Sorted by date Results 76 - 91 of 91
Approximately 200 citizens from the region were present at the final public meeting for the West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Notice of Proposed Action (NPA). The meeting was held directly after the Carbon County Commissioners meeting at 5 p.m. on April 21 at the Platte Valley Community Center. Although there were varying comments from the public, there was one common thread. The public needs more time to process. During the two and a half hour public meeting, there were approximately 25... Full story
Previous to the final public meeting for the West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Notice of Proposed Action (NPA), the Carbon County Commissioners spent time reviewing the stance that they would like to take, as the deadline to submit their comments was Tuesday. The meeting was held at 2 p.m., April 21 at the Platte Valley Community Center in Saratoga—previous to the third and final public meeting for the NPA. Dan Runner, Vice President of Loans at Rawlins National Bank, made a comment to t... Full story
The Saratoga Encampment Rawlins Conservation District (SERCD) was recently awarded a $600,000 grant from the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) through the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) for the Upper North Platte Watershed Restoration. According to the NRCS website, the mission of the RCPP is to “coordination between NRCS and its partners to deliver conservation assistance to producers and landowners.” SERCD was allotted $600,000 for watershed restoration eff...
The second public meeting was held in Elk Mountain April 14 to discuss the West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Notice of Proposed Action (NPA); which, consequently followed an extension of the NPA comment period until April 28. Early on in the public question portion of the meeting, Saratoga resident Brad Cary vocalized his opinion on the necessity for an extension of the comment period. He thought that attendee’s of the Saratoga meeting deserved the right to have a couple days after the m... Full story
This weekend my boyfriend, Keith, and I were planning on spending the entirety of the weekend in Denver. It was his birthday on Friday, I requested the day off, I bought tickets for his favorite band, the Drive-By Truckers for Sunday night. From the warmer weather that we have had lately, I obviously forgot that if it snows, you have to change plans. Maybe I was in denial, or delirious. Friday rolls around and along with that is the notice that I-80 is closed. If there were no money invested in...
The first public meeting for the West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Notice of Proposed Action (NPA) was held Thursday, at the BLM office in Rawlins. There were around 30 people in attendance. Melanie Fullman, District Ranger for the Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District, announced a few new developments during the Thursday meeting. The comment period for the Notice of Proposed Action will end after the Saratoga NPA Public meeting on April 21. The public will not be able to file a comment for...
The Saratoga/Carbon County Impact Joint Powers Board (Water and Sewer Board) welcomed a new member to the board as well as appointing vice president and treasurer during their monthly meeting on April 8. Tim Lamprecht, owner of Valley Foods, was nominated for the vice president position. Russell Waldner, Director of Engineering Services Carbon Power & Light, was new to the board and was nominated as treasurer. Their terms extend until July, when the annual appointments are completed. Heath...
Katie Cheesbrough, terrestrial habitat biologist for the Wyoming Game & Fish Department, feels that it is time for an updated travel management plan and is glad to see the West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Project moving forward. “It is time to kind of look at it and see what they can do — and they can only do so much,” said Cheesbrough. Limiting access to roads will have positive benefits to the forest and the people who use them according to Cheesbrough; with a decrease in vehicle acces... Full story
Lack of Notice There will be three public meetings for the West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Project's Notice of Proposed Action (NPA); it's a good start to improve transparency, but many feel that it's not enough. There has been outcry from the public that changed the mind of Melanie Fullman, District Ranger for the Brush Creek/Hayden Ranger District and responsible official, to provide a public meeting to discuss the NPA. This is done to educate and inform the public as well as provide... Full story
The Western Governors Association published in March 2015 the Sage-Grouse Inventory of 2014 Conservation Initiatives where local company Carbon Power and Light was highlighted. The inventory was done to outline and highlight the conservation efforts that have been completed to date as well as planned conservation efforts, 2015 and beyond. According to the report, sage-grouse was listed as “warranted but precluded” under the Endangered Species Act in 2010 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser...
NEPA is a law that was established in Jan. 1, 1970 to “establish national environmental policy and goals for the protection, maintenance, and enhancement of the environment and provides a process for implementing these goals within the federal agencies,” according to epa.gov. According to NEPA Section 102, this law takes effect “for ... major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.” The Snowy Range Travel Management Project is currently completing steps that...
Discussing potential funding sources and how to receive the funding was the primary topic for the River Restoration meeting held last Thursday. The meeting was held a week after their monthly meeting to smooth out plans for the geothermal penetrating radar (GPR), sand bar removal and intended funding sources. Joe Parsons and Glen Leavengood, from the Saratoga Encampment Rawlins Conservation District, expressed their concerns about the committee focusing attention on the sandbar removal—which i...
With the proposed action developing to the comment period, the public is seeking answers to the reasoning behind the changes in road use in the West Side Snowy Range Travel Management Notice of Proposed Action (NPA). A meeting was held on Sunday at the Ryan Park Fire Department, to address the road use changes proposed in the Ryan Park region. Twenty-six people were in attendance. Melanie Fullman, District Ranger and responsible official of the project, wanted to make it known to the public... Full story
During the River Restoration meeting held on March 16, the committee narrowed its focus on two priority projects: lowering the flood stage and remediating the increased boater bridge crashes. However, they need public support to get it done. The River Restoration meeting agenda was to discuss lowering the bedrock and short-term fixes for the town. The monthly meeting had 26 people in attendance. Jeff Streeter, project manager for Platte Valley Trout Unlimited, discussed the explicit need for... Full story
The Forest Service is seeking public input for the West Side Snow Range Travel Management Project. The Notice of Proposed Action (NPA) legal notice was published on March 17 in the Rawlins Daily Times, initiating the 30-day comment period. Within the NPA, the purpose and need of the project, as well as a description of the proposed action is discussed. The purpose of the project is to manage roads on the Brush Creek/ Hayden Ranger District, improving safe access, while minimizing the...
If you have been wondering who is driving around town with the New York plates, you now have your answer. I have seen some very confused expressions. I'm sure you don't see many New Yorkers around here. I am not from the city (New York City), or anywhere close to it for that matter. I lived three-and-a-half hours upstate in Saratoga, N.Y.. That's quite a coincidence, I know. Trust me, I didn't plan that. The next question: Why are you here? Well, when my boyfriend found out he landed a... Full story