** UPDATE **
This blog was originally set up for initial public input on the BLM-RMP project.
The project has now moved to a phase where public comments about the draft plan should be submitted directly to the BLM. This blog will be left active, but only for reference purposes.
Any further posts within this blog will NOT be included as part of the BLM comment process.
A new system has been set up for the public to make these comments directly to the BLM for and is available at the following link on the Park County web site:
http://www.parkcounty.us/commissioners/resourcemanagementplan.html
Please, use this link for this part of the comment process.
Thanks to everyone for their cooperation and input!
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ORIGINAL BLOG MESSAGE
This is a post related to how Park County will integrate into the BLM Resource Management Plan (RMP). County Commissioners are currently seeking comments from Park County citizens on how they feel BLM lands in Park County should best be utilized. Anyone wishing to comment on this project should use the "Comment" portion for this post.
Some suggested issues might be;
1. Energy & Minerals Management
2. Recreation/Visitor Use & Safety Management
3. Livestock & Grazing Management
4. Wild Horse Management
5. Climate Change & Greenhouse Gas Emissions Etc.....
For example; "Should the Bureau of Land Management expand the wild horse management area?" or "Should oil and gas exploration on BLM be curtailed?".
Anyone may comment on this subject, anonymously by using the "Anonymous" profile choice when publishing their comment. For the pusposes of this project it would be beneficial if commenters would identify themselves.
For additional information please see the following on the BLM Site:
http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/programs/Planning/rmps/bighorn/scoping.html
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All users attempting to post a comment: Google/Blogspot.com is apparently experiencing intermittent problems with all blogs they host on their site, including this one. It seems that when someone tries to post a comment, they receive "Your request could not be processed. Please try again", in red letters on the screen. If users click the "Post Comment" button a second time, the comment does go through and post properly. Apologies for the inconvenience, but this is a Google/Blogspot problem, and they are apparently working to rectify it.
ReplyDeleteSEEING YOUR COMMENTS: After posting a comment, users may have to click their "refresh" button for the comment to appear on the screen. It seems this depends on what version of web browsing software being used. (Internet Explorer, FireFox, etc). So, if you can't see the comment you just posted, try clicking the refresh button in your browser.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is an innovate approach to gathering comments and community input. Well done. As to the BLM RMP revision project, issues of climate change should be considered for as part of each of the other topics. Since mangnitude and nature of change, thesholds, cascades, etc are somewhat unpredictable, all management plans for the next 15-20 years should have a great deal of flexiblity built in to best attempt to deal with uncertain future conditions. In terms of issues like wildlife habitat, vegetation community restoration, or wild horse management dealing with uncertainty probably should include larger, rather than smaller areas to deal with potenial shifting climatic conditions. This plan should include assessment of an array of models of future conditions.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see some one who is enviromentally friendly like ( Boots & Coots) Working with the drillers For there expertise in insuring The drillers and any blowouts or cleanup with disasters and their prevention sevices.I dont think the wild horses will mind the drilling. Dave
ReplyDeleteI would like to see the wild horse management areas expanded, the use of contraceptives to help control populations (seems to be working at McCullough peaks?), use of riders instead of helicopters to round up horses (which would hopefully lead to less stress and injury), and more widely publicized auctions. I cannot believe that destroying the wild horse population is necessary or desirable.
ReplyDeleteAs another poster has stated, we don't know what will happen to the climate in the next 20 years, and the more flexibility built into plans, the better.
Also, we seem to ignore the fact that our wide open spaces and interesting mega-fauna are tourist attractions. I believe I read that tourism is actually our number 1 industry -- not ranching and not mineral extraction. It surely is up there, and we surely feel it when the tourists don't come. What attracts the tourist is also (usually, snow mobiles excluded) good for the environment.
The wild Mustangs are a western heritage and
ReplyDeletethier protection should be a priority.
The land is also a "western heritage" and as
public land should be available for recreational
use using common sense guide lines such as fines
for littering or destruction of property.
At this time with energy at such a premium
we do need to develope whatever resources we
have available also using a "common sense"
approach, the same as a rancher would use for
his private land. There has been no problems
with this land for hundreds of years so, why
should the government feel the need to intervene
now?
