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1) Moratorium
discussion continued to May 6 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1) Moratorium discussion continued to May 6 Three development proposals are in the works that could add more than 1,100 new homes in South Park. Since development on this scale would pretty much gut our current Comprehensive Plan update process (see #3 below), Teton County commissioners are considering enacting a moratorium on new residential subdivisions and zoning changes on parcels greater than 20 acres until Dec. 31, or until the updated plan is adopted, whichever comes first. The commissioners talked over the proposed moratorium on April 24 and have continued the discussion to Tuesday, May 6, 1:30 p.m., Commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow. (For the text of the proposed moratorium, visit www.tetonwyo.org/plan and click on “Freeze Resolution” in the Announcements box.) Since the Comp Plan is supposed to guide growth, not the other way around, the Conservation Alliance strongly supports enacting a moratorium to give our community the chance it needs to shape future development before development shapes us. A moratorium is a common planning tool used by communities in the process of working on their comprehensive plans. Present conditions in Teton County -- a rapid influx of large development proposals at the same time as our Comp Plan update -- warrant a moratorium enactment. For more information, visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/PressReleases/MoratoriumPR.3-08.pdf. The Conservation Alliance has consistently voiced support for the moratorium since it was first proposed on April 1. We’ve also emphasized the importance of considering a broad, equitable moratorium on ALL zoning changes, regardless of acreage, because the impacts of development are based on the intensity at which parcels are developed, not just the parcel size. Please encourage our elected officials to enact a moratorium in order to give our Comp Plan update process the chance our community deserves. Teton Board of County Commissioners:
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 2) Speak up for Jackson Hole -- Sign our Teton Meadows Ranch petition On April 29, Teton County commissioners denied the developer’s 11th hour request for a continuance and began reviewing the Teton Meadows Ranch proposal. The day-long hearing included a statement from the applicant that they intend to change the proposal yet again in the near future, further complicating the review process, which is set to continue on May 7. (TETON COUNTY CANCELLED THIS MEETING AT 5 P.M., MAY 7, ONE HOUR BEFORE IT WAS SCHEDULED TO START. CONTACT KRISTY BRUNER at (307) 733-9417 FOR UPDATES.) Teton Meadows Ranch is currently proposed as a 500-unit Planned Unit Development for Affordable Housing on the 288-acre Seherr-Thoss property (now zoned rural) at the southern end of South Park. (For the development sketch plan and county planning staff reports, visit www.tetonwyo.org/plan and click on “Teton Meadows Ranch” in the Announcements box.) The Conservation Alliance does not support this proposal because it departs from: current zoning; fundamental principles of smart growth; and consistent application of affordable housing planning tools. It also comes at a time when our community is updating its Comprehensive Plan, and could well compromise this process. For details, please see our fact sheet at www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/TetonMeadowsFAQ.3-20-08.pdf. Assuming that commissioners decide not to include Teton Meadows Ranch in the moratorium discussed above, we urge you to voice your concerns at the next public hearing, set for Wednesday, May 7, 6 p.m. at Snow King Resort’s Teton Room (changed from the ice rink). (This may be the last chance for public comment on this proposal. About 30 members of the public commented at the April 29 hearing -- all but one opposed the development.) A decision is expected at the third meeting, scheduled for May 13, 9 a.m. at Snow King Resort’s Grand Room. We also urge you to ADD YOUR NAME TO THE FOLLOWING PETITION by emailing Kristy Bruner at Kristy@jhalliance.org, or calling her at (307) 733-9417: “We, the undersigned, support
strong, smart land-use planning for Jackson Hole. As seen in the full-page April 30 ad sponsored by South Park Neighbors, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and Save Historic Jackson Hole in local newspapers, more than 700 people have already signed on and it’s not too late to join in. We plan to run another ad that includes all the names, plus deliver the petition to county commissioners before they vote. Also, please contact the commissioners directly with your questions and concerns: Teton Board of County Commissioners: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 3) Comp Plan update gets down to business May 14 to 16 It's been about 14 years since the Jackson/Teton County Comprehensive Plan was passed to guide our community’s growth and development, and protect its character, wildlife and scenery. Your input throughout the current revision process is