Hello Folks,
This is a last minute call for action – Park County Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI) Committee has posted a draft proposal for legislative changes to High Lakes Wilderness Study Area (HLWSA). The proposal does not have consensus, especially from the conservation perspective because the proposal does not offer better conservation protections than currently exist either within the WSA or on another Forest landscape. Please help by sharing your thoughts of protecting habitat and water for future generations with the committee. Your comments will become part of the public record of this process which is designed to create national legislation.
Here are some ideas:
Thank the committee for their time and engagement in grassroot collaboration and for soliciting/listening/considering your comments.
Tell a personal story of how you recreate (hike/horse/camp/hunt/run/bike/fish/ski/climb/photograph),
and/or which public lands you use and/or why;
and/or describe your values and interests in protecting habitat/water/wildlife/wilderness of the Shoshone National Forest (an important area outside of the WSA or within the High Lakes WSA which is north along the Beartooth Scenic Highway including Quintuple Peaks, and many Lakes: Twin, Emerald, Heart, Becker, Beauty, and Night);
Ask the committee to:
Continue to allow the 1984 Wyoming Wilderness Act to do its job protecting High Lakes Wilderness Study Area (preserving wilderness character while allowing limited snowmobiling);
and/or honor the interest-based collaborative process by seeking to find success for all stakeholders in the committee’s final recommendation;
Tell the committee:
The current High Lakes WSA draft proposal seems to be one-sided with recreation gains and nothing for conservation, and so please consider expanding the landscape of discussion for compromises to be made and greater success for more stakeholders;
and/or You want
ii. permanent non-motorized designation for Trout Creek Inventoried Roadless Area, Francs Peak Inventoried Roadless Area, or Wood River Inventoried Roadless Area; and/or
because grizzly bear core habitat, cold water fisheries, deer/elk/big horn sheep habitat
desire to maintain existing quiet recreation opportunities in these areas
iii. to gain protections for another area/resource/activity/etc. that you care about and why
Comments should be submitted by end of day February 1st to this e-mail: wpli@parkcounty.us
The proposal and map may be viewed here: http://www.parkcounty.us/commissioners/wplihighlakes.html
If you have questions, please contact Jenny at jdesarro@greateryellowstone.org or 307-527-6233 or view this GYC WPLI webpage
Additional information about the Wyoming Public Lands Initiative Process can be found here: http://www.wyo-wcca.org/index.php/mo-map/wpli/wpli-faq/
The Park County WPLI Advisory Committee will meet next on Wednesday February 28 at 5:30 pm in Grizzly Hall at the Park County Library in Cody. These meetings are public.
THANKS!!!!
Jenny DeSarro
Jenny DeSarro | Wyoming Conservation Associate
Greater Yellowstone Coalition | GreaterYellowstone.org | 307.527.6233