We need to preserve the American West and even more importantly the wild Mustangs. The helicopter round ups are inhumane and unnecessary. Actually destroying or reducing the herds is simply unnecessary. The mustangs need to be left alone in the wild. They are prey animals, let the predators do their job. As unpalatable as that may sound,it's nature, and natural culling of the herds is much more palatable than helicopter round ups. If, in the future, population control is needed, use the contraception which has been successfully utilized already. Using the land for tourist and resident recreation utilizing strict restriction on motorized vehicle use and as another blogger wrote, common sense guidelines. If anything, I think we need less BLM intervention. I grew up on the east coast and know first hand that tourists come to see the National Forests, the wild mustangs, wolves and grizzlies,Yellowstone, the Tetons and more because of their pristine and natural beauty. Check out the east coast is you want to see what happens when people lose sight of land and wildlife preservation. I would like to see more wind and solar power harnessed as opposed to more drilling and mining. Wyoming is sunnier and windier than most states in the lower 48. The wildlife and Indians lived on this land for centuries and all was well, it's only been in the last 100 years or so that problems began to surface . . . when white men began moving in. We're here now, I think it's our responbility to be good stewards of the land and the wildlife, the wild mustangs being the number one priority.
ReplyDeleteWHY was the Red Alert system used to broadcast this BLM RMP Project??? That system is supposed to be for bonafide EMERGENCIES. Is the Red Alert system turning into some political infommercial tool???
ReplyDeleteI echo the comments of many of the previous posts – the Bighorn Basin/Wyoming heritage is one of our most significant resources both in terms of long-term economic and socioecological well being. I am concerned with the current level of stewardship of the region’s cultural heritage, particularly the record of the peoples who lived here for the 13,000 years before European settlers entered the Basin as well as with the much longer-term paleontological record of life in Wyoming. The Bighorn Basin has some of North America’s most significant prehistoric archaeological and paleontological sites, and the number of sites and the potential for additional highly significant archaeological, historic, and paleontological sites on BLM lands is extremely high. I am in full agreement with many of the posts that call for protection of biological resources and habitat, but unlike wildlife, vegetation, or habitat, once cultural/paleontological properties are damaged or destroyed, there is no potential for recovery. After reviewing the BLM 2007 annual report on cultural resources managed by them in Wyoming (http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/wy/programs/cultural/docs.Par.31051.File.dat/07wy-annual-rpt.pdf), I note several issues of concern about how our region’s prehistoric and historic archaeological properties are being managed:
ReplyDelete1) In 2007, only 112 sites on BLM land in Wyoming (out of over 30,000) were visited to monitor their condition – this means that only about 0.4% of the known sites were evaluated last year.
2) Of those 112 sites visited, 31 exhibited noticeable deterioration – that’s a whopping 28%
3) In the entire State, only a single action was taken to enforce the legal statutes in place to protect historic properties on BLM land
4) In 2007, the BLM spent only $400 on enforcement of archaeological resource protection laws – this $400 for enforcing federal laws to protect historic properties should be seem in light of the $1.8 billion that was collected from BLM managed lands and materials in Wyoming in 2007.
The take home messages seem to me to be:
1) Site condition monitoring is minimal, needs improvement
2) Over 25% of the sites examined are deteriorating; heritage resources are clearly and demonstrably in immediate danger
3) Enforcement of existing historic preservation laws on BLM land is woefully inadequate; existing legal options to protect sites are not being effectively used
The increase in off-road motorized vehicle is a major concern. Yes, there are short-term economic benefits to the county, but in the long run the destruction that goes along with off road vehicle use greatly diminishes our recreation potential and visitor attraction potential. There are more than enough roads already on Federal lands and there is no reason for anyone to need to leave these roadways in a vehicle. Although off-road vehicle use is touted as ‘recreation’, why should any form of activity that is inherently damaging to the lands be allowed? There are many ways to experience and enjoy the Bighorn Basin without increasing erosion, causing noise and air pollution, disrupting wildlife, while at the same time senselessly consuming resources that we all should be seeking ways to conserve (the fuel used while getting to the area and while ‘recreating.’) Going into the outdoors to enjoy the open spaces on a motorized vehicle is like going to a symphony wearing your iPod – yes, you’re there, but have created a technological bubble that separates you from the experience. We should not feel that we are entitled to damage or destroy – severely restrict or remove off-road vehicles from all public lands. Advocating off-road vehicle use as either a recreation activity of an economic asset are both very short-sighted. Management of public lands should be directed toward future conditions rather than accommodating to short-term current fads.
ReplyDeleteThere could be lots of places for off-road vehicles to play that do not involve habitat damage. What about reclaimed strip mines, abandoned landfills, gravel quarries, etc?
ReplyDeleteRelated to the question raised about using the "Code Red" system to notify people about this topic.
ReplyDeleteThe Code Red system was primarily acquired for emergency notification purposes. However, it was understood that it could be used for other informational messages to the public as well.
The message that was sent out this past Saturday actually had two purposes;
1) To notify citizens of the upcoming BLM-RMP process, and;
2) To live test the Code Red system, on a large scale, which had never been done.
At this point, most of the comments we received from the public have been positive, but some questioned whether it was a legitimate use of the system.
The general feeling was that the message was not political in nature because it was not promoting any single point of view. Rather, the message was intended to inform the public of this issue and encourage everyone to become part of that process so they could express their individual views. Also in this case, the time line for this particular process was so short that it seemed like a logical way to get the message out to the public as soon as possible.
