BLM Asking for Public Input on Travel Management Plan

Two public meetings in Kaycee and Buffalo will be held by the Bureau of Land Management to gather input on the development of the Southwest Johnson County Travel and Transportation Management Plan (TTMP) and Environmental Assessment.

According to a release from the BLM, the project includes nearly 234,000 acres of BLM-managed surface primarily around the southern Bighorn Mountains, and encompasses several recreation management areas, including Mosier Gulch, Middle Fork Powder River, and Hole-in-the-Wall, as well as 13 miles of hiking trails and the E.O. Taylor Wildlife Habitat Management Area.

Through ground and remote inventories on BLM-managed surface, 654 miles of roads and trails have been mapped, 154 miles of which are publicly accessible.

Outdoor Recreation Planner Rachel Woita said, “Some routes or features, like gates or washouts, may have been missed by our inventories. Early public input is crucial in helping us map what’s already on the landscape, identify management issues, and formulate alternatives.”

The BLM, through the planning process, wants to identify and understand the use of existing transportation features such as roads and trails that serve the public and permitted uses, and develop travel networks and recreational opportunities that reflect the goals and objectives of the Buffalo Resource Management Plan.

The 30-day public scoping period ends on March 11.

The BLM will host two public meetings to provide information and receive input.

The first will be in Kaycee on Wednesday, February 23 at Harold Jarrard Park from 5:30 to 7:30pm.

The second will be in Buffalo Monday, February 28 at the BLM Buffalo Field Office from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Information about the project, as well as an interactive map are available on the BLM’s ePlanning website.

Contact information:

https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2017241/510.

People are encouraged to submit comments through the ePlanning website, using the mapping tool to indicate missing or incorrect routes and features.

Comments may also be submitted by email to:

BLM_WY_Buffalo_WYMail@blm.gov with the subject line “SW Johnson County TTM.”

or by mail to: BLM Buffalo Field Office, Attn: SW Johnson County TTM, 1425 Fort Street, Buffalo, WY 82834.

For more information, please contact the BLM Buffalo Field Office at (307) 684-1100.