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April 22, 2010 I The Lovell Chronicle I 7
PLAN
Harvey said Stewart
agreed to not ticket viola-
tors for the time being and
Harvey and Grant urged
him to hold another public
meeting so that interested
citizens who were part of
the process three years ear-
lier could understand why
the comments given then
were not incorporated into
the final plan and why mil-
lions of federal dollars were
spent for public land that
could not be easily accessed
from the east.
The BLM agreed to host
last Thursday's meeting.
At first, Harvey said, the
agency simply scheduled
an open house for looking
at maps and making com-
ments, but Harvey said "we
knew from the last meeting
that the comments, if not
written down, would not be
included in the plan," add-
ing, "We wanted a public
meeting with open dialogue
where people could voice
their opinions and know
that they were heard."
The BLM then added a
question-and-answer ses-
sion to the meeting Thurs-
day, and each question
and comment was written
down. Harvey said the BLM
has agreed to hear the com-
ments and modify the plan.
During the open house
portion of Thursday's meet-
ing, Grant said he is pleased
that the BLM was willing to
open the plan back up, take
comments and modify the
plan.
"I appreciate them.
Mike Stewart has been
great," Grant said. "They're
going to modify it almost
back to where we thought
we had left it. They're tak-
ing notes at the tables (with
the maps), and they've nev-
er done that before. They're
putting sticky notes on fa-
vorite roads. I really appre-
ciate what they're doing."
The compromise on
Mexican Hill will allow
the road on the west end of
the hill to re-open, but the
roads over the top will re-
naiil ¢sed d'rsion,
Graii said. Wl:immons
Canyon road is more prob-
lematic, he said.
Q&A
During the question
and answer period Thurs-
day, Stewart opened by say-
ing the decision on the trav-
el plan was signed in 2006,
but the BLM finally had the
money to purchase signs in
2009 and then started to
implement the plan. When
people started seeing the
signs, he said he started re-
ceiving feedback to the tune
of, "What happened? You're
closing off the mountain."
He said he scheduled the
Thursday meeting to ask,
"Did we miss something?
Should that road have been
left open?" or to hear, "The
one didn't make sense to
me."
As the questions began,
Ethan Brost asked why
roads were being closed,
Continued from page 1
and Stewart said the cri-
teria are spelled out in the
travel management plan.
Specifically, he said, the
short roads in the Mexican
Hill area were closed due to
erosion concerns.
Randy Armstrong said
it makes no sense to close
the Simmons Canyon road,
which he said has always
been a good access road
for hunting and is needed
for game retrieval. He said
the area doesn't have much
feed anyway and is mostly
rock and timber.
Stewart said the Sim-
mons Canyon area does
provide a safe area for elk
and does provide cover, not-
ing that the road was closed
to motorized traffic to pro-
vide an area with security
for elk and to provide an op-
portunity for hunters who
like a primitive hunting ex-
perience.
Ethan Brost suggest-
ed that the road could be
closed during calving sea-
son and then opened back
up during hunting season.
"What's the difference
between a four-wheeler go-
ing in there or someone
walking in and shooting at
them?, Brost asked. "I un-
derstand that you have to
leave it closed a little longer
during the calving season."
Armstrong said that
most elk are just passing
through the area anyway
and when the first shots are
fired will drop into Devil's
Canyon.
Terry Brost said that
many people don't have ac-
cess to horses and due to
age or physical problems
can't move a harvested
elk uphill to the road that
would be left open. He said
they could get an elk to an
ATV if the Simmons Can-
yon were to be left open, but
closing the road makes it
impossible for many to hunt
in that area "because of in-
firmities."
Stewart noted that
some areas have game re-
trieval roads that are only
open certain hoprs, noting,
"I have seen it work in Mon-
tana."
"That wouldn't be a bad
solution for that area," Bro-
st noted. "I like the idea of
a game retrieval time. That
makes sense to me."
Harvey noted that some
roads, like the Simmons
Canyon Road, simply pro-
vide access to some truly
beautiful country and said
it would be a shame if the
public could not reach cer-
tain areas.
