Eagles Threatened by Golf Greens and Second Homes

by Kelly Matheson

Developer Dick Edgecomb's plan to develop a world-class golf course and high-class subdivision in the Snake River Canyon, just downstream from Jackson Hole, is promising to be one of the summer's hottest issues. The plan to build the Canyon Club has been plagued with controversy since its inception. Most recently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a biological opinion acknowledging that the development of a luxury golf course and trophy homes would threaten the survival of 18 bald eagles which nest in the area and are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The probable death of so many of these magnificent birds in the most productive bald-eagle habitat in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has angered conservationists and other outdoor enthusiasts.

Boaters and rafting companies are particularly concerned. They fear that the U.S. Forest Service may act to mitigate the anticipated eagle deaths by reducing the number of private and commercial trips that boaters can take down the Snake River's most popular stretch of whitewater.

Despite the potential threats to eagles and recreation, the Army Corps of Engineers (the lead federal agency dealing with the project) decided in mid-June to issue a 404 permit allowing Edgecomb to fill wetlands and construct weirs along the Snake River in preparation for golf-course construction. In view of serious legal questions over the validity of the Corps' permit, the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, represented by Earthjustice, found themselves in federal district court seeking an immediate and temporary restraining order to stop the backhoes. WOC's Steve Jones is serving as local counsel in this litigation.

For more information on this complex and controversial issue please contact:

• Steve Jones
  Wyoming Outdoor Council
  (307) 332-7031 ext. 18
• Anne Hayden
  Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance
  (307) 733-9417
• Scott Groene
  Greater Yellowstone Coalition
  (307) 734-6004