Members of the GLMC Meet with BLM State Director in Cheyenne

On October 25, 2022, several representatives of the Greater Little Mountain Coalition were invited to a join a meeting led by Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to discuss various public land access priorities of sportsmen groups across Wyoming. High on the list of priorities for the groups is the release of the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan draft.

In the presence of Bureau of Land Management State Director Andrew Archuleta, along with many members of his Deputy Director level staff, Coalition partners were able to ask questions surrounding plan updates and a potential release date, as well as emphasize the importance of this plan for the Greater Little Mountain area. Members of the BLM State Office were receptive the the messages shared by the Coalition, and reiterated their desire for a swift release of the Draft Resource Plan. However, they were unable to offer any specific timelines for when the Coalition can expect the plan’s release.

One thing emphasized by BLM staff members during the meeting was the importance of robust public engagement processes when it come to decisions being made on public lands. They expressed their gratitude to the Coalition for the work being done to keep the public informed on the plan’s status, and reiterated their desire to hear from as many Wyoming residents as possible once the draft plan is released.

The Greater Little Mountain Coalition is currently analyzing the Draft Rock Springs Resource Management plan. Continue to follow the Coalition in order to stay up to date.

Greater Little Mountain Coalition Hosts Trout Creek Field Trip for Stakeholders

In August, members of the Greater Little Mountain Coalition (GLMC) joined the Wyoming Bureau of Land Management State Office’s Wildlife Biologist and a few Sweetwater County Commissioners for a day of fishing at Trout Creek in the Greater Little Mountain area. In between moments of bliss brought about by catching Colorado Cutthroat Trout in a breathtaking landscape, the conversations surrounding the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan and the future of this special area were flowing.

“The Greater Little Mountain Coalition has dedicated over a decade to working towards a collaborative approach to management recommendations for this special place. Being a Sweetwater County Commissioner over the past several years, I have seen firsthand their commitment to finding creative solutions that work for all Wyoming residents. We must continue to work together to protect and appropriately utilize this gem within Sweetwater County.” former Sweetwater County Commissioner Lauren Schoenfeld.

Read more about the event in Sweetwater Now: https://www.sweetwaternow.com/opinion-greater-little-mountain-coalition-wants-area-to-remain-protected/

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Coalition hosts Summer EcoFlight Event over the Greater Little Mountain Area

In June of 2022, the Greater Little Mountain Coalition participated in an event with EcoFlight. The event took local decision-makers from Sweetwater County and members of Wyoming Game and Fish into the air and offered a once-in-a-lifetime view of the majesty of southwest Wyoming’s crown jewel, the Greater Little Mountain Area.

The BLM remains in the process of revising the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan, which includes the Greater Little Mountain Area (GLMA). The plan is expected to be released in the next year, followed by an important public comment period. The Greater Little Mountain Coalition is calling on the BLM to conserve critical habitat while allowing responsible development in specific areas so that the GLMA's irreplaceable fish and wildlife heritage is preserved for generations to come.

The 522,236 acres of pristine public lands that make up the GLMA support trophy big game animals and healthy native fish populations. With remote country consisting of sprawling aspen groves, pine forests, and red-striped badlands, the area offers some of the most sought-after hunting areas for mule deer and elk, as well as world-renowned cutthroat trout fishing. The large intact tracts of prime fish and wildlife habitat are some of the most sensitive habitats in Wyoming.

The Greater Little Mountain Coalition is grateful for the support of EcoFlight in offering a unique and memorable experience of the Greater Little Mountain area to stakeholders, local decision-makers, and agency officials.

Coalition: It's time to wrap this process up and get the Rock Springs RMP revision over the finish line ASAP

“It has been a decade since the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) initiated the revision of its land use plan for the Rock Springs region, and the plan is still years away from completion. This plan will guide all decisions for the 3.6 millions of acres of public land managed by the local BLM field office pertaining to recreation, wildlife habitat, energy development, grazing and many other land uses. This plan will also guide decisions for the Greater Little Mountain area – a place loved by hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists.”

