Thunder Basin Coordination Meeting Scheduled for April 19
Douglas, WY. – A public coordination meeting for the Thunder Basin National Grassland will be hosted by the U.S. Forest Service on Thursday, April 19, 2018 in Douglas. The meeting is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. and should last until approximately 2 p.m. at the Converse County Library. A lunch break is planned.
Grassland restoration and prairie dog colony management are the issues to be discussed, and the event will be co-facilitated by the USFS and University of Wyoming Extension. Agenda topics include:
A review of collaborative implementation efforts on the Grassland in 2017 and planning/information about similar efforts in 2018: Various groups and agencies will be asked to give updates and information on planned projects. For the second year, a mapping activity will occur during the meeting, to assist in designation and prioritization of areas for potential treatment and restoration.
Discussion about a future coordination group format: Ideas will be solicited regarding group logistics, participants, and topics of discussion, as well as suggestions for a convener and facilitator.
Explanation, discussion, and distribution of an assessment: The assessment will query stakeholders about the effectiveness of recent land management efforts and the capacity of interested parties to continue collaboration. This analysis will be an important part of re-evaluating a dynamic situation and determining what a path forward could look like. Meeting participants will be asked to complete the assessment and will be given the opportunity to do so on site or at their convenience off site.
The meeting is open to all interested parties, and is a follow up to public and intergovernmental meetings held in 2016-17. The primary focus of all meetings has been collaborating and cooperating towards prairie dog colony management on private, state, and Federal lands within and near the Thunder Basin National Grassland.
Online information on Thunder Basin Prairie Dog Colony Management by the U.S. Forest Service can be found here, fs.usda.gov/goto/MBRTB/PrairieDogs.
