Communities Weigh In On Scenic Byway

By Alejandra Silva for the Wind River News
Staff Writer

Officials with the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan heard suggestions and concerns Thursday during a second public meeting about the future of the corridor. The scenic byway passes through the Wind River Indian Reservation on Highway 20 between Shoshoni and Thermopolis.
The Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Department of Transportation, Aztec Engineering, who will analyze the existing conditions, and Intrinsic Consulting, the consulting firm hired by the tribes to guide the project, held public meetings beginning Feb. 6 in Thermopolis and continued in Fort Washakie and Riverton on Feb. 7.

Project's purpose
"Wyoming's scenic byway program's purpose is to promote and enhance tourism (and) the understanding and appreciation of the state's heritage," said Susan Springer, the project and public involvement manager from Intrinsic Consulting. "Our mission is to provide resources to communities, to create these cool travel experiences."
She said the project also is intended to promote economic development, and community input will serve as a general guide. The group hopes to provide more geological information, aside from the visual beauty of the byway, and coordinate enhancement, preservation and maintenance along the byway.
Springer initiated conversation with the attendees who met in Fort Washakie's Frank Wise Business Center, which included staff from the Wyoming Department of Transportation, Wyoming Travel and Tourism, Wind River Visitor's Council, Wind River Casino, the Lander U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conservation office and local tribe members. She explained the process of the plan and how Aztec Engineering will also research and identify the archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic features that qualify it to be a recognized designation at the state and federal level.
The Federal Highway Administration funds 80 percent of the project through a grant, and the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes will pursue other grants to cover the remaining 20 percent.
Springer described the corridor management plan as a "roadmap, a general planning guide for state designated scenic byways," along with community plans, goals, desires and needs of those who work or live along the route.
In the plan, the resources, infrastructure, mission, marketing, management, funding and ongoing public involvement are included to carry out a successful detailed process that not only focuses on transportation issues but also on the scenic and cultural aspects.
Attendees asked: How far out off the route will enhancements take place? Will updates on the progress of the project be available after these meetings? Will the tunnels be affected?
No set distance has been confirmed, and Spring said a community advisory committee made up of about 30 people from tribe organizations, business owners, property owners, government agencies, chambers and other organizations will have the role of submitting additional community input and distributing information regarding the plan's progress.
"(They) will help us hone in on the vision, the mission, and some goals and objectives they want to have in the plan," she said.
Howard Brown, the planning assistant for the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes Division of Transportation, assured attendees that one of the reasons why the project was initiated was to preserve the tunnels and clean up the graffiti.
Springer addressed one concern by saying the plan is not that of the Federal Highway Administration, nor is it a plan to restrict property rights or regulate land use.
"There's nothing that happens in the federal standpoint that's going to affect any land ownership," Springer said.

Drafting ideas and concerns
Springer had everyone present divide into groups and discuss some of their favorite places along the corridor, their worries for the area currently and after the improvements, and what they'd like to see change along the route.
Groups said some of their favorite locations or things along the route are Hot Springs State Park, the tunnels, information signs, Wind River, plants, Boysen Dam and Reservoir, white water rafting, campgrounds and bighorn sheep. Some were concerned about pollution, too many people, lack of acceptance of Native culture, littering, graffiti, loss of ability to harvest sacred plants, falling rocks, lack of places to stop and trespassing of private reservation land.
Groups said they wish for areas with more handicapped accessibility, geological information, increased tribal law enforcement, less infrastructure and powerlines, more tourism and maintained water quality. The attendees were then asked to prioritize their top three from the long list of items everyone brainstormed.
The cooperation, input and knowledge of several groups that come together, Springer said, makes the project produce a great outcome.
The project outline that began in October 2012 will have additional public input for the draft document of the plan again later this year, she said.