While many in Sweetwater County have expressed support for an off-road trail system connecting communities in Southwest Wyoming, the City of Green River still has work to do if it's going to be part of that system.
Mark Tesoro, president and founder of Southwest Wyoming Off-road Trails (SWOT) and Wyoming Office of Tourism Board member, gave a presentation to the Green River City Council Tuesday night.
Tesoro explained that the purpose of SWOT is to connect communities and their resources with off-road vehicle drivers and clubs, giving them access to designated trail systems, dining options, fuel, and lodging, with the economic impact being greatly beneficial to the community.
"It's a way to bring riders into town so they can spend money at hotels, restaurants, stores, fuel up and see the sights," Tesoro said.
SWOT was first introduced four years ago to the economic development commission in Evanston, where Tesoro was given the green light to proceed on his own. Since that time, SWOT has worked with cities and towns in Lincoln, Uinta, Sublette and most of Sweetwater County to develop ordinances for the off-road vehicle,s including a $15 off-road usage sticker and identifying access points. Green River is currently one of the only cities in Sweetwater County that does not take part in the SWOT program.
Another notable point in Tesoro's presentation included that the Wyoming Department of Transportation, the governor's office, and 12 mayors from Southwest Wyoming, including Green River Mayor Pete Rust, have shown support for the SWOT program. This helped lead to Wyoming Senate File 17 and Wyoming House Bill 42, which addressed right-of-ways and access for the ORVs on state highways and in and out of communities, as well as a safety bill to ensure all the vehicles follow all the safety requirements agreed upon by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) within the communities that do allow access.
"Both those bills passed with a lot of support from our local elected officials," Tesoro said
In the spring of 2024, the Sweetwater County commissioners approved enrolling all county roads into the states trail system, deepening the commitment to SWOT from the county.
Tesoro would like to see Green River work with SWOT and WYDOT to get designated areas and access points within the city set up, much like the rest of the cities and towns in Sweetwater County already have.
Council-member Gary Killpack had several questions and concerns, one being whether all Green River streets would be accessible to off-road vehicle enthusiasts.
"Are you asking the city of Green River to make every street in town part of your trail system?" Killpack asked.
Tesoro said that it's completely up to each individual city as to where they allow access.
"It would be your decision of where you want to enroll," he explained. "Ideally you would want to allow riders to come in and access those key amenities, including fuel, lodging, and food."
Tesoro also noted that most of the other communities do have all their streets listed as access points.
Mayor Pete Rust said he would like to see the proposal from SWOT move forward, but that the first step would be to set up a meeting with the police department to discuss enforcement measures for people violating any proposed ordinances to included streets as access points.
"I think we see the wisdom of the economic development and prosperity this could bring to the city," Rust said. "What I would like to see is, you guys have not spoken to our police department, you guys need to get together with them as soon as possible and talk with them as a first step."
Later in the meeting, City Administrator Reed Clevenger noted that another major step would be for the city to meet with WYDOT.
At the close of the presentation, Mayor Rust commented that, with the proper steps, Green River is interested in participating in the trail system project overall.
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