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1) Bridger-Teton
National Forest not out of the woods in 2008 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1) Bridger-Teton National Forest not out of the woods in 2008 Plans to drill more than 100 gas wells on the Hoback Rim near Bondurant and the possible relocation of the Bridger-Teton supervisor’s office out of Jackson are only two of the many BTNF issues to watch this year. HOBACK WELLS -- On Dec. 10, the Forest Service
published a "notice of intent" to study
new plans by Plains Exploration and Production
Company [PXP] to build 136 or more gas wells
on 17 pads in an ecologically sensitive area
leased by the company at the north end of the
Wyoming Range of the Bridger-Teton. Comments
to help officials determine the scope of this
project's environmental impact statement are
due by Feb. 7. MORE ON THE BTNF MOVE -- In response to complaints
about the Forest Service’s decision to “evaluate
options” regarding moving the Bridger-Teton
National Forest supervisor’s office from
Jackson to Pinedale, Afton or Alpine, regional
forester Harv Forsgren has scheduled two public “listening
sessions” in February: Mr. Harv Forsgren, Regional Forester Please also consider asking Wyoming’s
congressional delegation to continue their efforts
to help in this matter: U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin BRIDGER-TETON MANAGEMENT PLAN REVISION UPDATE -- Since 2005, Bridger-Teton officials have been working on a long-range management plan to guide energy development and other land-use decisions regarding the forest. The B-T’s plan was originally due out in 2008, but the planning process has been on hold since last spring, when a federal judge ruled that the Forest Service had to reinstate environmental reviews during the revision of forest management plans. In response, the Forest Service released a draft environmental impact statement in August on the planning process itself, and this month, the final EIS on this federal Forest Planning Rule is expected, with a Record of Decision to follow about a month later. The preferred alternative in the draft EIS was virtually identical to the Bush administration forest planning rules the judge overturned in March, so it’ll be interesting to see if public comments saying that this alternative would significantly reduce protective measures, scientific rigor and public input on Forest Service plans had any effect. Regardless, Bridger-Teton officials say they expect this document to provide the direction they need to resume the B-T management plan revision process this spring. We hope to have more details for you in next month’s Alliance Action. HELP PROTECT THE FOREST AND SNAKE HEADWATERS
-- Of all the threats facing the forest that
surrounds Jackson Hole, none could cause greater
harm to wildlife, the environment and our tourism-based
economy than energy development. This past fall,
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso introduced federal legislation
that, if passed, would prohibit future oil and
gas leasing on the Wyoming Range of the Bridger-Teton
National Forest. Based on work begun by the late
U.S. Sen. Craig Thomas, the Wyoming Range Legacy
Act of 2007 would also allow buybacks of exploration
and development rights already sold to energy
companies, which could be an option to avert
the proposed PXP development described above. Please
visit www.wyomingrange.org for up-to-date information
on efforts to protect the Wyoming Range. BTNF MOTORIZED TRAVEL PLAN UPDATE -- Unrestricted motorized use is currently allowed on more than 250,000 acres of the northern part of the Bridger-Teton National Forest during the summer and fall. That use has resulted in miles of user-created trails, disturbed wildlife, habitat degradation, the spread of noxious weeds and increased soil sedimentation in trout streams. A draft environmental impact statement on a travel plan to address these issues was due out this month, but forest officials now say it won’t be ready until March. We’ll keep you posted. Details about the Off-Highway-Vehicle plan are available at www.fs.fed.us/r4/btnf (click on “North Zone Travel Plan Revision”). Visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/BTNFmotorplan.4-07.pdf for background information. GOLD MINING ON THE B-T? -- Bridger-Teton officials say they will likely approve a request from the owners of a mining claim in the Gros Ventre River drainage to spend 75 days this year digging exploratory pits to look for gold, silver and platinum. In November, Jackson District Ranger Dale Deiter said the claim owners have sought permission to dig 15 to 20 12-foot-deep test holes on a 5-acre parcel on Cottonwood Creek. Should the site prove commercially profitable, the owners could then seek to expand the mining operation to more than 340 adjacent acres. Dieter said an 1872 mining law would make it difficult for the Forest Service to deny the test project, which could be allowed under a categorical exclusion, a project considered too small for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. Stay tuned for more on this as it progresses. For a ton of information about the General Mining Act of 1872 and current efforts to reform it, visit www.earthworksaction.org/1872.cfm. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 2) No excuses to miss giving Comp Plan input this month The Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan, which guides our community’s growth and development, is being revised and this month offers many chances for you to comment. Your input is vital to help protect Jackson Hole’s character, wildlife and scenery. 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. Please 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. During the first part of January, county planners
