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1) Election
Day is Nov. 4 -- Please Vote! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1) Election Day is Nov. 4 -- Please Vote! Candidates who support a wild and beautiful Jackson Hole will be elected only if you vote for them. Get informed about the candidate’s positions on managing growth and protecting wildlife and open space by checking out the Jackson Hole News&Guide’s election coverage at www.jhnewsandguide.com/election.php. For Teton County’s absentee and election day voting regulations, visit www.tetonwyo.org/news/default.asp?news_id=10979. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 2) Next draft of Comprehensive Plan promised for Dec. 8 Get prepared -- December and January will be critical months for you to provide input on the next draft of the Comp Plan, now scheduled to be released on Dec. 8. This time around, planners say the draft will be presented in its entirety, to include an introduction, future land use plan maps, theme-based chapters, and a concluding action and implementation plan chapter. This welcome change from previous piecemeal releases should make it easier to evaluate how well the different parts of the plan will work together to provide a cohesive and well-understood vision for our community. During November, the Conservation Alliance will continue to make recommendations for the next draft. Please see “A Comp Plan Update” at www.jhalliance.org/issuescompplan.htm for specifics. Also this month, the Alliance is kicking off a speaker series to help address some of our community’s most challenging land use planning issues. See “Coming Events” below for details. Meanwhile, despite saying they would, the county commissioners and town councilors have not been holding special monthly joint meetings on the Comp Plan, although they have included some pertinent discussion during their regularly scheduled joint information meetings. However, both the town and county held independent workshops last month, and additional public meetings are scheduled as follows: Nov. 3, 3 to 5 p.m., County Commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow -- Town and county elected officials' regularly scheduled joint meeting on Nov. 3 should include a brief update on the plan. For the agenda, check the town website at www.townofjackson.com (look under Jackson government, meeting agendas, Town Council agendas, Nov. 3 meeting). Nov. 6, 4 to 6 p.m., Town Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl -- The Town Council is scheduled to hold a special Comp Plan workshop to discuss the town's future land use maps and buildout numbers. Nov. 13, 1 to 3 p.m., 4-H Building, 255 W. Deloney Ave. -- A stakeholder advisory group discussion about policy questions related to the Comp Plan is scheduled. Nov. 13, 4 to 6 p.m., Town Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl -- The Town Council and Town Planning Commission are scheduled to discuss the town's future land use maps and buildout numbers. Early November, date and time to be determined, County Commissioners’ chambers, 200 S. Willow -- County commissioners and county planning commissioners intend to hold a special joint meeting to discuss the Comp Plan. For the agenda, check the county’s website at www.tetonwyo.org/plan (look under meetings). Encouragingly, a number of neighborhood groups are working to promote citizen involvement in the Comp Plan, making it easier to stay informed and providing opportunities to work together to bring good ideas to the process. Groups include South Park Neighbors, East Jackson Network, Wilson Network, North of Town Neighbors and the Cottonwood/Indian Trails Area Group. Given the Conservation Alliance’s mission to inspire citizens to stay engaged in this community process, we encourage you to get involved. If you’d like to be included in the email list of any of these groups, just email Kristy Bruner at kristy@jhalliance.org and she’ll forward your contact information to the corresponding group. More information is available at www.jhalliance.org/issuescompplan.htm.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 3) Other community planning matters In addition to the Comp Plan, the Conservation Alliance continues to monitor 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. TOWN CONDO CONVERSIONS AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING -- Jackson Planning Commission, Nov. 5, 5:30 p.m., Town Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. (UPDATE: This has been rescheduled to Nov. 19, same time and location.) On Oct. 3, the Town Council voted to extend a moratorium on converting apartments to condominiums for another 120 days. During this meeting, councilors also asked staff to come up with revised policies for conversions. New policies could prohibit certain developments from converting and place affordable housing requirements on those that are permitted to convert. This past summer, the Town Council contracted with Craig Richardson of Clarion Associates to conduct an analysis of rental conditions in Jackson, which would provide a legal basis for revised policies. BACK FOR ANOTHER ROUND, HOUSING AT “Y” INTERSECTION -- Jackson Planning Commission, Nov. 5, 5:30 p.m., Town Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. On Aug. 20, town planning commissioners were not receptive to the initial proposal for a 92-unit residential development close to the northeast corner of the Broadway-Hwy. 22 intersection (where the concrete ready-mix plant was). Planning commissioners will evaluate whether prior concerns, such as the bulk and scale of the proposed development, and a lack of traffic analysis, have now been adequately addressed. PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT TEXT AMENDMENT -- Jackson