“We appreciate all the hard work local BLM and WGFD staff and others have done to get us to where we are today, and we believe it is time to wrap this planning process up and get it over the finish line as expeditiously as possible.”

Read our Coalition’s letter to the editor in the Casper Star Tribune here: https://trib.com/opinion/columns/coalition-to-blm-updated-plan-needed-to-balance-conservation-of-wildlife-habitats-with-development/article_33e80365-1160-5dde-8c45-3ba5a8905a9e.html

Sweetwater County resident Mark Kot encourages all to weigh in on the BLM's Rock Springs resource management plan

Thank you to Sweetwater County resident Mark Kot for encouraging all to weigh in on the BLM's Rock Springs Resource Management Plan revision when it comes out, as this plan will guide land use and management decisions for the Greater Little Management Area for decades to come.

"Even though it may be months before this draft plan is published, it is important for everyone who uses and enjoys BLM land to watch for public notices of its publication and be prepared to comment on a wide array of multiple use resource issues covered by the draft plan. Commenting will make you part of the public participation process that will help ensure that our public lands are managed to protect our region’s multiple use heritage."

Read more from Mark in the Casper Star Tribune: https://trib.com/opinion/letters/kot-public-comment-helps-public-lands/article_3093d529-0950-5c20-9233-5ba368fe5d68.html?fbclid=IwAR3AvFZ5reVQSetVCnEIXY1KWcp0FG0f2riHw_hv116VQD14fqXOrSHHs00

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We still don't know when to expect to see the draft Resource Management Plan revision for the Rock Springs area, but we (the Greater Little Mountain Coalition) are ready to help guide you all through the process when it happens.

Deer-Elk Ecology Research (D.E.E.R.) Project Update

Five years of comprehensive research into why mule deer populations have declined dramatically over the past few decades is nearing the finish line.

A Public News Service Update: https://www.publicnewsservice.org/2020-06-09/endangered-species-and-wildlife/project-gains-new-insights-into-mule-deer-declines/a70464-1

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(Little Mountain Fawn photo above from the Monteith Shop website)

About the D.E.E.R. project, from the Monteith Shop website:

https://wyocoopunit.org/projects/deer-elk-ecology-research-project

The Rock Springs area in southwest Wyoming “harbors some of the most sought after mule deer and elk hunting in the state of Wyoming.  While elk have been above desired levels during most of the last 2 decades, the mule deer population remains about half of the desired population level.

In an effort to address the underlying reasons for failed growth of this and other mule deer populations in the West, a non-profit organization (Muley Fanatic Foundation), a management agency (Wyoming Game and Fish Department), and a research entity (Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit) have formed a key partnership to conceive and execute the Deer-Elk Ecology Research (DEER) Project.

The goal of the project is to identify the factors regulating growth and distribution of mule deer in this high-desert ecosystem, while simultaneously developing a better understanding of the ecology of elk and their interactions with mule deer.”

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Governor Mark Gordon Visits Greater Little Mountain Area - June 12th, 2020

Today Governor Mark Gordon visited the Greater Little Mountain Area south of Rock Springs, one of Wyoming’s treasured recreation destinations for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities.

The tour was coordinated by the Greater Little Mountain Coalition, a group made up of sportsmen’s organizations, union members, and local residents committed to conserving the area’s scenic, recreational, and wildlife values.

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GLMA tour group atop Little Mountain

A forthcoming plan from the Bureau of Land Management will provide management direction for 3.6 million acres of public land across southwest Wyoming in the Rock Springs Field Office, which includes the Greater Little Mountain Area. The Governor’s office and the Coalition has been engaged in the new plan’s development since the revision process began in 2011.

“It was a pleasure to see the area and its wildlife, and to hear from local sportsmen, a local rancher, and others about their passion for this place,” said Governor Gordon. “Wyoming takes pride in the responsible stewardship of our land and resources and I expect to see the BLM honor the local input they received.”