The topic of enforce-
ment came up, and some
wondered if game retriev-
al times would be on the
honor system. One person
mentioned that in the Jack-
son area as many people as
needed can enter an area to
retrieve an animal, but they
cannot hunt. Someone sug-
gested that a hefty fine is
needed.
Stewart said the road
could be signed rather than
gated, with an emphasis
on enforcement during key
times. Jerry Altermatt not-
ed, however, that some-
one merely having to open
a gate during road-closed
times might make them
think twice.
Suggested retrieval
times included 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. or 10 a.m, to 1 p.m.
and then again right after
dark.
"We need to enforce it
ourselves," Grant said. "If
we don't the roads will be
closed. We'll lose some roads
if we don't enforce it."
But Armstrong asked
how to enforce a road-closed
rule with an unknown par-
ty. "Do you take a photo?"
he asked. "You can't con-
front 'em."
Stewart said to call the
BLM and they would re-
spond.
BLM Wind River/Big
Horn Basin District Manag-
er Eddie Bateson said every-
one is going to have to work
together on Little Moun-
tain on management and
enforcement, with BLM,
the Game and Fish, the Big
Horn County Sheriffs office
and the public working on
enforcement as a group.
Harvey said bear hunt-
ers want to place their bait
before May 1, but the sea-
sonal closure lasts through
April 30. She asked if a spe-
cial permit could be issued
just to the few bear hunt-
ers. Bateson said limited
exceptions could be grant-
ed in consultation with the
Game and Fish.
Other issues discussed
included:
• Prescribed burns on
Little Mountain.
• Opening up more of
the area by purchasing the
Lowemiller Ranch.
• Access to the Devil's
Canyon Road.
• The availability of a
travel map for Little Moun-
tain.
Grant said he would
like to post a large, updated
map at the fire hall. !
FRIENDS
Continued from page 1
path led him to Los Ange-
les, where he appeared in
feature films such as the X-
Files and television shows
like Just Shoot Me and the
Jamie Foxx Show.
Traywick also appeared
on the Disney Channel in a
cable television movie op-
posite Beau Bridges and in
numerous national commer-
cials for companies like Mc-
Donald's and Circuit City.
Soon after meeting his
future wife, Traywick left
"the biz" to pursue a degree.
He is currently working in
the Organizational Devel-
opment Dept. at the Bill-
ings Clinic.
Hutchinson to deploy
Kris Hutchinson, a 2009
graduate of Lovell High
School, has joined the Unit-
KRIS HUTCHINSON
ed States Army Infantry.
Hutchinson completed
his basic training at Fort
Benning, Ga., where his
training was a combina-
tion of both basic and ad-
vance training due to his
status as an infantryman.
While there, he had to go
on 12-mile marches with
a 60-pound backpack. Sol-
diers learned advanced ri-
fle marksmanship, close
quarter combat and combat
drills.
Upon finishing basic
training, Hutchinson was
given his first duty station,
joining the 10th Mountain
Division at Fort Drum, N.Y.
He will be deploying some-
time in May to Afghani-
stan.
FOUND!
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Volunteers at the New Horizons Care Center were honored for their
gracious work throughout the year at a volunteer appreciation luncheon
Tuesday. Pictured are (back row, l-r) Janice Mangus, Elaine Splan, Judy
Quarles, Lorna Fowler, Arlene Ross (front row, l-r) Dorothy Winterholler,
Kathy Harrison, Marian Leonhardt, Janice Allen and Rose Tippetts.
Thanks to all the.reat volunteers at New Horizons Care Center
anti North 15i Horn Hospital.
We appreciateall tha} 9ou clo!
1115 Lane 12 .,"f_OV' 548-5200". Www nbhh. com
! •
Just a reminder, a00w. ays call
before you d00g.
These days more and more power lines are located underground, and the truth is, you don't
know where they are, but we do. So before you pick up a shovel, pick up a phone and call 811
48 hours before you dig. Whether you're planting a tree, digging holes for fence posts or installing
underground sprinklers, knowing where the power lines are ROCKY MOUNTAIN
buried could be a matter of life and death. For more safety POI/R
information, visit rockymountainpower.net/safety. Let's turn the answers on.