Planning Commission, Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m., Town
Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. The Jackson Hole
Community Housing Trust is proposing a text amendment
for the Town’s PUD tool related to the
affordable housing option. It would allow an
increase in allowable development potential for
PUD projects. The Conservation Alliance's
comments on this amendment are available at: RENDEZVOUS POINT/DAYS INN REDEVELOPMENT -- Jackson Planning Commission, Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m., Town Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. The applicant is proposing a change of use for the existing Days Inn property from commercial lodging to institutional residential use. The project would be available for qualified businesses to provide deed-restricted rental employee housing units (primarily studio). The number of units (91) is proposed to remain the same. PLANNED MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT TOOL -- Jackson Town Council workshop, Nov. 24, 3-5 p.m., Town Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. (UPDATE -- This Nov. 24 workshop has been cancelled. It may be rescheduled in December.) On Oct.6, the Town Council met to discuss possible revisions to the town’s controversial PMD tool. On Nov. 24, councilors will resume this discussion. (In June, the Conservation Alliance formally asked the Town Council for a one-year moratorium on consideration of PMDs because we’ve become increasingly concerned about their strong influence on the nature of redevelopment in Jackson. It’s clear that the PMD tool facilitates large-scale developments that don’t mesh with our current Comprehensive Plan or with the community’s wishes recently voiced during the Comp Plan update process. While our call for a moratorium was unsuccessful, town officials did acknowledge that they should discuss ways that the PMD tool can be modified to make sure it’s working effectively and that it provides more community benefit.) A number of other PMD applications are scheduled to go before the Jackson Planning Commission and Town Council. The Conservation Alliance will monitor these and future applications as they come forward: MILLER LODGE PMD -- Jackson Town Council workshop, Nov. 17, 6 p.m., Town Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. Originally scheduled for Nov. 3, a continuance was recommended to research legal issues associated with alley access. NORTH CACHE PMD -- Jackson Planning Commission, Nov. 19, 5:30 p.m., Town Council chambers, 150 E. Pearl. 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 and is coming back with a PMD application under the property’s current zoning. TEXT AMENDMENT REGARDING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS -- Teton Board of County Commissioners, Dec. 2, 9 a.m., County Commissioners' chambers, 200 S. Willow. County commissioners were expected to vote last month on an 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.) The commissioners began discussing the amendment on Aug. 26, and held a session to work out some of its technical aspects on Sept. 22. Following these discussions, the Teton Board of County Commissioners decided to indefinitely postpone voting on this amendment. However, at the beginning of November, they scheduled another hearing for Dec. 2. To 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 for all types of development proposals. GOLF AND TENNIS MASTER PLAN AMENDMENT STALLED -- On Oct. 16, the County Planning Commission held an informational workshop on a proposal to construct 40 affordable housing units (18 more than required by the resort’s master plan) at Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club. The Conservation Alliance expressed strong opposition to the proposal given the sensitive wildlife habitat in the project area. We also questioned the proposed shift from producing Category 1-3 affordable units to more expensive Category 5-6 units. The project was not well received by either the Planning Commission or the citizens in attendance, and a Nov. 10 Planning Commission meeting was canceled. Since the workshop, Vail Resorts has stated publicly that they are ready to move forward with their obligation to build the original 22 Category 1-3 units. Without another extension, Vail must apply for building permits by early December.