will travel to Alta, Hoback Junction and Moran
to make it easier for residents there to voice
their opinions regarding the update. Here are
the dates, times and locations: On Jan. 14, a special Latino outreach presentation on the Comp Plan is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Teton County Library, 125 Virginian Lane. On Jan. 24, the Conservation Alliance is hosting an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. at our office, 685 S. Cache, to share the data we’ve compiled to help with the Natural Resource Overlay and Comp Plan revisions, and to encourage the public to participate in update process. Then at the end of January, Clarion Associates,
the Comp Plan consultant, will return to Jackson
to present various land use scenarios based on
the work that's been done so far at these additional
meetings: Jan. 31: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 3) Grand Targhee, Teton Meadows Ranch lead county news The Conservation Alliance is monitoring many county private lands matters. Here's 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 for confirmation.) For details on all community planning issues, contact Kristy Bruner at kristy@jhalliance.org or (307) 733-9417. GRAND TARGHEE GRINDS TOWARD CONCLUSION -- The next Teton Board of County Commissioners meeting regarding the fate of Grand Targhee will be held in the Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow, at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8. (This hearing has been continued to Feb. 4, same time and place.) This meeting will give people their first opportunity to comment on the most current two-dozen-plus conditions of approval for resort zoning for Targhee. After months of deliberations and hours of meetings where the public could only observe, this will be the best and perhaps the last chance for you to speak up. The latest version of the conditions hasn’t yet been posted on the Teton County website, www.tetonwyo.org/plan, but should be available soon. The Conservation Alliance continues to ask for a smaller resort, more protection for the surrounding public lands, a no-pet restriction and more protected open space within the region. Specifically, we urge the county to not exceed the 450 units proposed and we ask that this number include all employee housing. Our goal is to have the number of units decreased to about 300. We urge that no more than 10 percent of the lodging units be single-family dwellings, and no more than 10 percent be cabins and townhouses. The overall floor area of the commercial resort services and amenities should not exceed 120,000 square feet, as opposed to the 150,000 square feet now proposed. We continue to support strong air and water quality monitoring and mitigation plans, and to ask for more than the proposed 299 acres of protected open space. We also continue to ask for more than the $500,000 being offered to offset impacts to county infrastructure. All told, the Conservation Alliance strongly believes that the resort as now proposed is too large considering its location right next to sensitive national forest lands and the Jedediah Smith Wilderness Area. Please attend this meeting and speak up to save the character of this unique family ski resort and the public lands that surround it, or email your comments to commissioners@tetonwyo.org. This decision will forever impact much more than the 120 acres of the resort; it will irreparably change thousands of acres of surrounding public lands and the wildlife dependent upon this fragile alpine ecosystem. TETON MEADOWS RANCH -- Feb. 11, 6 p.m., Teton County Planning Commission, County Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow -- The application for Teton Meadows Ranch has changed, and may continue to change. For now, a hearing originally set for the end of January has been rescheduled for Feb. 11. This will be the first review of the application as part of the formal public process. On Aug. 22, Sequoia Development submitted an application for a 500-unit development on 288 acres of the Seherr-Thoss property in South Park. At that time, the developer sought a zone change from Rural to NC-2 (under which development of vacant land can only occur if it’s considered to be “infill” between existing subdivisions). On Dec. 19, the developer applied for a PUD-Affordable Housing zoning change instead. The applicant also partnered with the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust to formalize “GAP” units ranging from $440,000 to $740,000 for the development. Density remains at 500 units, with this breakdown: 75 traditional affordable homes (priced from $94,970 to $265,900), 50 deed-restricted lots, 275 “GAP” homes, and 100 free-market lots. The existing rural zoning allows a maximum of 50 homes (in the case where 70 percent open space is secured and a density bonus is awarded). Many of the concerns the Conservation Alliance
