Wyoming

As Wyoming Camping Season Kicks Off, Popular Snowy Range Road Remains Closed

Published

1 month ago

May 25, 2024

As Wyoming Camping Season Kicks Off, Popular Snowy Range Road Remains Closed

From Gary Willams’ perspective, everything old is new again when it comes to Boswell Road, a popular route for campers to take into the southern Snowy Range Mountains that runs right through his property.

He’s placed a gate across the road at his property line about a half-mile off Highway 230.

With peak camping season set to kick off over Memorial Day weekend, Willams told Cowboy State Daily that he intends to keep a gate closed, but not locked.

The road remains officially closed to the public. And Williams said that frustrates him, because he’s OK with folks passing through his property to get to some fantastic camping spots in the meadows beyond. All he asks is that people drive slowly past his house and close the gate behind them.

He also isn’t impressed with the results of a meeting this week between the Albany County Commission and U.S. Forest Service officials about the status of the road. While both have at some point claimed ownership of the road, neither do now.

“Nothing came out of it,” he said. “They’re back to pointing their fingers at each other. We’re back to square one.”

County and Forest Service officials said a resolution is probably still at least months away.

Who Does It Even Belong To?

Jurisdiction over the road remains murky.

The Forest Service has always operated under the assumption that Boswell Road is an Albany County thoroughfare, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest Supervisor Russell Bacon told the county commissioners.

The roughly 11-mile dirt road route running between Highway 230 and Highway 10 in southern Albany County has never been marked as a Forest Service road on the agency’s maps, he said.

However, from a legal standpoint, it can’t be a country road either, and the county is frustrated over efforts to route it around Willams’ property on the west end hitting snags, Commission Chairman Pete Gosar said.

County engineers had plans to re-route the road, which is what Willams wants, only to have the Forest Service say that couldn’t happen unless it’s formally declared a county road, he said.

And it might be impossible for the county to ever claim full jurisdiction over the road because a section of it dips into Colorado.

About 25% of the route runs through private property, including Williams’ land at the west end, and the Boswell Ranch, owned by former Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead at the east end.

Mead hasn’t gated his section of the road, but has placed “private road, no trespassing” signs at his property line.

Of the remaining 75% of the route, about half runs through the national forest and the rest crosses parcels controlled by the Bureau of Land Management and state of Wyoming.

For years, the Forest Service maintained Boswell Road in exchange for the county maintaining Harris Park Road.

However, the road hasn’t been maintained by either entity for at least a year. Some property owners recently told Cowboy State Daily that it’s become extremely rough in some places, even though it remains the best route in and out of the area.

A map shows where the Boswell Springs wind farm is in Albany County. (Courtesy Innergex)
Former Wyoming governor Matt Mead recently opted to close a section of the Boswell Road that runs through his property, just off Highway 10 in southern Albany County. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily)
Former Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead owns the historic Boswell Ranch just off Highway 10 in southern Albany County. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily)
The Carpenter Family has been ranching in Albany for six generations, but might not be able to access their summer range off Boswell Road this year, because the road has been closed. (Courtesy Leisl Carpenter)

Not A Priority For Forest Service

One possible way out of the quandary would be for the county to secure easements along the sections of road that pass through private property. That could make it essentially a county road.

The section going through Colorado would be under Forest Service jurisdiction.

If some property owners refuse to grant easements, the county could take the case to court.

But regardless of whether such easements were settled with a handshake or via a court order, the process would likely take months.

Boswell Road could also be officially converted to a Forest Service road. That would probably take even longer, because a full environmental assessment would be in order, Bacon told the commissioners.

He also said that with 4,500 miles of Forest Service road already under his office’s jurisdiction, “it’s not going to float very high on our priority list” to add Boswell Road, he said.

A 40-Year Wait

Willams has owned his property for 39 years, and said he’s always been frustrated by the back-and-forth between the Forest Service and Albany County when it comes to the road.

It runs right next to his house, and he said he put up the gate because he was getting weary of traffic speeding by.

“I’ve had side-by-sides go through my yard doing 30-40 mph, I’m not kidding,” he said.

Mead previously told Cowboy State Daily that he closed his section of the road partly because he was concerned over liability should a speeding driver have a crash there.

“I’m worried about the same thing,” Willams said, which is why he wants people to slow down.

The Forest Service has put up “road closed” signs at the intersection of Boswell Road and Highway 230.

Willams said he’s not happy about that.

