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| August 2008 Alliance
Action |
1) Vote
in primary election Aug. 19
2) Draft Comp Plan won’t work, and here’s why
3) Update on moratoriums
4) Town approves master plan for huge hotel near 5-Way
5) Affordable housing updates
6) Other town and county items of interest
7) Comment on Bridger-Teton motorized travel plan by Aug. 4
8) Other public lands news
9) Wolves get reprieve
10) Coming Events
11) Valley Echoes
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1) Vote
in primary election Aug. 19
Those candidates who support a wild and beautiful
Jackson Hole will advance only if you vote for
them in the primary election on Aug. 19. Articles
about the candidates and their values are available
on the Jackson Hole News&Guide website at www.jhnewsandguide.com (under “Quick
search” at the bottom left hand of the home
page, type “archive,” then on the archive
page under “Keyword search,” choose
town, county, state or national election from the
pull-down menu.)
There are several different versions of the primary
ballots, which vary according to party affiliation
and voting districts. All ballots have the five specific
purpose excise tax propositions: $6 million for a
pathway along Hwy. 22 and West Broadway; $1 million
for Jackson sidewalks; $1.5 million for design costs
of a library addition; $2.5 million for designing
START transit and town public works facilities; and
$52.75 million for a new county jail. Absentee ballots
are available at the Teton County Clerk’s office,
200 S. Willow -- you can vote there 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
weekdays through Aug. 18, or call (307) 733-7733
and ask to have a ballot mailed to you. Not registered
to vote? You can register at the polls on Aug. 19.
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2) Draft
Comp Plan won’t work, and here’s
why
The deadline for online comments on the first
draft of the Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive
Plan was July 31, but general comments are still
being accepted throughout the update process, and
we urge you to stay involved. Information is available
at www.jacksontetonplan.com and www.jhalliance.org/issuescompplan.htm.
For a list of people to share your comments with,
please visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/CompPlanContacts.6-08.pdf.
While the Conservation Alliance appreciates the
complexity of the Comp Plan update and the hard
work by planning staff, we have significant concerns
with the plan and process to date. (See www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/CompPlanComments.7-08/JHCACompPlanComments.7-08.pdf for
our full comments on the draft Comp Plan.)
First, even though the Comp Plan’s framework
and outcomes are entirely based on strong cooperation
and coordination between the town and county, it’s
unclear to what extent this is happening.
Second, we believe the plan must address community
issues much more holistically than it has so far.
The draft plan provides no direction in the case
of conflicting priorities, and undervalues the
role of Jackson Hole as a unique gateway community
with a critical role in the Greater Yellowstone
ecosystem. Recent surveys all showed that our community
holds two common core values -- protecting wildlife
and managing growth responsibly. But the draft
plan fails to provide a way for these goals to
be realized. The draft lacks a comprehensible and
unique foundation for future planning in Jackson
Hole.
Third, the Comp Plan needs to address smart growth
in a much more comprehensive way. The draft plan
does a good job of outlining why a minimized development
footprint is important for wildlife. But it doesn’t
identify or analyze overall potential for residential
and commercial development (e.g., potential numbers
of additional dwelling units, residents and commercial
square footage), or responsible rates of growth.
From an ecological perspective, the draft plan
appears to be based on inaccurate and incomplete
assumptions. Overall reduced development potential
must be a top priority in the Comp Plan -- both
community input and planning principles support
this approach.
Fourth, the future land-use plan maps need significant
refinement and clarity to determine to what extent
the development footprint will be lessened, and
whether the footprint is configured in a way that
will protect both ecologically valuable areas and
the community’s quality of life. The maps
have caused confusion since it’s not apparent
what they actually propose regarding specific locations,
densities, proportion of development types and
so on. Without clear representation, the rest of
the Comp Plan is undermined. The maps are supposed
to bring predictability to the plan, so a clear,
detailed analysis of what they propose is essential.
Fifth, it was our understanding that this process
was an “update,” and not a complete
rewrite or revision of our existing Comp Plan.
We hope that significant language from our current
plan will still be included, such as the importance
of the relationship between the built and natural
environments in protecting community character.
