What is the Forest Service up to?
- More than double the area (map) of its existing housing at the Putt-Putt Trailhead to 8.4 acres
- More than triple the number of existing housing units to 36
- Destroy important wildlife habitat bordering a winter closure area
- Create traffic and parking congestion with (more than 50 additional vehicles parked in the area, and at least 250 additional daily trips through adjacent neighborhoods)
- Destroy valuable recreation area for hikers and bikers
- Desecrate beautiful natural landscape
- Ignore community-wide sentiment against sprawl
What is wrong with this?
- Forest Service refuses to consider less invasive alternatives
- Forest Service glossed over significant environmental impacts
- Forest Service ignored mounds of adverse public comment
How can they do this?
- Finance new development by selling off up to 11 acres of administrative land on North Cache
- Appeal to local real estate development interests—“High-dollar real estate in North Jackson for sale to highest bidder”
- Engage Town and County planners to circumvent Land Development Regulations
- Push project past current efforts to revise the Comprehensive Development Plan
How is this possible?
- Flawed Bush-era legislation allows Forest Supervisors to sell our public land (FSFREA)
- This legislation has never been used for a project of this magnitude
- This legislation is flawed because it allies Forest Service Supervisors with real estate developers
- It flies in the face of every Forest Service principle as the stewards of our public lands
- Our Supervisor was blinded by big bucks from selling high-value real estate on the Gateway to Grand Tetton and Yellowstone National Parks
What does the Forest Service Supervisor say?
- On record as unable to limit future development in this area
- Ignores her own employees’ comments that oppose this project (Employee Comments)
Here is a Google Maps representation of the proposed development:
Proposed Putt Putt Development
The Bridger-Teton National Forest Supervisor is proposing to SELL OFF a substantial portion of the land it owns just inside the Town of Jackson limits in order to replace an Administrative Building. This sale will thus leave little land for Forest Service Housing at that location, thrusting it onto lands containing 10 Forest Service housing units in East Jackson.. This will increase that load by 260%! They wish to push out into undisturbed land, as well as increase density on the present site.
As residents of this beautiful Valley, we find this an abhorrent situation! And as direct neighbors to these Forest Service lands, we are extremely concerned about the loss of open space as well as the degradation of the availability to wildlife which enjoys the area, and which we in turn enjoy – an enrichment to our lives every day. This should not be happening on any Forest Service lands!
The provision to sell off Administrative Lands, a Bush-era policy, is no longer extant, but this Forest Service unit has squeezed in under the wire, and is thus proposing maneuvers that are no long available – gratefully! – to any other Forest Service area. We feel this should also no long apply to the Bridger-Teton Forest inasmuch as it was so quickly slipped in by a hair’s breath!
The administrators have missed chances to apply for monies to replace their Administrative Building, and are now having to “sell their seed corn” to support activities and structures that should have been planned for long ago – and were not.
We hope that there is an alternate and creative way to avoid this unfortunate sale, and the resultant 260% increase in density in housing on undisturbed lands.
Elise M. Prayzich
Like many others in Jackson, I am concerned about the Forest Service proposal for building 26 additional housing units on the Nelson Drive site where 10 units are currently located. The many negative aspects of such action include additional crowding of the neighborhood, increased traffic congestion in East Jackson, effects on the Putt-Putt trail, reduction of open space, and harmful influences on wildlife.
Robert H. Stellwagen
I agree that what the Forest Service is proposing here is a little disturbing, and seems a little drastic. As a mountain biker and an all around outdoor enthusiast, i am worried about the encroachment of development into the Putt-Putt/Cache Creek area trail network. However, as a Forest Service employee, i understand that the current employee housing situation needs help. There is need for more and better housing for employees in Jackson. There are many Forest Service employees here in Jackson – community members – doing great things on our public lands every single day. I hope the Forest Service and the rest of the community will have them in their best interests. Lets start talking about solutions and alternatives here.