake Headwaters On Sept. 10, in his first major speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso promised to work to restrict energy development on the Wyoming Range and to gain Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protection for Snake River headwaters. The late U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, whom Barrasso replaced, introduced a bill in May to include about 400 miles of rivers and streams in northwest Wyoming in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. At the time of his death in June, Sen. Thomas was also planning to introduce legislation to limit oil and gas drilling on the Wyoming Range of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. “While [Sen. Thomas] is not here to carry on the work, the work needs to continue as part of his legacy,” Sen. Barrasso said, adding that he will soon introduce a bill “to protect the undeveloped areas of the Wyoming Range from any future oil and gas leasing.” (Read the Fall 2007 Alliance News, available at www.jhalliance.org/library.htm for background information on these two items.) Please send a note of support to Sen. Barrasso
at senator_jbarrasso@barrasso.senate.gov or
307 Dirkson Senate Office Building, Washington,
D.C. 20510, (202) 224-6441. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 10) Heli-Skiing Controversy Continues To protect the Palisades Wilderness Study Area and support federal environmental review policies, in February the Conservation Alliance, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Earthjustice, Sierra Club and Wyoming Wilderness Association negotiated with the National Forest Service and High Mountain Heli-skiing for a transitional decrease in heli-skiing to legally mandated 1984 levels by 2010. This gradual decrease in use over four years would allow the company to move its operations to alternative terrain and result in heli-skiing numbers that would not endanger the Palisades’ Wilderness Study Area status. Despite agreeing to this court-ordered compromise, both the Forest Service and High Mountain Heli-skiing have since filed appeals, and in September, High Mountain Heli-skiing filed its legal arguments. Stay tuned for more on this as it progresses. For background information, please visit www.jhalliance.org/issues.htm and click on “Heli-skiing and Wilderness.”• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 11) Upcoming Events The Conservation Alliance is a co-sponsor of two forums to help educate voters about elected officials’ views on conservation issues and encourage discussion on local governments’ efforts to manage growth and its impacts: TUESDAY, Oct.
9, 7 p.m., County Commissioners’ Chambers,
200 S. Willow WEDNESDAY, Oct. 10, 7 p.m., County Commissioners’ Chambers,
200 S. Willow WEDNESDAY, Oct. 17, Noon at the Conservation
Alliance, 685 S. Cache St. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 12) Valley Echoes “Cities have the capability
of providing something for everybody, - Jane Jacobs, writer and activist
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Alliance Action is a publication of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance is dedicated to responsible land stewardship in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to ensure that human activities are in harmony with the area’s irreplaceable wildlife, scenic, and other natural resources. The Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization. (If you no longer wish to receive this e-newsletter, please send a note saying you’d like us to remove your email address from our list to: allianceaction@jhalliance.org.)
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