Much of our community’s vision and perspective
about what makes Jackson Hole so rare and valued
still holds. We need to make sure we don’t
lose sight of that.
Sixth, the next stage of the update process must
take a much closer look at what sustainability
should mean for Jackson Hole. A key aspect of sustainability
is the recognition of capacity, limitations and
thresholds. How many more people, cars and buildings
can Jackson Hole bear without permanent damage
to the valley’s resources? To be sustainable,
we must be willing to acknowledge the very real
limitations in meeting different community goals
within the context of the community’s top
priorities -- to protect wildlife and to manage
growth responsibly.
A strong, more predictable plan will be based
on asking and answering the tough questions now,
so that our community doesn’t have to keep
dealing with them on a development-by-development
basis in the future. What are the consequences
of drastically increased residential and commercial
development? What does increased development mean
in terms of wildlife protection, workforce housing,
scenic character, quality of life and fiscal impacts?
What does the draft Comp Plan really propose and
what are the potential consequences?
Answers about the next stage of the Comp Plan
process are likely to unfold at the next joint
meeting between the Jackson Town Council and Teton
Board of County Commissioners, Aug. 4, 3 to 5 p.m.,
County commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow.
For now, we expect to see another round of revisions
sometime in mid-August. We’ll keep you posted.
If you’d like to be kept current more often
than once a month, please write Conservation Alliance
community planning director Kristy Bruner at Kristy@jhalliance.org and
ask to be added to our Comp Plan email list.
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3) Update
on moratoriums
Moratoriums are common planning tools used by
communities in the process of working on their
comprehensive plans. While communities figure out
how to plan for responsible growth, moratoriums
-- pauses in day-to-day permitting decisions --
provide relief from development pressures that
could otherwise compromise the process.
Four different local moratoriums have recently
been in the news -- two that are in effect and
two that were not approved. Currently, Teton County
has a moratorium on new residential subdivisions
and zone changes on parcels greater than 20 acres,
and the Town of Jackson recently voted for a 90-day
extension of a moratorium on condominium conversions
(see #5 below).
The other two moratorium requests didn’t
gain traction with elected officials. On July 1,
county commissioners voted unanimously against
a temporary ban on all commercial developments
larger than 3,450 square feet, and on those that
don’t promise to house all of their workers.
This vote followed the planning commission’s
June 9 recommendation to enact the ban as proposed
by planning commissioner Tony Wall. Wall had argued
that commercial development is creating a need
for more employee and affordable housing than developers
are required to build, making the valley’s
housing problems worse. But county commissioners
decided a freeze wasn’t warranted, counting
on a proposal to increase employee-housing mitigation
rates that’s in the works to help fix shortfalls.
Then on July 14, about six weeks after a Conservation
Alliance request to enact an immediate, temporary
moratorium on all development proposals using the
planned mixed-use development tool, the Town Council
and Town Planning Commission held a joint meeting
to discuss the request and possible amendments
to the PMD. Unfortunately, the councilors never
made a motion to vote on the request, but simply
acknowledged a need to modify the tool. We had
hoped for a temporary pause that would have given
planning staff time to: 1) focus on the Comp Plan
update, and 2) evaluate the PMD to determine if
or how it can be modified to better implement community
goals.
It’s clear that the PMD tool facilitates
large-scale developments inconsistent with both
the current Comprehensive Plan and the community’s
preferences recently voiced during the Comp Plan
update process. Recent hearings have further elevated
our concerns about redevelopment in Jackson. (See
#4 below.) Officials appear to be making decisions
with little regard for both the public’s
interests and for the precedents they are setting
at a very important time for Jackson Hole. It appears
decisions are being made without consideration
for preserving Jackson’s unique character,
or for the role it plays in our community’s
long-term economic viability and cultural vibrancy.
On a more positive note, the Town Planning Commission
is tentatively scheduled to discuss possible modifications
to the PMD tool to ensure that it provides more community
benefit on Aug. 20, 4 p.m. Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl.
