WPLI tests consensus structure during meeting

WORLAND - Washakie County's Wyoming Public Lands Initiative (WPLI) working group met on Wednesday and hosted representatives from Hot Springs and Big Horn counties to work further on recommendations due to the state next year. The WPLI is currently studying best use for Wilderness Study Areas (WSA) in the county, with recommendations to be submitted to the state next year.

The goal of the WPLI group is to reach a consensus as to the use of the WSAs in the county, through public input. The primary areas of concentration in Washakie County include the Honeycombs (located between Ten Sleep and Worland), Cedar Mountain (south of Winchester and shared with Hot Springs County) and Bobcat Draw (in the northwest corner of the county, shared with Big Horn County).

Once committee recommendations have been formalized and approved by the county commission, the final recommendations of the WPLI will be sent to a federal delegation for introduction in the U.S. House and Senate in 2018.

During Wednesday's meeting, members and guests heard recommendations from Peter Obermueller, executive director of the Wyoming Commissioners Association, before breaking up into working groups to take consensus votes on proposals regarding each WSA.

At each table, members held lively discussions regarding proposed boundaries, designations and introduced concerns regarding recreation, grazing, water retention and the possibility of new roads and trails. Observing the groups were representatives from the Wilderness Society, Yellowstone Coalition and concerned wilderness enthusiasts and residents.

After the hour-long session, County Commissioner Aaron Anderson reviewed the six-point consensus structure, used by members for voting on changes to the WSAs. The structure runs from complete agreement to a change or suggestion, to strict disagreement or no vote due to lack of enough information, with variables in between.

"We're not going to reach a real consensus tonight, but I would like you to get a feel for how the consensus votes work for us to move forward," Anderson told the group. "We need to keep this [process] as pure as possible."

Presenting their consensus votes, the working group for Cedar Mountain generally agreed that the boundary lines need to be re-evaluated, and formed a consensus to remove the area from a WSA designation to a new designation with less restrictions (environmental representative C.J. Grimes strongly disagreed). The group also recommended allowing grazing, water gathering and pipes, fencing and oil and gas exploration.

The working group for Bobcat Draw also came to consensus to remove WSA protections and redefine the area, with minor stipulations, and allow controlled surface use of existing roads horizontal drilling for oil from outside the boundary lines, creating a natural resource area and creating a new designation. The group came to no consensus on making the area a wilderness area.

The working group for the Honeycombs also generally agreed to lift the WSA protections and redefine the area, while allowing for grazing and motorized and non-motorized use of current roads and trails. Once again, Grimes strongly disagreed.

During the public discussion period, Paul Spitler with the Wilderness Society expressed that his agency appreciated the effort by the group to define the areas for best use, but warned that they would not support a net loss of wilderness protection.

"The best way to find an agreement here is to take a hard look at lands surrounding these WSAs," said Spitler. "Sometimes 'multiple use' means finding the best use."

According to the Wyoming County Commissioners Association, Wyoming is currently home to 15 designated wilderness areas, covering more than 4 million acres. The Bureau of Land Management also manages 42 WSAs for a total of 577,000 acres of public land. The Forest Service manages three WSAs, adding another 130,000 acres.

Under the WPLI, all 23 counties have been invited to participate in the initiative, and each Board of County Commissioners will decide if their county will join the effort. Each county will create a County Advisory Team, made up of members from agriculture, conservation, energy, recreation districts and county commissioners to review and designate the lands in their area, according to a WCCA press release.

The Washakie County Advisory Committee is comprised of representatives of non-motorized recreation, motorized recreation, agriculture and ranching, sportsmen, energy interests, conservation and environmental concerns, the local conservation district and the general public.

Members include Dan Rice, Shawn Christenson, Justin Smith, Richard Kroger, Dru Bower, Dwight Maryland, Karen Fenton, Ron Harvey, Aaron Anderson, Stan Wostenberg, Kaylea Matlock and C.J. Grimes.