had regarding the original application still
remain unresolved. Key ones include: In addition, the potential for this development to contribute to solving the community’s affordable housing problem remains questionable. The prices of “GAP” housing ($440,000 to $740,000) do not appear to be “affordable” pursuant to standards defined in our land development regulations. This determination is critical given the applicant’s request to consider “GAP” housing as part of the affordable housing requirement for the PUD-AH zone change. Please click
here for a PDF of the Conservation Alliance's
public comments on the current Teton Meadows
Ranch proposal, and click
here for a fact sheet. Stay tuned and get involved
in this important community land-use decision
by voicing your concerns to: Teton County Planning Commission: planningcom@tetonwyo.org Teton Board of County Commissioners: (307) 733-8094
or commissioners@tetonwyo.org SNAKE RIVER CANYON RANCH -- Jan. 29, 9 a.m., Teton Board of County Commissioners, Commissioners’ Chambers, 200 S. Willow -- This application proposing a shift from a lodge-based resort to a residential-scale development at the old Astoria Hot Springs near Hoback Junction is on its second round of review before county commissioners. Teton County planning staff has done an excellent job outlining reasons that the application does not comply with our land development regulations. In general, the Conservation Alliance questions the following: the increase in disturbance to Natural Resource Overlay lands, the overall change in the development pattern on the parcel (and the net increase of nearly 145,000 square feet of development), and the failure for the application to demonstrate criteria worthy of the resort designation and the associated density bonuses. During this second round of the review process, the applicant has done little to modify the application, leaving concerns unresolved. WILSON MIXED-USE VILLAGE SUB-AREA PLAN -- On Dec. 10, the Teton County Planning Commission voted to hold off indefinitely on continued discussion regarding this plan, which stemmed from the adoption of Chapter 8 of the Comprehensive Plan in 1999, when Wilson was identified as an appropriate location for a “mixed-use village.” Typically, mixed-use villages are places where there’s a high-density mix of commercial and residential uses. Wilson was named because it already had commercial elements that could help reduce vehicular trips to Jackson for basic services, but just what constitutes a mixed-use village in Teton County has never been decided. In general, the goal of the draft plan was to take the work of previous planning efforts in 2001 and 2003 one step further with the development of proposed land development regulations and zoning changes, but now that’s been tabled until further notice. BEAR AMENDMENT UPDATE -- To deal with an increase in bear-human conflicts in the Jackson-Pinedale region (up from about 35 in 2006 to about 260 in 2007), Teton County commissioners have been evaluating regulations that would require homeowners in certain areas of the county to use bear-proof trash containers and reduce other bear attractants on private land. On Dec. 18, they voted to postpone a decision on the proposed Bear Conflict Mitigation and Prevention Amendment until a workshop scheduled for March. In a related matter, at a meeting in Jackson on Dec. 19, Wyoming Game and Fish Department officials said they want to raise hunting quotas on female black bears for the next three years in the Jackson region from 20 to 28. Quotas in the Greys River region would increase from 30 to 47 animals, and quotas on the west side of the Wind River Range would increase from 10 to 12. The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission could adopt the new quotas at its next meeting, Feb. 14 and 15 in Cheyenne. In 2007, wildlife officers captured 26 “problem” bears in the region, relocating 15 to remote locations and euthanizing the remaining 11. Those deaths did not count toward filling hunting quotas. The Conservation Alliance is advocating for a system that counts all human-caused deaths toward the quotas, not just hunting kills.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 4) County and town affordable housing regulation updates On Dec. 18, the Teton Board of County Commissioners approved text amendments to increase affordable housing mitigation rates for developments in the county from 15 to 25 percent. However, in the Town of Jackson, a proposed amendment to likewise increase mitigation rates has drawn criticism from a number of landowners. To date, the Town Planning Commission has not made a recommendation to the Town Council to adopt the proposed amendment, nor has it scheduled further discussion, but we’ll post the date when it’s available. 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. The 2007 Housing Needs Assessment, available from the Teton County Housing Authority, 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.