Insofar as testing the system, we also learned some valuable information. Of the 14,300 plus calls set up, less than 50% actually were completed through its initial run. We could have forced it to re-try the unsuccessful calls, but chose not to do that until we better understood why that happened. We are investigating that today and will probably do some more testing to sort those issues out.
One last thing that had some influence on the decision to use Code Red system to send this message; In our contracts with the service provider, we are required to purchase large blocks of minutes in advance each year. Similar to some cell phone plans, we either "use it or lose it" when the end of the yearly contract comes. So, we actually used some of the minutes that we would probably be losing when the existing contract ends this coming spring.
So, is this a legitimate use of the Code Red notification system? The citizens of Park County are probably the best ones to answer that question, and we would encourage them to contact their County Commissioners directly with any specific feelings they have on that issue.
Lastly, thanks to those using this blog to submit their comments. Positive or negative, your comments are much appreciated.
While The Gazette doesn't take a stand on political issues and works to maintain objectivity in its reporting, it's fair to say that newspapers in general support transparent and open government. Using online technology, including blogs, to offer constituents another avenue to communicate with elected representatives appears to be an innovative and positive step toward that goal.
ReplyDeleteThe wildhorses are a non native speceices to North America that some people have fallen in love with. They are a lot like a noxious weed that some people see only as a flower.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I would like to commend the use of the Code Red system. I myself recieved the message on my cell phone while I was working in the field. It was nice to know that my cell phone information was sucessfuly put into the system and that I am able to recieve valuable information, emergency or not. In fact, I am glad Park County chose to test the system PRIOR to an actual emergency. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to BLM land management, it is important to remember that we need to effectivly manage the use of the land. There has to be some compromise. If motorized vehicles are not permitted then that will greatly limit the number of folks that can go and enjoy it. However, there should be penalties for those that abuse and/or misuse the land. Effective management involves the use of that land with reasonable restrictions and guidance for the greater good for all. The same holds true to the considerations of oil and gas drilling, livestock grazing, and all aspects of BLM land: use (with guidelines), not abuse.
Someones politicl agenda was furthered using the CODE RED system under the guise of a "test". Those emergency broadcast "test" messages we see/hear on TV clearly state "TEST" - there is no message sent. The same could/should have been done to test the County system. It would have achieved the intended goal: "a test".
ReplyDeleteThe system is in place for EMERGENCIES as stated on the County website under "CODE RED:
Please take a moment to fill in the appropriate information below to be notified by your local emergency response team in the event of emergency situations or critical community alerts. Examples include: evacuation notices, bio-terrorism alerts, boil water notices, and missing child reports.
Your information will remain completely
private and will only be made available
to notify you of critical situations.
Ruffin stated:
Using online technology, including blogs, to offer constituents another avenue to communicate with elected representatives appears to be an innovative and positive step toward that goal.
I agree, but if the County wants to achieve such a goal, use something other than a dedicated Emergency Notification system.
Someones politicl agenda was furthered using the CODE RED system under the guise of a "test".
ReplyDeleteAnon, if I may, what do you see as the political agenda being advanced? I understand your argument about emergencies vs. non-emergencies, but I genuinely don't see a political agenda.
When a motorized vehicle is built as an ORV, this should not give the driver a greater right to drive off road and degrade the lands and vegetation. There are designated roads that should be used by the motorized vehicles, ORV or otherwise. This needs to be written more clearly in the revised RMP, and enforced by the BLM. Increased off road use is increasing the degradation of public lands. This disturbance also encourages noxious weed growth, and unnecessary stress of wildlife.
ReplyDeleteThere are adequate amounts of designated and improved roads on our public lands today and, possibly too many. We should not be creating or improving new roads. More roads means more impact, and, long lasting degradation.
The Sagebrush-steppe landscape and its wildlife are important components of the heritage of the American West. The Bighorn Basin contains one of the last, virtually intact tracts of significant size of this native environment anywhere in western North America. It's one of the last strongholds of the greater sage grouse anywhere in the world, and as the habitat shrinks, we come closer to having to list the sage grouse, and perhaps even the white-tailed prairie dog under the Endangered Species Act. That could significantly limit hunting and other legitimate private individual uses of the Basin private and public lands. Before we get to that stage, let's take our collective stewardship responsibilities seriously, and ensure that any new commercial or recreational land use is sustainable and is in line with a vision of conserving healthy wildlife populations and traditional, responsible, non-destructive human uses of the land for generations to come - here's an opportunity for Park and Bighorn Counties, Wyoming to be a national leader and model for strategic, long-term land-use planning. Off-road, motorized recreation has already begun to erode the natural amenities - what may be fine for 10 is disasterous for 100. Oil and gas extraction are legitimate and valuable uses of the land, at least for the short-term. But we must avoid the irresponsible, destructive, and irrevocable tragedy we've seen in other areas of Wyoming and the West.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see some areas of the basin identified as superior wildlife habitat (talking about real wildlife - not feral horses) preserved and other areas opened up to energy exlporation. I think this can be done. We frankly need the economic benefits of this unless we all want to appreciate the dessert from afar (like from another state with jobs). I realize some people moved here to retire and enjoy the scenery you may feel differently. I would remind those people of the value of services (doctors, lawyers, grocery stores, retailers, plumbers, etc.) which only stay around when there is a viable economy.
