(Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to the Bureau of Land Management. Sweetwater County Commissioner Wally Johnson requested its publication in The Green River Star as well.)
Sweetwater County strongly recommends that the Bureau of Land Management postpones publishing its Draft Rock Springs Resource Management Plan until the COVID-19 public health restrictions are lifted and in-person cooperator and public workshops and meetings can once again be held. The county believes that it is only through this type of open dialog that the cooperators and the public can effectively express and resolve their concerns regarding the Draft Rock Springs RMP.
For Sweetwater County and its residents, the Draft Rock Springs RMP is vitally important to our economy, quality of life and ability to enjoy the wide open spaces and multiple use opportunities of public lands. Therefore, to preserve these opportunities, Sweetwater County believes that it is essential that the BLM conducts multiple in person public workshops and meetings that allow stakeholders and residents to express their concerns. Open public dialog cannot be replaced by Zoom and computerized meeting formats. Sweetwater County has participated in these types of meetings and have found them to be ineffective leaving many participants feeling frustrated and wondering if their comments were understood or would even be addressed.
With these concerns in mind, Sweetwater County strongly recommends that the Bureau of Land Management postpones publishing its Draft Rock Springs Resource Management Plan until the COVID-19 public health restrictions are lifted and in-person cooperator and public workshops and meetings can once again be held.
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