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 5) Town to consider condo conversions, 5-Way and Pine Glades APARTMENT-TO-CONDO CONVERSIONS -- Jan. 2, 5:30 p.m., Jackson Planning Commission, Town Council Chambers, 150 E. Pearl (Update: No recommendation was made at this meeting, however, the Town Council has since agreed to revisit the proposed condo conversion rule at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15, in the Town Council Chambers, 150 E. Pearl, and at its Jan. 22 workshop, 3 p.m., same location. Meanwhile, Jackson Town Attorney Audrey Cohen-Davis is preparing a legal report requested by the council on the possibility of enacting a moratorium on condo conversion applications. During the beginning of January, the planning department received proposals to condominiumize 92 apartment units in Jackson, including the 84-unit Timbers complex on Gregory Lane. This, coupled with the Town Council's recent approval of developer Eric Bedford's request to change the 56-unit Virginian Apartments to condos, suggests that developers are rushing to convert apartments to condos before new regulations are adopted.) Another item to keep an eye on, and one strongly linked to our affordable housing problem in Jackson Hole, is an amendment to streamline condominium conversions in town. If passed, condo conversion applications will not have to go through a final development plan process. Without this process, conversions won’t have to abide by affordable housing mitigation requirements that other development types must comply with. Also, many renters who are integral to our community, and part of the workforce, will likely be displaced as a consequence of the conversions. In order to be consistent with Chapter 5, Affordable Housing, of our Comprehensive Plan, our community should adopt policies that preserve current housing inventory. Town practices to streamline conversions should not be supported, and steps to formalize that practice in our land development regulations, such as the proposed amendment, should not be taken. The Conservation Alliance encourages discussion about alternative policies that could better work to uphold the vision of the Comp Plan. If you’re concerned about affordable housing in our community, please ask the Jackson Planning Commission and elected officials to NOT support the proposed amendment, but rather pursue policies that will better preserve our current affordable housing inventory. Email Mayor Mark Barron at mbarron@ci.jackson.wy.us and the Town Council at electedofficials@ci.jackson.wy.us with your concerns. 5-WAY INTERSECTION RECONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP -- Jan. 22, 3 p.m., Town Council Chambers, 150 E. Pearl. After eight years, a plan to improve the intersection of Broadway, Pearl Ave. and Flat Creek Drive is nearing the home stretch, but not without complaints that it doesn't include bike lanes. A workshop that began on Dec. 17 was continued to Jan. 22 after many members of the public commented on the proposed reconstruction, which Town staff and the Wyoming Department of Transportation reportedly designed around a "complete streets" model. This model calls for considering pedestrians and cyclists in transportation planning, but so far no lanes or pathways specifically designed for bicyclists are included. (Planners have said that expanded road shoulders should suffice to accommodate cyclists.) Details on the plan are available at www.townofjackson.com (click on "Jackson Government," then "Meeting Agendas," then "Town Council Meeting Agendas," then "Special Town Meeting Agenda & Workshop, Monday, December 17," then "5-Way Intersection"). PINE GLADES FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN -- Jan. 7, 6 p.m., Jackson Town Council, Town Council Chambers, 150 E. Pearl. (This hearing has been rescheduled for Jan. 22, same time and place.) On Dec. 19, the Town Planning Commission unanimously voted to approve the Pine Glades Final Development Plan, which now passes to the Town Council for a vote. The Conservation Alliance recognizes that building a 39-unit development on a prominent hillside containing steep slopes (greater than 40 percent) is not optimal in terms of safety or visual impacts. That aside, landowners of other parcels in the vicinity have been granted variances to enable use of their land. The key issue is not about whether it's appropriate to develop this parcel given current zoning, but rather the degree of intensity of development that is technologically feasible, safe, and unobtrusive in this part of Jackson, and the town in general.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 6) Wyoming wolf management gets down to details Now that the Game and Fish Commission has adopted
Wyoming’s Wolf Management Plan -- and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the
plan as well, calling it an “adequate regulatory
mechanism” that meets the requirements
of the Endangered Species Act -- the next step
is setting specific regulations. Through efforts
of the Conservation Alliance, Game and Fish has
agreed to hold meetings to gather public input.