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4) Town
approves master plan for huge hotel near 5-Way
On July 21, the Jackson Town Council voted 4-1
to approve the 4-story, 154,000-square-foot luxury
condo-hotel complex at the current Painted Buffalo
site. (Councilor Bob Lenz was opposed, due to the
massive scale of the project.) The applicant used
Jackson’s planned mixed-use development tool,
rather than apply as a hotel, even though the development
is nearly 93 percent lodging. The next step is
for Mills Wyoming Hotel LLC to present a final
development plan, which will also go through review
by the Town Planning Commission and Town Council.
Throughout this approval process, the Conservation
Alliance has questioned the bulk and scale of the
project, particularly given its prominence at the
main gateway to downtown. As mentioned in #3 above,
consideration of PMDs detracts from the current
Comp Plan update process, which is supposed to
take into account the community’s input about
the kinds of development preferred in the downtown
area. In all the recent Comp Plan surveys (available
at the Comp Plan website, www.jacksontetonplan.com),
the majority of the public has consistently said
they don’t want four-story buildings along
major corridors.
The Conservation Alliance is very disappointed
with this vote. Why does the Town Council continue
to endorse the use of the PMD planning tool when
it doesn’t implement the community’s
vision for lodging and commercial development,
or facilitate smart growth?
The decision to approve such a massive structure
in Jackson appeared to be largely influenced by a
desire to compete with Teton Village. In reality,
councilors should be worried about losing what sets
Jackson apart from the Village -- its character as
a rural, small town with lodgings that are affordable
for the millions of people who are drawn to visit
this area each year. Smart growth isn’t about
competing -- it’s about enhancing the attributes
that make you unique.
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5) Affordable
housing updates
RECONSIDERATION OF COUNTY RESIDENTIAL AFFORDABLE
HOUSING “FEE IN-LIEU” INCREASE -- Aug.
5, 9 a.m. County commissioners’ chambers,
200 S. Willow. On May 20, the Teton Board of County
Commissioners voted to increase the affordable
housing “fee in-lieu” for residential
development, as proposed by the Teton County Housing
Authority. However, on June 3, after hearing complaints
from valley real estate agents and developers about
the burden the increased fees would create, the
commissioners decided to reconsider the fee increases
on July 1. This meeting was then postponed till
Aug. 5.
The intent of this amendment, and the other “fee-in-lieu” amendments
below, is for developers to pay fees that are closer
to covering the costs of providing affordable and/or
employee housing (in the event they opt to not
actually build the number of affordable units required
to mitigate for the impacts of the new development).
According to an April planning staff report on
the above amendment, "Projects using an in-lieu
fee are currently paying to house only about one-tenth
of the population required to be housed by the
regulations. As a result, either the required percentage
of people to be housed in each new development
is not met, or the public subsidizes the remainder
of the developer's obligation."
COUNTY COMMERCIAL EMPLOYEE HOUSING “FEE
IN-LIEU” INCREASE -- Aug. 5, 9 a.m., County
commissioners' chambers, 200 S. Willow. In a related
matter, Teton County commissioners are also set
to discuss an amendment to increase the in-lieu
fee for commercial employee housing mitigation
on Aug. 5. (This discussion was rescheduled from
July 15.) Teton County planning commissioners unanimously
recommended the amendment on June 9.
TOWN EMPLOYEE HOUSING "FEE IN-LIEU" INCREASE
-- On July 21, the Town Council directed staff
to write an ordinance to raise fees in-lieu for
employee housing for projects in town. The present
fee of $42.16 per square foot of employee housing
required hasn't been updated since 1994 and is
not in line with current construction costs. According
to the Teton County Housing Authority, the fee
should be increased to $112.50 per square foot
or $45,000 per unit.
PROPOSED MODIFICATION OF PUD-AH ZONING DISTRICT
-- Teton County Planning Commission, Aug. 25, 6
p.m., County commissioners’ chambers, 200
S. Willow. On June 23, Teton County planning commissioners
postponed until August a decision on whether to
recommend major revisions to the planned unit development
for affordable housing zoning district. Two recent
proposals that sought to use the PUD-AH (Osprey
Creek and Teton Meadows Ranch) highlighted its
inherent problems, and county commissioner candidate
Brian Grubb suggested changes this past spring.
These included amendments that would require PUD-AH
projects to be located only in specific areas of
the county, and to restrict density to 125 percent
of the density of surrounding neighborhoods and
to 150 percent of the density permitted by right.
