The Town of Jackson has asked the U.S. Department of the Interior not to backtrack on a decision it made a decade ago.
In 2016, both Jackson and Teton County were cooperating agencies with the department – meaning they offered direct input – before it decided against building a bike path in the Moose-Wilson Corridor.
But when the department announced plans in August to build a path in Grand Teton National Park anyway, it didn’t return to consult either. That prompted a letter from the county earlier this month, with the town following suit this week.
“We thought it was important for us to comment on the failure of process that has occurred this year,” said Jackson Mayor Arne Jorgensen.
A 7-mile stretch of pathway is slated to run largely parallel to the Moose-Wilson Road with a few detours. The department dropped plans after environmental studies from 2014 determined the path would harm fragile wildlife habitat and disrupt archaeological sites.
At an Oct. 19 town workshop, councilors passed a motion that directs staff to write a letter supporting the county’s position. Federal processes exist to keep gateway communities in the loop. But Jorgensen feels those aren’t upheld to the same standards as in the past.
“It is important for the town to take a clear statement of support for the conservation values that our community is based on,” Jorgensen said. “Those values were not upheld with this amendment process.”
The Interior Department defended the park service’s decision and process in an emailed statement to KHOL from an unnamed spokesperson.
The park service consulted on a “comprehensive environmental analysis and extensive public involvement completed for the corridor plan,” the statement said, as well as renewed consultation with tribes and state leadership.
It did not answer whether the town and county had been excluded from the process but did not list either as among those in on the talks.
In writing the federal government, the town’s mission is threefold: support the county’s letter, recognize that town residents are also county residents and remind the department that both were involved in the 2016 decision.
Organizers with Friends of Moose-Wilson Corridor, National Parks Conservation Association and Wyoming Wildlife Advocates all offered public comment at the Monday workshop. All oppose the pathway.
Friends of Pathways, however, argues the designated bike route could cut back on cars in the corridor and complete a safer “Grand Loop” for cyclists.
Ten years ago, town leadership wasn’t elated with the decision that all parties came to either. But the 2016 letter notes gratitude to the Interior Department for listening to stakeholders.
“As noted previously, this is an imperfect plan, but we believe it balances resource protection with public access and recreational opportunities,” it reads.
As design and permitting work progresses, the park service will “continue working with consulting parties,” the Interior Department statement said. It did not confirm whether the town and county are still considered partners as the department moves forward.
