Holly Morgan
Hmorgan3@uwyo.edu
The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has released a proposal concerning the future of the Pole Mountain road network, a local issue deliberated for months.
The Laramie Ranger District (LRD) has proposed to maintain the open-status on the majority of the roads in question with some changes to roads most heavily contributing to resource concerns.
Pole Mountain, a 55,000 acre unit located near Laramie in the Medicine Bow Peak District, is visited by thousands of outdoor recreationalists each year, motorized and non-motorized alike. Some of the popular sites include Happy Jack, Tie City, Blair-Wallis and Vedauwoo.
The area has a road network spanning approximately 300 miles, about 100 of which have an unauthorized status. The increased recreation and associated road use, especially of unauthorized roads, has produced negative environmental effects, especially related to watershed quality, wetland health and wildlife habitat fragmentation, Dr. Steve Smutko, professor in UW’s ENR department, Spicer Chair in Collaborative Practice and team-member in the cooperative effort between the Ruckelshaus Institute and the USFS for the project, said.
In response to the observed effects, the USFS decided updates to the road system, in the form of discontinuing, upgrading, modifying or expanding a portion of the roads, are necessary in order to preserve the ecological health of the area.
One of the biggest problems in maintaining water quality at Pole Mountain is road surface erosion and watershed quality, Monique Nelson, Environmental Coordinator of the LRD, said.
“As the proposal is written now the main change is many of the roads that parallel or cut through streams will be closed to the public use and restored back to a natural state,” she said.
Other changes under the current proposal would be enforcement of designated campsite use and seasonal closures of roads to motorized use during seasons in which they are most prone to erosion.
“This is only the first draft of the proposal,” Nelson said. “We are still looking for public input.”
The period from April to September 2015 was dedicated to exhaustive information gathering for the proposal, from research and surveying to public-opinion evaluation, Smutko said.
“This proposal does a good job of finding a plan in the middle in the way of balancing management,” he said.
Smutko said previous meetings were well attended, and the USFS was presented with diverse views on the issue.
“The LRD is going above and beyond for public involvement, Frank Romero [Laramie District Ranger] and his staff made sure to make public involvement an early priority,” Smutko said. “There were over 300 public comments received.”
A diverse range of outdoor enthusiasts recreate in Pole Mountain, and their needs must be balanced alongside one another which is not always a simple task, Smutko said, adding that user conflicts between motorized and non-motorized users can be especially prevalent in situations such as the one at Pole Mountain.
Elise Sulser, microbiology and environment and natural resources senior, frequents Pole Mountain every week for activities such as skiing, rock-climbing, hiking and camping.
“I really enjoy my peace and quiet while outside. I was hoping for a proposal with more restrictions,” Sulser said. “Motorists need more guidelines in order to not degrade the area; however, I feel comfortable that decisions made by the USFS are good ones.”
For motorists who are concerned with access being overly restricted, Nelson said the USFS “wants the roads to be open. The USFS enjoys access the roads provide, we love to recreate there just like everyone else. It’s important for us that people can get out and enjoy the area.”
According to the USFS, this proposal will provide a lot of protection for natural resources, especially water resources and wetland habitat. Any road system has impacts on watershed, but it’s about minimizing those impacts in order to balance user interests and natural resources in a sustainable manner.
A formal, 30-day public comment period commenced Nov. 4. The public will have another chance to comment on the Environmental Analysis, which is projected to be finalized in the spring of 2016 before the final decision later in the year.
Substantial public comments will be utilized in the next step of the project when the USFS adjusts the proposed action and examines alternatives to the proposed action with the Environmental Assessment.
The Forest Service will additionally hold two public open houses in order to provide interested individuals with an opportunity to comment. Open hoses will take place in Laramie on Nov. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Laramie Civic Center Ballroom and in Cheyenne on November 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Laramie County Library Cottonwood Meeting room.
Anyone with questions, opinions or a desire to learn more about the proposal are encouraged to attend, Smutko said. USFS personnel will also be on site to answer inquiries.
The future of Pole Mountain’s roads continues to unfold