The current PUD-AH zone has no limit on density.
Planning commissioners agreed that the PUD-AH needs
work, and they invited Grubb to return with more
data to back up his recommendations, which now
include not allowing such developments on lands
zoned rural.
TOWN CONDOMINIUM CONVERSIONS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
-- Town Council workshop, Aug. 4, 1 to 3 p.m. Town
Hall, 150 E. Pearl. A moratorium on condo conversions
in town was set to end July 13, but on July 7,
councilors voted to extend it for another 90 days.
At this next workshop, they will discuss a recent
study as a basis for possible policy revisions
regarding conversions.
As real estate prices have shot up, more apartment
building owners are converting rental units to
condos. And converted buildings haven’t had
to meet the same affordable-housing requirements
as new construction, so displaced renters end up
with fewer options for places to live. The Conservation
Alliance promotes diverse strategies to address
affordable housing, including preserving current
inventory and increasing mitigation rates for residential
and commercial development. Policies that don’t
protect existing workforce housing exacerbate the
demand for additional affordable units. To date,
the Town Council continues to stall discussions
on the need for increased affordable housing mitigation
rates. They have only recently discussed raising
fees-in-lieu for employee housing (see above).
Get informed about the strategies our community can
use to address affordable housing at www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/AffordableHousing.2-08.pdf.
For more information, contact Kristy Bruner at (307)
733-9417 or Kristy@jhalliance.org.
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6) Other
town and county items of interest
In addition to the above items, the Conservation
Alliance is monitoring several other town and county
private-lands matters. Here’s a brief roundup;
however, please note that all meetings are subject
to change. Please call Teton County at (307) 733-8094
or the Town of Jackson at (307) 734-3993 for confirmation,
or contact Alliance community planning director
Kristy Bruner at Kristy@jhalliance.org or (307)733-9417.
5-WAY INTERSECTION RECONSTRUCTION -- In July,
the Town of Jackson released updated plans for
the reconstruction of Broadway around its intersection
with Pearl Ave. and Flat Creek Drive. The plans
are available at Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl, and at www.townofjackson.com (under “In
the News, click on “5-Way Reconstruction
Project). The town is taking feedback from residents
through Aug. 6. Then on Aug. 18, 6 p.m., also at
Town Hall, the Town Council will decide whether
to sign off on the plans; an okay would allow the
Wyoming Department of Transportation to proceed
with final design and construction. Coupled with
the Mills Hotel project (see #4 above), plus plans
in the works to put yet another hotel at Pearl
and Broadway, getting through town could be quite
interesting in the next couple of years.
NORTH CACHE REZONE PROPOSAL UPDATE -- After the
Jackson Planning Commission recommended denying
his request to upzone an area in the 300 block
of North Cache, property owner Dan Cook switched
gears. In a pre-application conference on July
16, he presented Town Council members and planning
commissioners with his ideas for a planned mixed-use
development there instead. Since we question the
approval of PMDs while the community is still giving
input through the Comp Plan update process, the
Conservation Alliance will continue to keep an
eye on this project as it develops.
HOUSING PROPOSED AT “Y” INTERSECTION
-- Jackson Planning Commission, Aug. 20, 6 p.m.,
Town Hall, 150 E. Pearl. On Aug. 20, Town planning
commissioners are tentatively scheduled to hear
a proposal for a 92-unit residential development
close to the northeast corner of the Broadway-Hwy.
22 intersection (where the ready-mix plant is).
WILSON COMMERCIAL ZONING DISTRICT -- Teton Board
of County Commissioners, Aug. 5, 9 a.m., County
commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow. Commissioners
will continue to discuss a proposal to create a
commercial zoning district for Wilson on Aug. 5.
County planners say some of the development allowed
in Wilson’s commercial core under current
zoning could drastically change its character,
while some types of development desired by residents
is prohibited. At this meeting, more discussion
is expected on how commercial use will be restricted
and what percentage of commercial space is appropriate.
For details, visit www.tetonwyo.org/plan and click
on “Link to Wilson Planning Page” in
the Announcements box.