Spanning from desert badlands to high-mountain aspen and conifer groves, this area is home to productive trout streams and some of the most sought-after big game hunting opportunities in the state. Eastman’s Hunting Journal regularly includes the area’s deer and elk units in its top-five ranked Wyoming hunts. The deer unit consisting of the Greater Little Mountain Area receives the most resident hunting applications (3,120 in 2019) statewide for its limited quota of tags. Since 1990, conservation organizations and state and federal agencies have spent more than $9 million in on-the-ground projects to enhance and maintain these resources.  

“We appreciate the Governor’s commitment to see the Little Mountain area and visit with local stakeholders, especially during these challenging times,” said Josh Coursey, with the Greater Little Mountain Coalition. “The forthcoming decision by the BLM is a critical one for the future of this incredible place, and we hope that the agency will take into account the strong local and state support for a balanced plan.”

The Greater Little Mountain Coalition has been actively engaged in the planning process since 2008. By convening a wide range of local interests and voices, the coalition developed a proposal, under consideration by the BLM, that would ensure the region’s fish and wildlife resources and open space are managed in a balanced way. Key among the proposal’s provisions include measures to conserve Sage Creek, Sugarloaf Basin and Pine Mountain, three areas of particular importance.

A film released in 2019 highlights the Greater Little Mountain Area and local support featuring seven Sweetwater County residents.

The Greater Little Mountain Coalition is an assembly of sportsmen conservation organizations, union members, miners, and more than 2,500 hunters, anglers and recreationists who seek to find balanced solutions that ensures the regions great hunting, fishing, and open space is conserved for future generations while supporting responsible energy development. The Coalition partners include: Bowhunters of Wyoming, Muley Fanatic Foundation, Southwest Labor Council, Steelworkers Union 13214, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Wildlife Federation.

Coalition partner Josh Coursey: ‘the Greater Little Mountain Area needs our help’

We hope you all are healthy, hanging in there, and getting outside safely when you are able to.

As many of you know, the BLM’s Rock Springs Field Office intends to release a draft Resource Management Plan Revision sometime this spring, which will propose resource management options for the Greater Little Mountain Area. This has been on all of our minds, so Coalition partner Josh Coursey wrote an opinion piece last month that was published in the Casper Star Tribune. The link below will direct you to the piece if you missed it.

Our position remains resolute that “the Greater Little Mountain Area is too special for full development.”

Let us know what you think, and as always, thank you for making time to speak up for- and learn more about this very special place.

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Coursey: Greater Little Mountain needs our help

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Rocket-Miner on GLMC Film & Expert Panel event

The Rocket-Miner’s Hannah Romero reported on the Greater Little Mountain Coalition’s Film & Expert Panel event hosted at the Broadway Theatre in Rock Springs on January 21st, 2020. To read the article, click the link below:

Rocket-Miner’s “The Balance of Responsibility”

In Romero’s words, the film “highlights the importance of the Greater Little Mountain area and the desire to preserve it in its current wild state. It features Sweetwater County residents expressing their love for the area and discussing the need for a balance between the development of industries that provide a livelihood for many Wyoming residents and a preservation of the natural wildernesses that residents go to for recreation.”

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Audience members listen intently as panel members share their visions for the Greater Little Mountain Area and their reasons for supporting conservation of the area’s natural resources and the Coalition’s resource management proposal.

Greater Little Mountain Film & Expert Panel - Jan 21st, 2020

The Greater Little Mountain Coalition hosted over a hundred people on Tuesday January 21st for a free film showing and a panel discussion at the Broadway Theatre in Rock Springs. The film features a wide range of residents who describe the value of the Greater Little Mountain area to their way of life, and their desires to protect this wild, beautiful area from development. This is a one-of-a-kind recreational destination for hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts that provides important habitat for fish and wildlife, and grazing opportunities that support local ranching families. You can watch the film on the Greater Little Mountain Coalition home page.

An expert panel discussion followed the film, including questions from the audience, and panel members called on community members to be involved in the area management planning process. The release of a draft resource management plan is expected this Spring.

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Thank you to all of those who attended and participated.