ReplyDeleteThe horse was native to this area as eohippus but in a much smaller version and disappeared to be latter reintroduced when the Spanish arrived . So
ReplyDeleteI would disagree to the mustangs be compared to a non native species.
I would like the BLM to:
-identify historic sites in the basin and make them accessible to the public either motorized non motorized means
-update roads trail for off-roading, better marked routes
-stricter enforcement of off trail violators
-ensure right of way to federal land eg-Mooncrest ranch road
-to IGNORE ALL POSTINGS BY ANONYMOUS as these are compromised postings
-clear as much beetle kill as possible
I want to see more atv areas and maps and more Enforcement and place to go and enjoy the ooutdoos none of this envronmnetal take over our BLM land le the enronmentals go else were. Shawn
ReplyDeleteIt is really great to see the interest in the BLM's Resource Management Plan for the Bighorn Basin; especially as this blog is hosted by Park County, one of the local Cooperating Agencies for this plan. As BLM managers, we rely on good input to help us balance the many interests to manage public lands under laws provided by the US Congress. In addition to keeping your County Commissioners informed of your concerns, you may also contact Mike Stewart at the Cody BLM office, or me (Karla Bird) at the Worland BLM office to express your interests and concerns.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGreetings All,
ReplyDeleteI am a BLM Planner on this project. I monitor this blog for your substantive input.
I continue to be impressed with the level of interest, involvement, and dedication to the planning process demonstrated by our local and state cooperators, and by our public land users.
Thank you for your thoughts on public land management in the Bighorn Basin.
I have been in the McCullough peaks hunting, and riding motorcycles and orv’s for years, more so in my younger years before they created the wilderness study area that restricted our use. That upset a lot of people.
ReplyDeleteThe wild horses can take care of themselves as they have done for years and years as is evident in the need for contraception, despite the other activities, drilling, off-road use hunting and so forth. Allow the horses and all wildlife to run where they wish and only intervene when the feed is no longer available to sustain the herd.
Allow dirt bikes and orv’s to ride all the existing roads and also utilize new roads created by oil and gas exploration, along with some recreational areas where motorcycles and orv’s can climb hills, jump and play. These small areas make up a microscopic percent of overall BLM lands for those concerned about erosion and tearing up the land.
Allow responsible oil and gas exploration, helps our local and state economy.
Why one section of land needs to be restricted for a specific purpose boggles my mind.
As an example why section off a large section as wilderness study area and lock out anybody from traveling the roads and enjoying the lands, as long as they stay on designated roads. There is still plenty of land away from the roads that are undisturbed and can be studied.
It seems to me that we all have the right to use these “Public” lands as long as they are respected with respect being the key word. Respect others usage, respect the land, respect the rules and everyone can enjoy.
Give people a place they can recreate then recreate legally, they will.
Park County Wyoming Resident
Thank You
This is a test message to the blog.
ReplyDeleteI have been a oilfield worker for 15 years and a hunter/conservationist all my life. We need energy Production in the basin. It is hard for most people to afford $4-$5.00 a gallon for gas and this will continue to climb as long as oil production stays at current levels. The oilfield will not harm the wild horses or bother them one bit. I have seen bull elk laying in the shade of a upright water tank and bald eagles sitting on the crown. There can be common ground. If you people would look at this from a managment point we could ask for the oil companies to do so many acres of projects for the horses and wildlife for x amount of acres disturbed. This could include watershed projects, reparing areas noxious weed control etc. There can and should be a common ground for both. The boost for the local economy is very substantial and we can always use that.
ReplyDelete** PARK COUNTY BLM-RMP BLOG UPDATE **
ReplyDeleteThis blog was originally set up for initial public input on the BLM-RMP project.
The project has now moved to a phase where public comments about the draft plan should be submitted directly to the BLM. This blog will be left active, but only for reference purposes.
Any further posts within this blog will NOT be included as part of the BLM comment process.
A new system has been set up for the public to make these comments directly to the BLM for and is available at the following link on the Park County web site:
http://www.parkcounty.us/commissioners/resourcemanagementplan.html
Please, use this link for this part of the comment process.
Thanks to everyone for their cooperation and input!