TEXT AMENDMENT REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS
-- Teton Board of County Commissioners, Aug. 5 (but
likely to be postponed until Aug. 26), 9 a.m., County
commissioners' chambers, 200 S. Willow. On June 23,
County planning commissioners voted 2-2 on a proposed
text amendment to the land development regulations
that would require the county to hire the consultants
who conduct environmental assessments on properties.
(Developers would still pay for the required studies.)
Currently, developers hire and pay consultants to
do assessments required for certain developments,
such as those within the Natural Resource Overlay.
This amendment would avert potential conflicts of
interest. The Conservation Alliance strongly supports
a change in policy that would require such consultants
to be hired by Teton County rather than the developer.
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7) Comment
on Bridger-Teton motorized travel plan by Aug.
4
According to the Forest Service, ATV use on public
lands has increased seven-fold in the past 20 years,
and there are no restrictions on motorized travel
on more than 255,000 acres of the northern part
of the Bridger-Teton. This has led to disturbed
wildlife, degraded habitat and miles of user-created
trails.
The complete draft environmental impact statement,
maps and comment forms for a plan to fix these
problems is available at www.fs.fed.us/r4/btnf/projects/travelrevision/index.shtml,
and comments are due by Aug. 5. The plan includes
five alternatives that range from increased road
closures and seasonal restrictions to more miles
of trails for ATVs and motorbikes. (The “No
Action” Alternative A would not be allowed
since all National Forests have been mandated to
put travel plans in place on all forest lands.)
Bridger-Teton officials have worked closely with
the public and Wyoming Game and Fish personnel
to draft a plan for a trail system that addresses
degradation of habitat, impacts on wildlife and
user safety. Any of the alternatives B through
E will be an improvement on the existing use of
motorized vehicles in the forest. All of them include
seasonal road closures, and varying compromises
between wildlife and recreation. The government’s
initial preferred alternative is Alternative D,
which would keep many of the trails most popular
with motorized-vehicle users, but would impose
some seasonal limits. The Conservation Alliance
will ask for implementation of Alternative B, with
additional requests for closure of specific spurs
or trails within wilderness study areas. Our written
comments will be available at www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/OHVComments.8-08.pdf by Aug. 2. The final EIS is expected this fall,
with implementation in 2009. At that time, any
motorized travel off designated trails will be
illegal and subject to fines. The plan is for the
maps to be updated annually to address changing
wildlife or trail reconstruction issues.
You can make your comments by Aug. 4 to:
David Wilkinson, Public Outreach, BTNF, Jackson
Ranger District
P.O. Box 1689, Jackson, WY 83001;
Or via email: bridger_teton_travel_ohv_comments@fs.fed.us
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8) Other
public lands news
BRIDGER-TETON MANAGEMENT PLAN REVISION STILL IN
LIMBO -- In early April, the U.S. Forest Service
approved a new planning rule that was supposed
to give Bridger-Teton officials the direction they
needed to formally resume the B-T’s management
plan revision. That process began in 2005 but has
been stalled for more than a year. (The Bridger-Teton
is currently operating under a plan finalized in
1990 that made 1.9 million acres -- more than half
of the entire forest -- open to new oil and gas
leasing.) But on April 11, a coalition of 14 conservation
groups filed suit in federal court to block the
Forest Service from implementing the new rule,
saying it would remove vital protections for fish,
wildlife and other resources. Since then, the B-T’s
plan revision process has remained in limbo, but
that may soon change. Regional Forester Harv Forsgren
is supposed to decide this fall if Bridger-Teton
officials can do an end run by using the 1982 Planning
Rule to make amendments to the current management
plan. Issues in the plan that might be considered
for amendment are the standards and guidelines,
oil and gas development in the Wyoming Range, and
summer motorized travel management in the southern
portion of the forest. Stay tuned for updates.