vital! The next set of Comp Plan public meetings is scheduled as follows: May 14, Town Planning and Design charrette meetings at 2 and 6 p.m., St. John's Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 170 N. Glenwood St. -- Both sessions will cover the same material. Overall, this charrette is supposed to entail a much closer look at Jackson than in earlier meetings. Clarion Associates, the Comp Plan consultant, will coordinate a discussion on a number of key town planning issues, such as gateway areas, downtown including Town Square, mixed-use areas and corridors, and residential neighborhoods. Your input is needed on designating appropriate areas for both redevelopment and neighborhood preservation. May 15, Community Workshop on Preferred Plan & Policy Direction, 6 to 8 p.m., Teton Science Schools (Jackson Campus) -- Clarion will present the county-wide preferred land use plan and policy direction. Community members will then get the chance to discuss the draft preferred land uses in small groups, and Clarion will describe the procedures by which the public can continue to comment on the draft plan through the summer. (The draft plan is supposed to be based on the results of three community surveys conducted earlier this year. Results from a January public meeting, an online survey and a “statistically valid” phone survey all showed strong support for managing growth responsibly and protecting wildlife habitat and corridors. For instance, when asked if the county should “implement stronger standards to protect natural resources as part of new developments,” more than 78 percent of the respondents in each survey agreed or strongly agreed.) Also open to the public:
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 4) Wilson, affordable housing top other county and town matters In addition to the above items, the Conservation Alliance is monitoring a number of other county and town private lands matters. Here’s a brief roundup, however, the following meetings are subject to change. Please call Teton County at (307) 733-8094 or the Town of Jackson at (307) 734-3993 for confirmation. WILSON COMMERCIAL ZONING DISTRICT -- Teton Board of County Commissioners, May 20, 9 a.m., County commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow. Commissioners are scheduled to hear county planners’ proposal to create a commercial zoning district for Wilson on May 20. (This hearing was originally set for April 22, but was bumped.) Planners say some of the development allowed in Wilson’s commercial core under current zoning could drastically change the town’s character, while some types of development desired by residents is prohibited. Planning staff “believes it is important that a zoning district specific to the Wilson commercial core be adopted even while the Comprehensive Plan update is in process.” Basically, the new zone would set a boundary for commercial development in Wilson, and allow affordable housing and some market housing on second floors. For details, visit www.tetonwyo.org/plan and click on “Link to Wilson Planning Page” in the Announcements box. COUNTY AFFORDABLE HOUSING “FEE IN-LIEU” INCREASE -- Teton Board of County Commissioners, May 20, 9 a.m., County commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow. A Teton County Housing Authority proposal to increase the affordable housing “fee in lieu” for residential development is also on the May 20 agenda. If the increase passes, developers will have to pay fees that more accurately reflect the actual costs of producing affordable housing in Jackson Hole’s market (in the event they opt to not actually build the required number of affordable homes.) According to a planning staff report, "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." The Conservation Alliance supports adoption of this amendment, including the latest, and highest fees, proposed by county planning staff. TOWN POLICIES ON CONDOMINIUM CONVERSIONS -- Jackson Town Council, tentatively set for May 19, 3 p.m., Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. Council members are tentatively scheduled to reconvene a discussion on apartment-to-condominium conversion policies on May 19. Will they adopt policies to preserve current rental housing inventory as a critical element of workforce housing, or not? The Conservation Alliance promotes diverse strategies to address affordable housing, including the preservation of current inventory and increased mitigation rates for residential and commercial development. Without effective policies to protect housing for our workforce, the demand for additional affordable housing is exacerbated. (To date, the Town Council continues to stall discussions on the need for increased mitigation rates. The 2007 Housing Needs Assessment, available from the Teton County Housing Authority, recommends increasing the mitigation rate to a minimum of 40 percent just to “keep up” with housing needs associated with new growth.) Get informed about the strategies our community can implement to address affordable housing at www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/AffordableHousing.2-08.pdf. Voice your support to