Ecosystem's Wildlife & Wildlands Face Continuing Challenges

by Kelly Matheson and Meredith Taylor

Over the last several months, WOC has confronted a number of challenges to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's wildlife and wildlands.

Squirrel Meadows Land Swap

Last summer, a federal judge, responding to a WOC lawsuit, blocked a land swap between the U.S. Forest Service and Grand Targhee Ski and Summer Resort on grounds that the environmental analysis failed to adequately address potential development. The agency's projections of development at the ski resort, according to the Court, were akin to "ignoring the Rocky Mountains in evaluating the odds that Lewis and Clark would reach the Pacific Ocean."

This ruling forced the Targhee National Forest to supplement its analysis, and further consider the effects of the swap. The supplemental analysis once again recommended the privatization of lands at the base of the resort at the expense of the taxpayers and wildlife. The Forest Service has not yet announced when it will make a final decision in this matter. If the agency decides to go ahead with the swap, WOC will consider its legal options.

Lake Mountain Road Victory

In early September, responding to concerns expressed by WOC, other conservation groups and local citizens, the Bridger-Teton National Forest announced its plan to keep the Lake Mountain Road closed. The route, which was closed in 1991, is located in the Commissary Ridge inventoried roadless area at the southern end of the forest.

This spring the Forest Service announced that it would consider opening the road because two Members of Congress -- U.S. Representatives Jim Hansen (UT) and Barbara Cubin (WY) -- had been pressuring the agency to open the route. The Bridger-Teton should be commended for refusing to bow to political pressure and instead make its decision based on science and comments from local conservationists.

Opening the road would have required extensive blading and reconstruction at a time when the Forest Service is considering decommissioning roads that are expensive to maintain. Construction work necessary to upgrade the Lake Mountain route would have caused significant soil erosion into streams, threatening Bonneville cutthroat trout. In addition, opening and reconstructing the road would have further fragmented important lynx habitat and critical winter range for moose, deer and elk, while bringing traffic into a large, remote roadless area.

High Mountain Heli-Ski Permit

With winter quickly approaching, the Bridger-Teton National Forest has yet to complete its environmental analysis of High Mountain Heli-Ski's request for a five-year special-use permit. The company seeks to double the number of clients that it can take on guided heli-ski trips in crucial winter wildlife habitat on the Bridger-Teton and Caribou-Targhee National Forests.

The Forest Service notified the public of its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) this summer in response to litigation filed by WOC, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance. High Mountain's current temporary permit expires December 15th.

If the Bridger-Teton has not completed its analysis by mid-December -- which is highly likely given that the forest has yet to issue its draft EIS -- the Forest Service will be caught between a rock and a hard place. The agency has known since last year that it cannot issue another temporary permit without violating federal environmental law. The question is, will it do so anyway? If so, WOC will explore its legal options.

Togwotee Pass Draft Environmental Study

WOC submitted in-depth comments to the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration on their proposal to upgrade Highway 26/287 over Togwotee Pass between Dubois and Jackson.

This scenic byway crosses the Continental Divide through spectacular scenery and important wildlife habitat. Our comments stressed the need to reduce traffic speeds (rather than straightening and widening the road) to prevent vehicle accidents and wildlife roadkills. We also urged the agencies to address air- and water-quality issues and the general environmental impacts of this major, long-term road construction project.

Wolf Management Plan

WOC submitted joint comments with the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance on the state's proposed wolf-management plan to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD). Our comments made a number of suggestions, including:

• No limits should be placed on wolf numbers. Wyoming's wolf population should be determined by available natural habitat, prey base and adaptability, not by an arbitrary population ceiling set by the WGFD.
• No arbitrary boundaries should be set to exclude wolves. The average wolf pack's territory is 300 to 400 square miles. Confining wolves to arbitrary, pre-determined zones is neither biologically nor economically feasible.
• The plan should set a protocol for dealing with specific wolf-human conflicts, using lethal control as a last resort.
• An immediate moratorium on wolf hunting should be implemented until the animals' long-term viability within the state has been established.
• The National Park Service should continue to manage wolves in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service should retain management control over wolves on the National Elk Refuge.