PINEDALE ANTICLINE -- The Bureau of Land Management
has released its revised plan for expanded drilling
on the Pinedale Anticline project area southeast
of Jackson Hole. The proposal calls for 4,400 more
wells, almost nine times the number currently in
place, likely drilled at a rate of up to 232 wells
per year. This would substantially expand the impacts
beyond what was authorized in the original plan
in 2000. Also, in a precedent-setting move, the
operators propose to drill year-round and no longer
be subject to well-established, seasonal drilling
protections for big game and sage grouse. While
this proposal contains some good measures to limit
industry’s footprint, unless enforceable
mitigation measures are strengthened, this ramped-up
drilling in the Pinedale Anticline will harm northwest
Wyoming’s quality of life, clean water and
air, exceptional vistas and extraordinary wildlife.
The BLM won’t get a second chance to get
this important decision right. They have the tools
for a good plan but so far have failed to combine
them into a sensible conservation alternative.
Contact the BLM today and let them know that a
slower pace of development and stronger enforcements
are paramount for finding real balance on the Anticline.
Write to: Caleb Hiner, Project Manager, Bureau
of Land Management, Pinedale Field Office, P.O.
Box 768, Pinedale, WY 82941. To find out
more, please visit the Upper Green River Valley
Coalition’s website, www.uppergreen.org.
PINEDALE BLM RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN -- The final
EIS for this plan should be available on Aug. 22
at www.blm.gov/rmp/wy/pinedale/documents.html.
(The draft EIS was released in Feb. 2007 and generated
more than 100,000 letters, most of which cited
concerns about energy development.) The RMP will
direct future management of more than 900,000 acres
of federal surface estate lands, and 1.1 million-plus
acres of federal mineral estate lands in Sublette,
Lincoln and Fremont counties. The plan will establish
guidance, objectives, policies and management actions
for such issues as vegetation, grazing, wildlife
habitat and fisheries, air and water quality, and
energy and minerals development. After it’s
posted, the final EIS will be subject to a 30-day
review and appeal period.
UPDATE ON SNAKE HEADWATERS AND WYOMING RANGE LEGISLATION
-- In July, the Craig Thomas Snake Headwaters Legacy
Act and the Wyoming Range Legacy Act were included
in the Omnibus Public Land Management Act (S 3213)
and introduced on the U.S. Senate floor. The Senate
Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed each
of the 90 conservation bills in this collection
and committee chair Senator Jeff Bingaman introduced
the packaged bill, which may have a better chance
of passing into law as a collection rather than
individually. The full Senate must vote on the
Omnibus Act before it passes to the House of Representatives.
The Craig Thomas Snake Headwaters Legacy Act would
protect 387 miles of the most pristine rivers and
streams in the Snake River drainage under the Wild
and Scenic Rivers Act. The bill was originally
introduced by Sen. Craig Thomas in May 2007. Sen.
John Barrasso took up this bill and renamed it
to honor Sen. Thomas after his death. The act would
permanently protect the remaining free-flowing
rivers and streams of the Snake River headwaters
and secure some of the best habitat for cutthroat
trout in the lower 48 states. To date, the Clark’s
Fork of the Yellowstone River is the only river
in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in
Wyoming. Visit www.snakeheadwaters.org for
background.
The Wyoming Range Legacy Act, also initiated by Sen.
Thomas and carried on by Sen. Barrasso, would protect
the Wyoming Range of the Bridger-Teton from further
energy leasing, and includes provisions to allow
for buyouts and retirements of existing energy leases.
Sen. Mike Enzi co-sponsored the bill, which is supported
by Gov. Freudenthal and many others throughout the
state. Visit www.wyomingrange.org for
more information on efforts to protect the Wyoming
Range.
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9) Wolves
get reprieve
The Conservation Alliance and several other groups
won a significant victory last month in our efforts
to protect wolves. On July 18, in a 40-page ruling,
U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted our request
for an injunction and reinstated Endangered Species
Act protection for wolves in Wyoming, Montana and
Idaho until our lawsuit challenging delisting works
its way through the courts. In his ruling, Molloy
said the federal government had not met its own
standard for wolf recovery, and that wolf-control
laws in the three states were "more than likely
to eliminate any chance for genetic exchange to
occur." Such exchange is needed to ensure
healthy wolf populations. It’s unknown if
the federal government will appeal this decision,
and no court date has yet been set for the hearing
on the merits of our case. However, the three states
have all postponed their plans to establish wolf-hunting
seasons this fall in the wake of Molloy’s
decision. See www.jhalliance.org/Library/PressReleases/WolfKillInjunctPR.7-21-08.pdf for
more information about the ruling.