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 4) Feds reopen public comment on delisting Northern Rockies wolves Only two weeks after a federal judge put Northern Rockies gray wolves back under Endangered Species Act protection -- at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s request -- the agency is taking steps to delist them again. A brief recap -- Fish and Wildlife delisted the wolves in March, and in April, a group including the Alliance sued to have the delisting overturned. In July, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted our injunction request and reinstated protection for wolves in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, saying that 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 appears that Fish and Wildlife officials recognized that the agency would likely lose the lawsuit, which led to their request to have the delist order remanded. (Visit www.jhalliance.org/issueswolves.htm for the full déjà vu-inducing chronology of the wolf delisting saga to date.) On Oct. 28, Fish and Wildlife asked the public to comment again on its unchanged 2007 proposal to delist the wolves. (Visit http://westerngraywolf.fws.gov for details.) The comment period ends Nov. 28. This latest move seems to be a fast-track effort to remove protections from wolves in at least Idaho and Montana before the Bush administration leaves office. The above legal action cleared the way for Fish and Wildlife to consider the option of delisting wolves in those two states, while keeping Wyoming’s wolves on the list of protected species. The rationale? Idaho and Montana have management plans that allow wolves to be killed only as trophy game by licensed hunters, and to control wolves that are killing livestock, while Wyoming’s plan also allows wolves to be killed as predators -- by anyone at any time, by virtually any means -- in about 88 percent of the state. (The Wyoming legislature may change its plan this winter and designate the entire state as a trophy game area for wolves, thus potentially opening the door down the road for delisting wolves again here.) The upshot is, your comments are needed again to help protect wolves. The Northern Rockies wolf population should not be segmented and delisted based on state boundaries. Delisting shouldn’t be considered until each state’s management plan ensures that the wolves’ long-term population will not slip below current levels. And genetic mixing should be based on natural connectivity, not on human-assisted methods, such as artificial insemination, or trucking wolves from state to state. Please comment by Nov. 28 via http://www.regulations.gov (type "Northern Rockies wolves" in the search field) or by mail to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: RIN 1018-Au53; Division of Policy and Directives Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222; Arlington, VA 22203. In a related matter, on Oct. 29, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department released a draft revised version of its gray wolf management plan. Calling it “an attempt to operate within the current statute and to be responsive to the signals that we are receiving from the Fish and Wildlife Service and the judge in Montana,” Gov. Dave Freudenthal said the revised rules wouldn’t become effective “unless and until the wolf is delisted in Wyoming.” Details on how you can comment on this ploy to get the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to include Wyoming’s wolves in its current delisting effort are available at http://gf.state.wy.us. For more information, please contact Franz Camenzind at (307) 733-9417 or Franz@jhalliance.org.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 5) Nearby case of chronic wasting disease raises feedgrounds danger Two days after claiming that the always fatal chronic wasting disease may not devastate elk populations even if it spreads to winter feedgrounds in Wyoming, the state Game and Fish Department released details about a CWD-infected moose found in Star Valley. This marks the first known occurrence of the disease in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The agency based its claim on a study of 40 elk calves exposed to CWD since 2002. As stated in a Game & Fish press release dated Oct. 15, “We know that CWD is always fatal to individual animals, but we also know that animals may be infected for five years or more before they succumb to the disease, so they have a chance to reproduce multiple times…. Thirty-one of the 40 original elk have died so far, all from CWD. But most of the elk had one or more calves…” Conservation groups including the Alliance viewed this line of reasoning with incredulity. "They had a 77.5 percent death rate in five or six years, and from that they're concluding that it appears the elk in this study would maintain a stable or increasing population," said wildlife biologist and Alliance executive director Franz Camenzind. "Game and Fish is dismissing the impact on hunting, the environment, on other species, and they're basically saying that because elk live long enough to