adopt policies that protect the workforce housing we already have on the ground. For more information, contact Kristy Bruner at (307) 733-9417 or Kristy@jhalliance.org. 151,000-SQUARE-FOOT HOTEL PROPOSED FOR SITE NEAR 5-WAY -- Jackson Planning Commission, May 21, 5:30 p.m., Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. Town planning commissioners are set to revisit a planned mixed-use development proposal for a hotel complex at the current Painted Buffalo site at 400 W. Broadway on May 21. (Continued from March 19, the hearing was originally scheduled to take place May 7.) The applicant, Mills Wyoming Hotel LLC, wants to build a four-story, 46-foot-high, 155-room luxury hotel (including a spa and fitness center, meeting space, restaurant, bar and some retail) using Jackson’s planned mixed-use development standard. Under the PMUD, larger buildings and more dense development are permitted if parking and employee housing requirements are met on site. Adopted in 2001, the PMUD was intended to encourage redevelopment that would allow people to live, work and shop in Jackson, but a rash of PMUD applications and approvals has raised concerns. The Conservation Alliance questions the bulk and scale of this proposed 151,000-square-foot hotel, particularly given its prominence at the main gateway to downtown. The application for a 70,000-square-foot-plus Marriott Hotel proposed at Pearl and Broadway, adjacent to the Mills project, is currently on hold. Either development would affect Jackson’s character. Also, consideration of such projects 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. KARNS MEADOW ENHANCEMENT PLAN OPEN HOUSE -- Town of Jackson, May 1, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. Town officials are asking for public comment on their plans for Karns Meadow, located between Broadway and Snow King, west of Flat Creek Drive. Flat Creek flows through the meadow, and, since 1996, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality has listed the section of Flat Creek from Cache Creek to the Snake River as “threatened.” The enhancement plan is intended to alleviate pollution from runoff and improve habitat. Park facilities and a pathway are also under consideration for the property, which the town and Jackson Hole Land Trust bought for $4.9 million in 2003 from the Karns family, which had owned it since the 1890s.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 5) Unveiling of off-highway motorized travel plan leads Bridger-Teton news Here’s a roundup of current issues regarding the national forest that surrounds Jackson Hole: NORTH ZONE MOTORIZED TRAVEL PLAN DRAFT EIS – May 6, 4:30 to 8 p.m., Teton County Library, Ordway Auditorium, 125 Virginian Lane. Forest officials will unveil the long-awaited draft environmental impact statement on a travel plan for off-road motorized vehicles on May 6. Originally due out in Fall 2007, the draft includes five alternatives, ranging from decreased motorized recreational opportunities to greater access. The preferred alternative is a trail system “somewhere in the middle,” according to Bridger-Teton staff. It would close some trails, move others and provide for environmentally friendly trails in some places. The plan encompasses about 250,000 acres of the northern part of the Bridger-Teton that don’t currently have motorized travel management, and fulfills a directive to forests nationwide to correct that problem. Motorcycle and ATV riders who have had free rein in the past will now be restricted to specific trails. The plan is intended to reduce user conflicts, and regulate use of existing trails and construction of new trails so they don’t damage the environment. Years of unregulated use have harmed wildlife, habitat, streambeds and water quality. Please add your voice on May 6 to those advocating for a healthy, sustainable forest. MANAGEMENT PLAN REVISION PUBLIC PROCESS BACK ON HOLD, AGAIN -- 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 process. (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. (Federal courts rejected two previous attempts to weaken nationwide regulations that provided mandatory protection for forest resources. In the second attempt, under the Bush administration, the Forest Service removed environmental safeguards with a new planning rule in 2005. A U.S. District Court judge overturned that rule in 2007 because it violated the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act and Administrative Procedure Act. A similar fate may be in store for the 2008 planning rule, which the plaintiffs say is nearly identical to the 2005 planning rule. For instance, the 2008 rule eliminates requirements to ensure viable populations of fish and wildlife species in national forests. It also decreases public participation in forest planning by allowing the Forest Service to “categorically exclude” entire forest plans from public review and environmental analysis requirements.) What does all this mean for the Bridger-Teton? A longer wait for a new management plan, and increased risk from energy development in the meantime. We’ll keep you posted. CONTESTED WYOMING RANGE LEASES – Despite