Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Grass-roots organization works to preserve forest by alerting public on impact of cuts
WORLAND – The Council for the Bighorn Range, a grass-roots non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Bighorn National Forest held a public meeting at the Washakie County Library in Worland Tuesday evening to alert the public about the impact that budget cuts will have to the Bighorn National Forest and its use by the public.
During the meeting a short PowerPoint presentation, using records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, was given by Council for the Bighorn Range Director Rob Davidson, which explained the decline in federal monies from 2011 through the present and a prediction about what may occur if the decline continues.
“We are looking at a decline exceeding 32 percent by the year 2018 for the Bighorn Nation Forest,” Davidson stated.
“That is a possibility; it’s not a definite thing because the allocation criteria are looked at every year. That’s a forecast, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen and it doesn’t mean that it will,” US Forest Service Public Affairs Specialist Susie Douglas said in an interview Wednesday.
The presentation showed that while the allocations for the Forest Service budget has declined by 7 percent from 2011 – 2016, the recreation allocations to the Bighorn Nation Forest declined 12 percent from 2011 – 2014 and decline 24 percent for 2015 – 2016.
“According to WYDOT (Wyoming Department of Transportation) the traffic on U.S. Highways 14 and 16 has increased 30 percent,” Davidson stated.
The budget cuts have already impacted the Bighorn National Forest and if the cuts continue the impact will be much larger. “One thing that it (budget cut) has already caused is that we have not opened the Burgess Junction Visitor’s Center for about three years,” Douglas said. “We don’t like to close anything but we have to decide the best use for the money that we are given,” she added.
“The highest priority to us is field presence, people in Forest Service uniforms out patrolling, checking to make sure that people are following the rules, giving out information, providing information about the Bighorn and recreation and keeping people safe,” Douglas said. “A lot of those people that are out there doing that are seasonal employees, they work only in the summer,” she added.
The presentation showed how the budget cuts would affect the Bighorn National Forest, with items like limited field presence, and trail maintenance. “The budget cuts may mean that we have fewer seasonal employees out there taking care of things on the ground,” Douglas said. “Trail maintenance will be affected and if you don’t maintain those things, they start to affect other things like water,” she added.
“With limited field presence, we are going to see an increase in conflicts and a degrading of the resource,” Davidson said.
The Council for the Bighorn Range is asking people to write a letter or send a message to the R2 Regional Forester, explaining how and why the Bighorn National Forest is important to you. In your letter they ask that you use data when possible to support your opinion with respect and support of the US Forest Service. They ask that you demand equity for the Bighorn Nation Forest and request a response.
Letters need to be addressed to:
Regional Forester-R2 USDA-FS
740 Simms St.
Golden, CO 80401
The Council for the Bighorn Range will be holding a meeting in Greybull, Thursday March 10 from 7 – 10 p.m. at the Historic Hotel Greybull on 600 Greybull Ave. to discuss this issue.