breed, the mortality rate will not cause a precipitous decline in the elk numbers. I find that hard to believe." The Alliance has long maintained that wintertime feeding of elk should be phased out because crowded conditions at state-run feedgrounds and on the National Elk Refuge lead to the rapid spread of hoof rot, brucellosis and other diseases. Along with Wilderness Watch, the Wyoming Outdoor Council and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Alliance recently filed an administrative appeal of Bridger-Teton supervisor Kniffy Hamilton’s decision to reauthorize permits allowing Game and Fish to continue running five feedgrounds on forest service land. Unfortunately, regional forester Harv Forsgren rejected our appeal in mid-October. Now, the discovery of a case of chronic wasting disease less than 50 miles from Jackson Hole is troubling, to say the least. (Game and Fish personnel killed the sick moose in February, but CWD tests weren't done till September. The results were released on Oct. 17.) The wildlife equivalent to mad cow disease, CWD is transmissible between elk, deer and moose. And although researchers haven’t been able to document that CWD can be transmitted to humans, Centers for Disease Control advises that people should avoid eating meat from deer and elk that look sick or that test positive for CWD. To avert the spread of disease that could decimate Jackson Hole’s iconic wildlife herds, the Alliance will continue to support efforts to improve native forage, and to work for the gradual phaseout of feedgrounds. For more information on this issue, please visit the pertinent links at www.jhalliance.org/issueswildlife.htm.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 6) Bridger-Teton wants comments on land sale options by Nov. 14 In March, Bridger-Teton officials decided that the forest supervisor’s office would remain in Jackson, but didn’t address details. In October, they presented three options for public comment: Two call for the forest service to sell about 10.5 acres of the roughly 15-acre parcel the agency owns on North Cache; a new supervisor’s office would be built on the remaining 4 acres. Under the third, no-action alternative, none of the land would be sold. Forest officials say they need to sell part of the parcel to raise money to pay for replacing old buildings and to build more employee housing. Their proposals include relocating eight modular housing units from North Cache to forest service administrative property off Nelson Drive in East Jackson, and constructing another 18 buildings for multi-family housing there. They also want to build more employee housing and warehouses on forest service property at the southern end of Fall Creek Road. The Conservation Alliance is looking closely at this proposal. First, we are very concerned about its impact on wildlife, particularly the permanent loss of critical winter range. Second, we’d like to see better alternatives that would enable employee housing to be built on the North Cache property, which would uphold our community’s goals to minimize the valley’s development footprint, to protect wildlife habitat and to place housing close to the workplace. Specifically, why not have an alternative that proposes less acreage for sale and a more efficient site design to accommodate housing on site at the North Cache parcel? If you’d like to discuss these issues with us, please call Louise Lasley or Kristy Bruner at (307) 733-9417. The Conservation Alliance's comments are available at www.jhalliance.org/Library/Comments/BTlandsalecomments.11-08.pdf. Details on the proposals can be found at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/btnf/projects, under “October 9, 2008” below the heading “2008 NEPA Documents.” Scoping comments are preferred by Nov. 14 by mail to Bridger-Teton National Forest, P.O. Box 1888, Jackson, WY 83001, or via email to comments-intermtn-bridger-teton@fs.fed.us. (Include “conveyance” in the subject line.)• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 7) Other public lands news APPEAL POSTPONES GOLD-MINING IN GROS VENTRE --- A private citizen, Gregory Griffith, has filed an appeal on Bridger-Teton District Ranger Dale Deiter’s decision to allow a test gold-mining operation on Cottonwood Creek in the Gros Ventre drainage. Claimholder Maverick Exploration intended to dig 12 trenches within a 5-acre area this past summer and next to determine the feasibility of extracting precious metals. If the site proved commercially viable, they could then seek to expand operations to more than 340 adjacent acres. However, Griffith’s appeal regarding mitigation measures to address the mining activity’s effect on wildlife and habitat has prevented Maverick from beginning work this year. Stay tuned for updates. NEW TEMPORARY WINTER USE PLAN PROPOSED FOR YELLOWSTONE, GRAND TETON -- On Nov. 3, Yellowstone officials released a temporary winter use plan that would allow 78 snowcoaches and 318 commercially guided snowmachines in the park each day for this and the following two winter seasons. The public only has