“I’ve never stopped anybody from coming through. My gate was put there just to get people to slow down going through my property,” he said. “I hope people realize, it was the Forest Service that closed the road, not me,” he said.

As for where things go from here, Willams said he’s hopeful, but skeptical.

“Public opinion is what’s going to change this whole deal,” he said. “Maybe on the 40th anniversary of me owning the property we’ll get something done.”

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Wyoming

Don Day Wyoming Weather Forecast: Wednesday,… | Cowboy State Daily

Published

6 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

Don Day Wyoming Weather Forecast: Wednesday,… | Cowboy State Daily

Chance of rain in much of Wyoming on Wednesday, otherwise mostly sunny. Severe storms possible in the eastern plains and southeast. Highs generally in the 80s and lows in the 50s or low 60s.

Central:

Casper: Chance of rain mainly after 4 p.m. today and a slight chance tonight before 9 p.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 65.

Riverton: Mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 59.

Glenrock: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and a slight chance before 9 p.m. tonight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 60.

Southwest:

Evanston: Chance of rain today and a slight chance overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 54.

Green River: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and a slight chance overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 83 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 59 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Lyman: Sunny today with a high near 85 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 54.

Western Wyoming:

Pinedale: Chance of rain today and a slight chance overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 57.

Alpine: Chance of rain mainly after 5 p.m. today and tonight mainly before 9 p.m. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 83 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 54.

Big Piney: Slight chance of rain today and overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 80 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 50 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Northwest:

Dubois: Chance of rain mainly after 1 p.m. today and tonight mainly before midnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 77 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 54 and wind gusts as high as 20 mph.

Jackson: Slight chance of rain today and overnight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 82 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 50.

Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park: Chance of rain today and tonight mainly before 9 p.m. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 73 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 46.

Bighorn Basin:

Thermopolis: Mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 61.

Cody: Slight chance of rain after 1 p.m. today and before midnight tonight. Otherwise, partly sunny today with a high near 85 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 61.

Powell: Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m. today and before 9 p.m. tonight. Otherwise, increasing clouds today with a high near 88 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 61.

North Central:

Buffalo: Mostly sunny and breezy today with a high near 84 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 63.

Sheridan: Increasing clouds and hot today with a high near 90 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 59.

Dayton: Becoming sunny in the afternoon today with a high near 85 and partly cloudy overnight with a slight chance of rain before midnight and a low near 60.

Northeast:

Gillette: Slight chance of rain after 3 p.m. today and before midnight tonight. Otherwise, increasing clouds today with a high near 86 and wind gusts as high as 21 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 60 and wind gusts as high as 24 mph.Sundance: Chance of rain after noon today and overnight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 80 and wind gusts as high as 16 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 60 and wind gusts as high as 18 mph.

Upton: Chance of rain after 3 p.m. today and mainly before midnight tonight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 85 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph. Partly cloudy overnight with a low near 61 and wind gusts as high as 23 mph.

Eastern Plains:

Torrington: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and before midnight tonight. Some storms could be severe. Otherwise, mostly sunny and hot today with a high near 90 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 61.

Douglas: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and before 9 p.m. tonight. Some storms could be severe. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 86 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 59.

Midwest: Slight chance of rain after 4 p.m. today and before 9 p.m. tonight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 86 and partly cloudy overnight with a low near 62.

Southeast:

Cheyenne: Chance of rain after noon today and overnight. Some of the storms could be severe. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 60.

Laramie: Chance of rain after noon today and a slight chance overnight. Some of the storms could be severe. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 83 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 57.

Medicine Bow: Chance of rain after noon today and tonight before 9 p.m. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 87 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 56.

South Central:

Rawlins: Chance of rain after noon today and a slight chance tonight before 9 p.m. Otherwise, increasing clouds today with a high near 87 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 59.

Encampment: Chance of rain mainly after 3 p.m. today and tonight mainly before midnight. Otherwise, mostly sunny today with a high near 84 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 56.

Baggs: Slight chance of rain after noon today and a chance of rain tonight mainly before midnight. Otherwise, increasing clouds and hot today with a high near 90 and mostly cloudy overnight with a low near 54.

