Forest enthusiasts meet to discuss Bighorn budget

WORLAND – The Council for the Bighorn Range, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Bighorn National Forest, will be holding a meeting tonight to discuss the impact of budget cuts on public lands.

The meeting, to be held at 5:30 p.m. at the Washakie County Library in Worland, will focus on the more than 16 percent cut in the Bighorn National Forest Recreation budget, and the loss of services if the budget is cut further.

“They’re not going to have money for staff or projects,” explained Bighorn Range Director Rob Davidson. Projects such as maintaining existing trails and establishing new recreation areas will effectively be put on hold, as well as fixing damage cause by recreational use.

Davidson’s organization hopes to educate the public to the fact that the area could suffer greatly if the budget loses as much as 32 percent by 2018, as predicted. Using records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the Council for the Bighorn Range has a put together a projected budget analysis and timeline of changes, available to the public for inspection.

“These decisions are internal at the Forest Service,” said Davidson. “The budget can be determined locally, and should reflect the same as the rest of the areas in Region 2.”

Davidson noted that his organization is striving to get the funding adjusted by informing more people of the cuts, and to ensure that they are equal to other forest areas.