A new report shows that if a giant ranch on the North Platte River near Casper becomes public land it might actually boost tourism, and not impact local taxes too much.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was set to acquire the more than 35,000 acre Marton Ranch almost a year ago, but that quickly came to a halt when the state filed an appeal. Wyoming’s Governor Mark Gordon was concerned that there was not enough public input and about the thoroughness of the environmental review.
“Embracing multiple use principles, which in this case includes increased public access, on public lands has many benefits to the public and Wyoming. That is why I did not oppose this project but opposed the process used. Meaningful public input and environmental analysis are critical steps in any federal land acquisition process, and this public comment period is necessary to fulfill the agreement between the BLM and the State of Wyoming,” Gordon said in a recent press release.
Per a settlement between the state and the BLM, the agency had to fulfill those steps in the process. They recently released an environmental analysis looking at impacts.
“So namely, impacts to fisheries, including the threat of aquatic invasive species, the recreational setting of the area, and then also the loss of property taxes,” said Tyson Finnicum, the public affairs specialist for the BLM High Plains district in Casper.
The analysis found about $10,000 in annual property taxes would be lost for the area, including $3,000 for Carbon county and $7,000 for Natrona county. It noted the loss would not be significant, saying it would amount to “0.001 percent of total property taxes levied in Natrona County in 2022.”
The report did find there could be stress to the local fishery, as the land acquisition would give access to almost nine miles of Blue Ribbon trout fishing on the North Platte River.
“This could result in increased and/or prolonged fishing pressure in reaches of the North Platte River that had previously been legally inaccessible to anchoring and wade fishing by the public,” according to the report.
Although, the BLM says this could be mitigated through appropriate management.
Finnicum said public comment is open through Friday, May 12, but it needs to be specific to the report.
“In the near future, we'll undertake a land use planning process that includes a bunch more opportunities for people to provide input on what they would like to see or not seem,” he said.
If the Marton Ranch sale goes through, it will be the largest land acquisition in Wyoming’s recent history. It would also connect to another 40,000 acres of public land that are currently blocked by private land.
The land was originally purchased by the Conservation Fund and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation for $21 million with the intention of transferring it to the BLM.
