U.S. Forest Service updates commissioners

The Big Horn County Commissioners received updates from District Ranger Mark Foster about the Medicine Wheel Ranger District Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Report at their December 6 meeting.
He said the report is part of an ongoing dialogue.
“Our annual report for the district talks about some success for the last year. One of the things we are really emphasizing is partnerships, engagement with our local community. I hope that that comes through.”
One update from the report addressed the Fire and Fuels program. Longtime manager Marvin Mathiesen is retiring. Sage Decker from the Cody Bureau of Land Management office will replace him. Foster said Decker already knows many of the same contacts and is dialed in to local fire organizations.
Foster also spoke about Forest Service Road 12 to the Medicine Wheel and beyond. He will be facilitating discussion to ensure there is a consensus regarding the management of the road.
Commissioner Dave Neves brought up the Historic Preservation Plan (HPP). He said that under the travel and access portion, it said, “‘The area’s closed to cross-county travel using motorized vehicles. Travel is restricted to defined roads or trails without closures.’ Our position (BHC commissioners) is we are not going to be in favor of any closures.”
Foster responded, “There are a couple of different pieces there. One of the other requirements was that if we were to consider closing Forest Service Road 12 and the access it provides, the Forest Service would conduct a feasibility analysis and have an alternative route in place prior to closure. That remains my stance as I don’t want to preclude access, because I think that road provides key access to permittees and forest resources like the ice caves that are on BLM land and serves as a good recreational conduit.”
He added that if there is a way to continue access with a closure of FS 12 with a separate route, he would be willing to consider it, but it couldn’t add any additional cost to any party.
To address Neves’ statement, Foster said, “There would still be that road on the ground. Even if we re-route FS Road 12 access beyond the Medicine Wheel, we would still need to provide access in an ADA (American Disabilities Act) fashion for folks who do want to visit the Medicine Wheel.”
He explained there needs to be a balance between maintaining access to the Wheel and around the Wheel. Foster believes there was strong conversation this summer. Issues discussed included speeding and having both a pedestrian and road path. It would cost a lot to re-route a road. There may be solutions out there, but any solution will require time and resources.
Foster mentioned that short-term closures must be worked through because of a ceremony at the Wheel. He said one of the provisions in the HPP gives authority to close for such an event.
Neves read from the HPP. “Upon request a minimum of 12 days will be set aside from July 1 to November 1 for American Indian ceremonial use of the Medicine Wheel and/or other locations without disturbance by the Forest visitors.”
The commissioners agreed with the provision, but Neves thought it addressed the road that goes by the Wheel to also say in the HPP that the road has no closures.
In response, Foster said he believes that should be a discussion with all the parties involved to make sure everyone is on the same page. The implementation on the ground has been different than what Neves read.
“On the ground right now, we are closing the road if someone asks for a private ceremony for a small amount of time. Usually that is tailored to the amount of time the ceremony takes. In most cases it will be a family asking, ‘Can we have the area closed to through traffic for the next hour while we respect an elder that passed away?’ We will put a closure up for that period of time. The interpreters at the time will talk to any members of the public, who will be asked to wait until the ceremony is over.”
According to Foster, this practice has not resulted in any pushback about the limited time closure from those visiting the site. He believes that would change if the area was closed for three or four days to all through traffic.
Commission chair Bruce Jolley noted the HPP refers to the closure of the Wheel to visitors, not the road. Foster said that was something that needed to be discussed further.
Jolley said the same issue comes up every year, and he doesn’t understand why, as it is “spelled out so perfectly” in the HPP. Yet there is a woman (whose name he couldn’t recall) that brings closures up every year. He doesn’t believe she comes to the meetings where all parties involved can discuss their issues and concerns.
“Everybody is agreeable, everybody is fine until that question pops up again. We get really riled up about it,” Jolley said.
Foster said he is very careful about maintaining access to public lands. His goal is to find a long-term solution that respects tribal interest and rights, as it is their open-air church that people are driving by at 30 mph.
“Sometimes that can be tough. So, I have to respect that perspective. At the same time, I can work toward finding a long-term solution, find ways to maintain that access while respecting the interest of the tribal cultural resources.”
Neves responded that the commission understood, “but we also think that if we give a little bit on the HPP that we’re going to get the short end of the deal.”
Foster said he understands that the commissioners represent the county. The county is one of the parties involved in management. As consulting parties, “All of us have to remind ourselves this is consensus management. If we are changing our approach to management or re-interpreting what the HPP says, we need to do so as a group and to make sure that is clear,” Foster said.
He concluded by reiterating that if access is going to be revisited, it needs to be done with all parties at the table. No one party has the right to unilaterally change anything.
Neves reiterated that the county’s position would not be in favor of changing the HPP, noting, “If we open it up, we don’t know what we are going to come up with.”
Foster acknowledged the county’s position and said he believes it is similar to the other parties in the coalition.
OTHER BUSINESS
• The HPP also covered decommission of the radar dome. The direction was revisited after Sept. 11, 2001. The dome was identified as a strategic interest for national security. As far as Foster knows, this has not changed. Neves noted that the county has a repeater at the site and would like it to remain there.
• Foster gave a range management update regarding sheep. He said the district received $50,000 in Resource Advisory Community (RAC) funds. They are a part of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act. The funds will be used for infrastructure. Range Program Manager Bryn Marsh will be working with all sheep permittees to identify key areas to upgrade water infrastructure. The goal is to put the money into landscape and have mutual benefits for wildlife and sheep.
• RAC funds will also go to Big Horn County Weed and Pest for plant management in the district.
• The district continues to evaluate options for forest-wide trailer storage for the three districts of the Bighorn National Forest.
• Foster will attend the Bighorn Basin Outdoor Recreation Collaborative meeting via Zoom to discuss how to improve mountain bike trails on the forest. A new recreation manager for the ranger district starts in January. The district wants to de-risk encounters between livestock and bikers.
• The ranger district is working through the Bighorn Fence Incentive to find projects.
• Holiday trees will be donated to three organizations in the county that are not able to get a tree on their own.
• Forest Service Road 17 will be re-graded from the turnoff on U.S. Highway 14 to the Ranger Creek Recreation Area.
• Foster is looking into to how to improve access to Adelaide and Shell reservoirs.
•There will be heavy construction next year at Willett Creek.