The issue began with the Feb. 27 announcement by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that gray wolves
in the Northern Rockies would be removed from the
list of threatened and endangered species. Earthjustice
attorneys representing the Conservation Alliance
and 11 other organizations began legal actions to
block the decision and two appeals were filed in
Federal District Court in Missoula, Mont. The first
was aimed to stop the delisting because Wyoming,
Idaho and Montana’s management plans wouldn’t
sustain the population of Rocky Mountain gray wolves
into the foreseeable future. The second appeal asked
that an injunction be put in place immediately, thereby
returning wolf management to the federal government
until the merits of case itself could be argued and
decided. Background information is available at www.jhalliance.org/issueswolves.htm.
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10) Coming
Events
The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance’s
Summer Rendezvous Series continues with the following
events in August. For more information and to RSVP
for any of the following, please call (307) 733-9417
or email info@jhalliance.org.
Visit www.jhalliance.org/contact.htm for
a map to our office at 685 S. Cache St.
Saturday, Aug. 2
Sleeping Indian Day-Trek -- Join Franz Camenzind,
wildlife biologist and executive director of
the Conservation Alliance on a summer hike up
the Sleeping Indian from Flat Creek. Franz will
discuss Bridger-Teton wildlife and public lands
issues. We will depart for the trailhead at 7
a.m. for this all-day hike. Please bring raingear,
warm layers, sunscreen, water and lunch. Cost:
$15.
Tuesday, Aug. 5
As part of the National Elk Refuge’s Naturalist
Night Series, Conservation Alliance executive director
Franz Camenzind will share his extensive studies
of coyotes at 5:30 p.m. at the Visitors’ Center,
532 N. Cache. For more information on this free
series, please call (307) 733-9212.
Friday, Aug. 8
Celebration for the Sage Grouse -- Leslie Still,
the owner of Buffalo Trail Gallery, has come
up with a new way to support the Conservation
Alliance. She is inviting her artists to create
a piece of art related to sage grouse and/or
their habitat. She will donate 10 percent of
proceeds from this special show and will host
a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on August 8 to showcase
this event at 98 Center St. Please join us, and
tell your friends and neighbors.
Saturday, Aug.9
Wildlife Photography Safari -- Join professional
photographer and cinematographer Jeff Hogan on
a wildlife expedition to Schwabacher’s
Landing north of Moose in search of unique photographic
opportunities. The group will bushwhack along
a series of beaver ponds in an attempt to view
wildlife. Jeff will discuss basic photography
concepts and skills, so bring your camera if
you have one! We will conclude the field trip
at Dornan’s in Moose with food and drinks
overlooking the majesty of Grand Teton. This
is a unique chance to learn from one of the best!
Cost: $15 (does not include food and drinks at
Dornan’s)
Saturday, Aug. 16
A Walk on the Wild Side -- Hike in the beautiful
Palisades Wilderness Study Area. Local backcountry
aficionado Dr. Bruce Hayse will lead a day hike
into the Palisades Mountains to explore an area
deserving of wilderness designation. Cost: $15.
Wednesday, Aug. 20
Info Lunch: Christianity and the Environment -- Guest
speaker Shirley Craighead, who started the Ecology
Club and heads the Social Justice Committee at Our
Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church, will facilitate
this brown-bag lunch discussion. Bring your own lunch;
we’ll provide beverages and dessert. Free,
at noon at the Conservation Alliance, 685 South Cache
St.
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11) Valley
Echoes
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for
the things which he has not,
but rejoices for those which he has.”
-- Epictetus
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Alliance Action is a publication of the Jackson
Hole Conservation Alliance. The Jackson Hole Conservation
Alliance is dedicated to responsible land stewardship
in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to ensure that human
activities are in harmony with the area’s
irreplaceable wildlife, scenic, and other natural
resources. The Alliance is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3)
organization.
(If you no longer wish to receive this e-newsletter,
please send a note saying you’d like us to
remove your email address from our list to: allianceaction@jhalliance.org.)
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