Protect the Putt Putt

Responding to the Bridger-Teton Supervisor’s attempt to justify her upcoming decision to auction off our U.S. Forest Service land on North Cache, the Conservation Alliance writes in this week’s Jackson Hole News & Guide,

• “How can we allow this sale of public lands to provide basic funding needs to maintain and operate a federal agency?”
• This is “a dismal failure of Congress.”
• “We have expressed our concerns to Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrraso and to Rep. Cynthia Lummis and have not recieved suppport from them . . . .”

And in Jane Folgeman’s letter to the editor,

• “Will we once again stand by as our precious wild lands are eroded bit by bit?

The Forest Service relies upon legislation known as FSFREA for authority to sell its high-dollar real estate on North Cache for commercial development.  But this project abuses Congressional intent and agency policy for FSFREA. 

Our latest letters to decision-makers explain this FSFREA abuse:

• Congress only intended that FSFREA be used to sell “excess and unneeded land and facilities.”  NFS – letter 1-1-10.
• Agency policy limits FSFREA sales to those with “support from public.” NFS – letter 1-18-10.

This abuse of FSFREA–auctioning off our valuable public asset in downtown Jackson–risks loosing the authority for future legitimate uses.

The Conservation Alliance uncovered evidence that this whole thing was rigged.  According to the Jackson Hole News & Guide, documents in Forest Service files prove that it already is spending money from its “proposed” sale of North Cache property to build a new Big Piney Ranger District Office building (Sale is Rigged).

It gets worse.  We have evidence that the Bridger-Teton has been spending funds borrowed against its future sales of OUR public lands since 2007 (EA Comment – 11-30-09 at page 11).

“Add the Jackson Town Council to the list of entities that oppose the sale of national forest land on North Cache Street,” reports the Jackson Hole News & Guide (article).

The Town Council unanimously endorsed a letter to Bridger-Teton National Forest, detailing the council’s opposition to the sale of our land along North Cache (Town of Jackson – letter 11-30-09).

Thank you to the Mayor and Town Councilors.

The local Forest Service claims it has no other funding source to meet it facilities maintenance needs, so it must auction off its land. 

How can this be true?

Grand Teton National Park got a $13 million “presidentially directed” earmark to build more employee housing.  But the whole state of Wyoming got no “Congressionally directed spending items” in the FY2010 budget for all our federal lands state-wide. We are one of four states with no Congressional “earmarks” for our federal lands.

How can this be true?

FY 2010 appropriations include $500 million in discretionary funds for Forest Service facilities improvement.  Yet we have none of that.

How can this be true?

The BTNF applied for $9 million in Recovery Act funds for facilities construction, and the Regional Office withdrew the application.

Someone must really want to sell that prime piece of real estate on North Cache.

But, unanswered questions cause concern:

• How much housing is enough?
• Why disturb virgin forest when other alternatives have no environmental impact?
• With a better housing allowance, why can’t employees find existing housing in Town?
• Why not work with the Housing Trust to develop affordable employee housing in Town–the School Board did and the Hospital did?