until Nov. 17 to comment on the plan, which also allows 25 snowmobiles a day for ice fishing on Jackson Lake in Teton Park, and 25 a day on the Grassy Lake Road between Flagg Ranch and Ashton, Idaho. Park service officials came up with this plan after a federal judge threw out the 2007 winter use plan in September, saying it violated the Organic Act and ignored the advice of scientists. (The 2007 plan would have allowed 540 snowmobiles in Yellowstone each day. Last winter's average was 294 a day.) Details are available at www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/winteruse.htm. The Park Service's Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website may be used to submit comments via the Internet. Comments may also be mailed to Management Assistant’s Office, National Park Service, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190; please note that they must be received by Nov. 17. Contact Louise Lasley, Alliance public lands director, at (307) 733-9417 or Louise@jhalliance.org for more information. LAST CHANCE THIS YEAR FOR LEGISLATION TO PROTECT SNAKE HEADWATERS, WYOMING RANGE -- 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 in the U.S. Senate. But it’s unclear if this legislation to protect portions of the Snake River system and the Wyoming Range of the Bridger-Teton will make it to a vote this year. If it’s not considered before a new Congress is sworn in at the beginning of 2009, we’re back to square one -- the long legislative process will have to start all over again. Legislators could schedule a “lame duck” session after the Nov. 4 general election, and the Omnibus Public Land Management Act might be considered then. Please contact Wyoming’s congressional delegation now to encourage their support: U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi U.S. Sen. John Barrasso U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 8) Search begins for new Conservation Alliance leader The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance is looking for a new executive director to lead us into our fourth decade of partnering for a wild and beautiful valley. Franz Camenzind, our current ED, is retiring next summer after 12 years at the helm. (More about Franz’ retirement is available at www.jhalliance.org/Library/PressReleases/FranzRetirement.JHCA7-08.pdf.) The job description is posted at www.jhalliance.org/Library/Alerts/EDJobDesc.10-08.pdf. Please help us in our search by passing along this information to anyone you feel may be interested and qualified. We’re accepting applications at edsearch@jhalliance.org or by mail to: ED Search Committee, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, P.O. Box 2728, Jackson, WY 83001.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 9) Congress reinstates tax benefit for charitable donations If you turn 70 1/2 this year, you may already know that you’ll be joining the ranks of those who may be required to take -- and pay taxes on -- mandatory minimum withdrawals from your Individual Retirement Account, 401-K or other qualified retirement plan, or face a stiff penalty from the Internal Revenue Service. In October, as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, Congress made it easier for Americans to give to charitable causes by renewing a tax break that allows individuals age 70 1/2 and older to transfer up to $100,000 directly from any IRA to public nonprofit organizations like the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance without triggering federal income tax. (The tax break expires on Dec. 31, 2009.) This presents an excellent chance for you to consider using your mandatory withdrawals to help preserve Jackson Hole’s wildlands, scenic vistas and unparalleled wildlife. Please contact Conservation Alliance development director Lisa Vogelheim at (307) 733-9417 or Lisa@jhalliance.org for details. For more information on planned giving, please visit www.jhalliance.org/joinplannedgive.htm.• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 10) Coming Events Community Planning Speaker Series As we move from identifying community values to figuring out how to protect those values, it’s important to look at lessons learned elsewhere. What can other communities tell us about how we should approach the challenging issues ahead? We’ll post more details on the speakers and event agendas at www.jhalliance.org/events.htm, but for now, here are the basics: Wednesday, Nov. 12 Friday, Nov. 14 Please contact Kristy Bruner at (307) 733-9417 or Kristy@jhalliance.org for more information on these and future events in our community planning speaker series. Wednesday, Nov. 19 Thursday, Dec. 4 -- Save the Date! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • (Back to top) 11) Valley Voices “VOTE -- ultimately all land decisions
and the final form of the comprehensive plan “The time has come to vote, not as a Democrat
or Republican and not for candidates
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 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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