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Mixed Reaction To Shoshone Forest Plan

If you hike, hunt, ride on horseback, snowmobile, or ATV, the new revisions to the Shoshone National Forest Plan may affect you. The U.S. Forest Service announced those changes for the nation’s first national forest recently.  Some people are very happy, and some very unhappy about the changes.

The Shoshone National Forest borders Yellowstone to the east and the south.  It is the nation’s first National Forest.   

Forest managers have been working with the public on a forest plan since 2005.  Objectors to the final plan voiced their concerns at an October meeting.  In December Forest Service Deputy Chief Jane Cottrell suggested changes to the plan including limiting off road vehicle use in the Wood River and Franc’s Peak areas near Meeteetse. Barry Reiswig with the Wyoming Wilderness Association applauded the limitation.

He explained,  “Many people objected to that because of the outstanding values that it has with the biggest Big Horn Sheep herd in Wyoming, lots of grizzly bear habitat, some of the best elk numbers and elk hunting in Wyoming, we felt that that area needed to be left like it is.”

But, the spokesman for three area county commissioners, Loren Grosskopf, is not happy with that and other decisions.

Grosskopf explained, “She is basically obviating what the Forest Service had already done, you know the professional land managers thought that that was appropriate, that area.  And there was a lot of support for that.”

Grosskopf is a Park County Commissioner.  He’s also concerned about the reviewing officer’s changes in language that may limit snowmobile use in parts of the Forest.

His group also wanted more of the forest available for new oil and gas drilling.  Those limitations were already part of the plan. Grosskopf said Shoshone Forest Supervisor Joe Alexander will meet with the commissioners and discuss the plan on January 20th.

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