admitting that one energy company has had an undue influence on the process, Bridger-Teton officials have decided to continue a NEPA analysis on 44,700 acres of contested oil and gas leases in the Wyoming Range of the forest west of Merna around Horse and Beaver creeks. These leases have been suspended since 2006, when the federal Interior Board of Land Appeals ruled that an earlier National Environmental Policy Act analysis didn’t adequately consider impacts to wildlife and the environment. Some people have questioned the timing of this new analysis, given pending federal legislation that would prohibit future oil and gas leasing on the Wyoming Range, and the ongoing Bridger-Teton management plan revision. Further controversy ensued after Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal blasted forest officials on April 21 for allowing Stanley Energy, one of the aspiring leasees, to participate in meetings between Forest Service personnel and an outside contractor hired to write the environmental analysis. (Under NEPA, companies that might benefit from an environmental impact statement are barred from such discussions.) Apparently, Stanley Energy also approved the selection of the contractor, and is footing the $250,000 to $500,000 bill for the analysis. Regardless, the Forest Service can now either authorize or cancel the leases. Although the official scoping comment period ended April 28, people can still mail their thoughts to: Attn. Stephen Haydon, Forest Minerals Staff, Bridger-Teton National Forest, P.O. Box 1888, Jackson, WY 83001-1888. Or email them to comments-intermtn-bridger-teton@fs.fed.us, with “Leasing SEIS” in the subject line. (Forest officials report that they received more than 12,700 comments as of April 28, and that roughly 99 percent of them opposed leasing.) Visit www.wyomingrange.org for more information on efforts to protect the Wyoming Range. AIR QUALITY CONCERNS -- The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality recently issued several ozone warnings for Sublette County, just southeast of Teton County. Five times this past winter, officials reported that levels of the toxic gas reached a point that could pose a threat to children, the elderly or those with respiratory ailments. They attributed the cause mostly to energy development on the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah fields. A new group called Citizens Learning about Ozone’s Unhealthy Destruction (CLOUD) is hosting a public forum on the issue on May 13, 6 p.m. at the Pinedale High School auditorium. Meanwhile, the Upper Green River Valley Coalition’s website, www.uppergreen.org, is a good source for environmental information regarding this area, where many of Jackson Hole’s wildlife spend the winter. ELK WINTER MANAGEMENT DRAFT EIS -- In March, Bridger-Teton officials released a draft environmental impact statement on authorizing the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to use Forest Service land for their winter elk management program. This draft EIS, available at www.fs.fed.us/r4/btnf/projects, looks at the land and facilities on seven elk feedgrounds: Alkali Creek, Dog Creek, Fall Creek, Fish Creek, Muddy Creek, Patrol Cabin and Upper Green River. (Patrol Cabin has been operating on state land, but the authorization would expand this feedground onto Forest Service lands.) Although the EIS identifies degraded vegetation, streams and fisheries as problems, the proposed action would renew Game and Fish’s requests for use with six mitigation actions. The Conservation Alliance has long advocated for a gradual phase-out of elk feedgrounds due to their role in spreading disease. The draft EIS acknowledges this problem, but defers to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department for wildlife management. Comments on the draft EIS are due by May 5, and can be mailed to Bridger-Teton National Forest, Winter Elk Management SUP, P.O. Box 1888, Jackson, WY 83001; faxed to (307) 739-5010; or emailed to comments-intermtn-bridger-teton@fs.fed.us, with “Winter Elk Management Programs” in the subject line.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 6) It’s open season on Wyoming’s wolves On March 28, wolves in the Northern Rockies were taken off the endangered species list, and their management shifted from the federal government’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the game departments in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. In Wyoming, this means that wolves venturing into the newly created predator zone (88 percent of the state) are subject to being killed by anyone at any time and by nearly any means. As of April 30, 13 wolves in Wyoming’s predator zone and a total of 37 wolves in the three states have been reported killed. This number is just over 2 percent of the entire population. On April 28, the Conservation Alliance, along with 11 other organizations, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Montana to have the delisting decision overturned. At the same time, a request was filed for an immediate injunction that would return wolf management to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service while the case is being heard. More information on the lawsuit is available at www.jhalliance.org/Library/PressReleases/WolfDelistLawsuitPR.4-28-08.pdf. In the meantime, the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission is moving forward with drafting hunting season regulations for wolves in the trophy game area (12 percent of the state). It’s anticipated that draft hunting regulations will be available to the public sometime in May, and that public hearings will occur in June. Stay tuned for updates. The Conservation Alliance will continue to closely monitor this issue and keep you informed. For background information, please visit: www.jhalliance.org/issueswolves.htm.