The first set is scheduled as follows: These meetings will address two chapters within Game and Fish regulations: Chapter 21, Gray Wolves Designated as Trophy Game Animals, and Chapter 28, Regulation Governing Big or Trophy Game Animal Damage Claims from wolves listed as trophy game. For Chapter 21, comments on the following are sought: “…(1) provide definitions for terms used in statute and in the regulation; (2) describe the procedure to be implemented for monitoring gray wolf populations; (3) describe the procedure and requirements for lethal control of gray wolves in the trophy game area; and (4) describe the circumstances when non-lethal control of gray wolves may be used.” For Chapter 28, comments are sought on: “…(1) stipulate the process for owners of damaged property to report damages caused by big or trophy game or game birds; (2) provide for the dual classification of gray wolves as either a predator or a trophy game animal depending on their location within the state; and, (3) establish damage payment calculations pertaining to gray wolves (where gray wolves are classified as trophy game animals) causing damage to livestock. Details including draft language for the chapter changes can be found at the Wyoming Game and Fish website: http://gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/GrayWolvesSurvey/index.asp. Please attend the meeting nearest you and ask for fewer control actions, less intrusive monitoring and management practices, and for more wolves in Wyoming. Ask that wolves be managed only when verified problems exist and then only with precise actions. Wolves should be managed like every other game species -- for maximum numbers, not at some arbitrary low population level. Another series of meetings will be held sometime this spring when specific management scenarios will be determined. Check future Alliance Action newsletters for more information and visit www.jhalliance.org/issueswolves.htm for background.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 7) State Game and Fish wants comments on bison management On Dec. 14, Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department
released its draft Jackson Bison Herd Brucellosis
Management Action Plan, which outlines four goals:
Reducing the population of the bison herd and
sustaining the population objective; maintaining
habitat; minimizing risk of brucellosis transmission
from bison to cattle by decreasing co-mingling;
and vaccinating bison against the disease with
strain RB51, or a better vaccine if one is developed.
Fewer bison spread out on more productive habitat
will help reduce the risk of brucellosis in the
herd, so there’s little objection to reducing
herd numbers, maintaining habitat or decreasing
the risk of disease transmission by keeping bison
and cattle separated. However, bison vaccination
is a controversial aspect of the plan. Current
studies do not show strain RB51 to be more than
minimally effective in reducing abortions caused
by brucellosis or limiting transmission of the
disease in bison. While there might be an argument
that “some is better than none,” the
biggest drawback to this plan is that there's
no effective and efficient method of administering
the vaccine to bison. The draft plan and a link
to submit comments are available at: The Wyoming Game and Fish Department also plans
to ask state Game and Fish commissioners to change
the Jackson bison herd target population number
to 500, based on a recommendation from the recently
released Bison and Elk Management Plan and EIS
on the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National
Park. In 1998, Game and Fish set a herd target
number of 350 to 400; the current size of the
herd is about 1,200. It’s thought that
culling the herd to 500 bison will still ensure
genetic diversity while reducing impacts to habitat
and elk herd health. Commissioners will vote
on this at their meeting in Cheyenne on Feb.
14-15. For more information and to submit comments,
visit http://gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/BisonComments/index.asp. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 8) Conservation Alliance 2007 Annual Report available online A PDF of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance’s 2007 Annual Report is now available at www.jhalliance.org/Library/Reports/JHCAAnnualReport.12-07.pdf. The report includes the Alliance’s financial information from fiscal year July 1, 2006, to June 30, 2007, as well as lists of our top 10 accomplishments of 2007 and top 10 goals for 2008, making it a great way to get all the highlights. You can also pick up a printed copy at the Alliance office, 685 S. Cache. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 9) Coming Events “Listening to Cougar” Book Talk Our Local Bighorn Sheep -- Conservation Alliance
Info Lunch with Steve Kilpatrick Comprehensive Plan Open House Rosie’s Ridge Cross-Country Ski with Dick
Klene and Louise Lasley • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 10) Valley Echoes “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” - Oprah Winfrey
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 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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