Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years
WORLAND – The Bighorn National Forest Powder River Ranger District rangers hosted a public meeting regarding climbing in Ten Sleep Canyon on Thursday, Feb. 18, to discuss where they are at in the process of the project and to accept and respond to public comment.
The project is currently in the beginning stages of a plan to help address rock and ice climbing in order to address capacity in the area, safety concerns, access to the public, scenic integrity as well as placing signage in the area.
The project will also help address the trail system in the area and help manage the trails, as well as to provide a wide range of opportunities for existing and new trail systems. Another purpose is to address the human and pet waste in the area, and how it is disposed of in the future.
During the presentation, the rangers also discussed the importance of protecting habitat types as well as being able to not disturb species that live in the canyon.
Public comment during the presentation included questions regarding the importance of addressing bolting and defining routes in the area, creating an actual plan to address the issues rather than simply saying they are issues, potentially creating fees for the area and other questions concerning how they determine what routes may stay or go once the plan is finished.
The project will progress with the publication of the environmental documentation and objection review period in August/September. The analysis and public input will determine what type of environmental documentation is appropriate.
In October/November a final decision will be made regarding the project. The spring/summer of 2022 will begin implementation and this would occur adaptively over the life of the climbing management plan.
Public comment is set to end Monday, March 8, any written comment can be submitted to District Ranger, Powder River Ranger District, 1215 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 82834 or can be submitted via e-mail to [email protected]. Comments submitted via e-mail must include “Ten Sleep Climbing Plan” in the subject line.