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Wyoming

New mobile app for pest identification available for Wyoming pests – Platte County Record-Times

Published

13 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

New mobile app for pest identification available for Wyoming pests – Platte County Record-Times

Laramie – The University of Wyoming Extension recently released a new software application that can be used to identify Wyoming plant diseases and pests.
The mobile app, called Wyoming Crop Pests, is available for both Android and Apple devices and can be found in app stores by searching “Wyoming Crop Pests”. Scott Schell, UW Extension entomologist, developed the tool to help amateur home gardeners and producers identify plant diseases and pests.
The Wyoming Crop Pests app contains information about common pests of vegetables grown in Wyoming. Users select a crop and types of damage based on both pictures and short descriptions. Once users have used the interactive key to narrow down the kinds of pests that may be causing the damage they’re seeing, they can explore links explaining the best ways to manage those pests.

To develop the app, Schell tapped into resources from other land-grant universities to share links to current, well-researched information about each pest. The app also contains links to the “Wyoming Vegetable and Fruit Growing Guide,” a free publication from UW Extension that provides comprehensive information about how to garden successfully in Wyoming conditions. While the app currently focuses on vegetable pests, Schell may eventually add information about fruit pests as well.

Schell emphasizes that if a user isn’t sure whether what they’re seeing on their plants matches what they’re seeing in the app, they should contact their local extension office.

“This is a tool that give people some independence, but I also want them to know where they can reach out for more info and help on pest issues,” says Schell. “I’m always happy to look at pictures of bugs!”

He sees the new tool as an opportunity to reach younger audiences who may not know about extension services.

Schell also aimed to make the app accessible to users who may be less comfortable with technology. “I find it kind of ironic that a guy like me was involved in making an app,” says Schell. “There’s probably a lot more verbiage explaining how to use it than most apps. For a lot of people my age, these apps aren’t intuitive.”

For more information about the app or Wyoming crop pests, contact Schell at sschell@uwyo.edu or (307) 766-2508.

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Wyoming

Construction on Wyoming emergency detour nears completion

Published

21 hours ago

June 25, 2024

Press Room

Construction on Wyoming emergency detour nears completion

Paving work on a temporary detour around a collapsed section of Wyoming’s Teton Pass highway is expected to be completed this week, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) said Monday.

Read more: Learn More About Emergency Funds and Where to Keep Them

WYDOT said crews are about halfway done with installing box culverts in the area that will improve drainage, and that paving operations for the detour are tentatively scheduled for Thursday.

The landslide caused significant damage to the highway at Teton Pass. WYDOT expect paving work on the new detour to be completed this week.

WYDOT

Newsweek has contacted the Wyoming Department of Transportation for comment.

The Context

Teton Pass highway, which runs between Wyoming and Idaho, suffered a “major disruption” earlier this month after it was damaged in a landslide following snowmelts in the Teton Range.

Read more: How to Build an Emergency Fund

Images released by WYDOT showed that a large section of the road had completely collapsed.

At the time, WYDOT said crews were working in the area to construct a detour around the initial damage, but the landslide continued to move, leading to further damage. No crews were hurt in the process.

What We Know

The new detour will include a paved roadway with two 12-foot lanes, one in each direction. Concrete barriers will be in place to keep drivers safe from any hazards.

The detour is being constructed inside the curve, away from the unstable slide area. It will introduce a slightly sharper curve and steeper grade. To accommodate for this, WYDOT plans to reduce the speed limit in the area.

A WYDOT statement said that officials hope to have the detour paved and open to traffic by the end of the week.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHA) has provided $6 million in emergency relief funding to offset the cost of repairs in the area.

“The Federal Highway Administration is working closely with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to repair the damage caused by the landslide at Teton Pass,” FHA Administrator Shailen Bhatt said in a news release on Friday.

“The Emergency Relief funding we are providing will help get repairs done as soon as possible and restore temporary access to the area during the busy summer tourist season.”

Views

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg referred to the road damage as “a major disruption for travelers.”

Part of Highway 22 near the WY-ID border has been taken out by a landslide, a major disruption for travelers. Our DOT team is working with WY officials to assist with emergency repairs. In the meantime, plan ahead if your route takes you over Teton Pass. https://t.co/bFqjtQEPtR
— Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) June 9, 2024

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon issued an Executive Order declaring an emergency in response to the “catastrophic failure” of the highway.

A press release accompanying the Executive Order directed WYDOT and the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security to “take all appropriate and necessary action, including, but not limited to, coordination of state and federal resources.”

The governor said in a statement: “I recognize the significant impacts this closure has to Teton County residents, regional commuters and the local economy.”

What’s next?

WYDOT have said that more permanent reconstruction plans are underway, and WYDOT engineers are working with geologists, planning and design departments, and environmental services to develop long-term reconstruction strategies.

Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about road projects in your state? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com