Sublette County Wyoming commissioners are steadily moving forward with a plan to dam the Green River about a mile above the Warren Bridge. Proponents of this project want to take more control of water rights on the river and potentially harness hydro-power near the headwaters of the Green River, just south of Jackson Hole. They are also claiming that there are other benefits such as "boating, camping and fisheries". Guess what...it's already there, and we don't need to put a dam up for those reasons. There is already world-class camping, fishing and driftboating found here. For those readers who are not familiar with the area, the Green above and below the Warren Bridge is an exceptional trout stream, home to trophy Brown, Rainbow and Cutthroat trout. It is also home to a healthy Brook Trout population and native Whitefish. The amount of public access above Warren Bridge through mostly BLM land is unrivaled. The area is also right in the middle of a very critical migration corridor for Antelope. It seems to me that putting a dam up in this pristine area would prove to be a devastating decision that could not be reversed. The Wyoming Water Development Commission and Legislature’s Selective Water Committee met in Casper today and will meet tomorrow to consider the request for funding. There will be a vote tomorrow, and a final vote in December to decide on the future of this proposal. Your comments can be emailed to this commission before the December vote.
For those of you that have been with me on a guided trip on this unique fishery, or have been there on your own experiencing the great camping and fishing, please consider passing along your thoughts to this commission. Here are two different email addresses to use that will be forwarded to this commission: jwade@state.wy.us or mpurce@state.wy.us. Also, here is a link to the article on this that ran in today's Jackson Hole Daily: http://www.jhnewsandguide.com/article.php?art_id=6644 Enjoy a photo I took this summer of the beautiful Green River as it meanders above the Warren Bridge through sagebrush country. The second picture exemplifies why we visit the Green: a perfect Green River Brown trout. More soon...
3 comments:
I wonder who is really pushing for the dam? It seems to me that there is an industry in Sublette county which has been known to use a lot of water. If I am not mistaken the rancher or two that has been promoting this dam for a long time has never gotten as much traction for the support of the dam until fairly recently which also coincides with the expansion of another industry. I would love to see this come to a vote and where the "support" for it comes from.
No way in hell would I support a dam being built on the Green! What a shame. Someone needs to be put in check FAST!
Also...I just sent an e-mail opposing the dam being built to the addresses supplied within your blog Mark. Thanks for the heads up on this issue.
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