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 7) Your tax rebate could help keep Jackson Hole wild and beautiful Please don’t let your tax rebate go to your head! Let it flow through your heart instead. Just one-tenth of one percent of the amount the federal government spent letting us know that we would be receiving a tax rebate would have funded the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance’s operating budget for an entire year. Imagine what a difference those tax dollars would make! Let your rebate protect irreplaceable resources like the forested lands we ski and hike, the wide-open vistas we view every day, and the crisp, clean air that sustains us! Simply endorse your tax rebate check to Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance and mail it to P.O. Box 2728, Jackson, WY 83001, or bring it by our office at 685 S. Cache. If you’ve already cashed your rebate, please write a check in that amount (or even half!) to JHCA, and ask your friends to do the same. We guarantee that we’ll use every penny toward motivating friends and neighbors to sustain our unique community by standing up for our valley’s wildlife, open spaces, and clean air and water. Thank you so much for your continued support! Can’t afford to sign over your rebate? Then please consider giving a small gift to Mom, and to Mother Earth! In honor of mothers everywhere, the Conservation Alliance is offering gift cards for your loved ones in celebration of Mother’s Day, May 11. For details, please visit www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/MothersDay.3-08.htm.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 8) Coming events 40th Annual Community Spring Clean-Up Spring Earth Festival Coming Home: The Critical Role of Neighborhood
Design in the Quest for Sustainability ECO-fair: Simple and Sustainable Living in the
Tetons The full schedule of Spring Earth Festival events, presented by the Teton Sustainability Project of the Murie Center, is available at www.jhalliance.org/Library/PressReleases/SpringEarthFest.5-08.pdf. Conservation 2.0 Conference – Info Lunch -- Bears and People in Jackson Hole Understanding Human-Bear Conflicts in Our Community Party for the Pronghorn • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 9) Every day is Earth Day April 22nd was the official Earth Day in Jackson, but all over the world events continue to take place to raise awareness about the plight of our planet. This year, there have been more Earth Day celebrations than at any other time. Earth Day originated in 1970 as a result of many convergent events. In 1968, the astronauts returning from the Apollo mission photographed the earth from space and sent the image reverberating around the world. They called our planet “small, fragile, beautiful and unique.” The following year in Cleveland, Ohio, the Cuyahoga River caught fire for the second time, fueled by industrial waste. And in 1970, Gaylord Nelson, a conservation-minded senator from Wisconsin, urged Washington, D.C., and the governors of many states to hold teach-ins on the environment in cities and on college campuses. Events were held around the time of the Spring Equinox, March 21, launching the first Earth Day celebrations. Congress created many new laws in the 1970s as a result of the new environmental awareness, including the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. There was a dormant period in the 1980s, when environmental awareness fell into the background. But Earth Day experienced resurgence in the 1990s, when Dennis Hayes took the movement to a national scale again. We know that in the United States, we use more resources than any other country on earth. Our greenhouse gas emissions are second only to China’s. If everyone in the world lived as we do in North America, it would take five planet Earths to support our consumptive lifestyle. Make the connection between your daily activities and the impact they have on the rest of the earth. (This piece by Conservation Alliance board member Nancy Taylor first ran in her Going Green column in the April 23, 2008, issue of Planet Jackson Hole.)• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 10) Valley Echoes “Ultimately, the real enemy…is
ignorance, and it is ignorance that breeds hatred. -- Greg Mortenson
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 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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