Despite having a long list of projects designed to increase access to public lands and possible ventures to increase enjoyment of the great outdoors, the Park County Outdoor Recreation Collaborative is still looking for its first “big win” a year after the organization received their charter.

Members have organized the largest collaborative in the state, yet the complications of working with multiple local, state and federal agencies, tribes and non-governmental organizations — all seemingly with their own set of policies and regulations — has slowed progress on several of their top priority projects. They’re working on building a bridge to reopen access to thousands of acres of public land near Heart Mountain, building trail systems near Cody and on the Polecat Bench and looking into ways to improve outdoor recreation throughout the county. Yet, at every turn there are long, complicated processes standing in the way of fast results.

“It's just not that easy. Trust me. I wish it was,” said Rick Tryder, outdoor recreation planner for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Cody office, responding questions about the timeline to get federal approval for a mountain bike trail on Polecat Bench.

The facts are daunting. With every project there are requirements to meet National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. The best case scenario to get a NEPA application approved can be six to 12 months, said Kevin O’Dell, a representative from ACR Consultants, a Sheridan company offering its services to assist the collaboration though the NEPA process.

O’Dell said an Environmental Assessment could take a year, but it can take 12-24 months to complete an Environmental Impact Statement, should it be required for a project.

“Part of the frustration that I've heard from group members here is that we haven't shown any wins in this collaborative. And that's because a lot of the projects that we're working on are in that NEPA process,” said Amy Crawford.

The process can also and often does require tribal consultations as projects are proposed in areas previously inhabited by native cultures. And considering most land in Park County is a checkerboard of Bureau or Reclamation, BLM, Forest Service, National Park, State Trust land, school board districts, towns and private property; getting approval for a wide swath for larger projects (like trails) is difficult.

As of yet, there has yet to be a vote on a project that is in town, which is where other state outdoor recreation collaboratives have all received “wins,” said Amy Crawford, Wyoming’s outdoor recreation coordinator.

“I think I can speak to the other collaboratives that are going on around the state: When they've seen wins, [they were] in city projects,” Crawford said, adding that despite the desire for a win, all projects should be considered despite how complicated they may be.

The only in-town projects discussed were an introduction to a company willing to build a bouldering park in Cody and concerns about the Beck Lake boat ramp. Collaborative members may have suffered a little sticker shock after hearing the bouldering presentation.

A single man-made “boulder” (along with a one-year warranty and the need for maintenance every two-years according to the company) can cost approximately $150,000 to build and install — not to mention site preparation. Everything seems expensive, from environmental assessments to legal assistance or even simply supplies like concrete or maintenance tools. Fortunately, the group has funds available including federal and state grants.

Powell Mayor John Wetzel, who’s also on the collaborative’s steering committee, has been fighting to bring a win to the table — a new boat launch on the Shoshone River south of Powell — but he’s up against bigger opposition than federal regulations.

“If Mother Nature would get the hell out of my way we could get it done,” he said in a Tuesday interview.

He enlisted the help of the East Yellowstone Chapter of Trout Unlimited. They are helping to facilitate the funding of the project and are a great partner in the process, Wetzel said.

The plan was to have the site prepared and concrete poured for the boat ramp on the southwest corner of Wyo. Highway  295 at the river adjacent from the Willwood Access Area to the Shoshone River. Wetzel hopes to dig the foundation and move the gravel needed for the project in place yet this year, but they won’t be able to pour concrete until fall, when the water is low. They had hoped to have the launch finished by now, but weather continues to be a challenge.

He said he understands the frustration of those looking for a win, but knows how long projects on public land can drag on. Considering the large sizes of the projects being proposed by the group, he said folks should be prepared for long waits.

“The projects are so big, it’s just going to take time,” he said.

Steering committee member John Gallagher has experience with wanting to build a large project on public land and the lengthy process it takes to get it done.

“Any project on federal lands requires NEPA and that takes years. I don't understand why it takes so long other than it seems to be the culture of the land managers,” he said in an email to the Tribune.

It took about eight years to plan, receive proper permissions and build the Beck Lake Bike Park in Cody. Gallagher led the entire effort. Without his persistence, the park may have remained but a dream. He’s now leading the effort to create the Outlaw Trails for the all-volunteer group.

“The project is dragging on with an indefinite NEPA completion date. I am not sure what can be done to speed things up. I even chased a grant to pay for the archaeological field studies so we could complete NEPA in a year. It appears the report sat unprocessed for something like 15 months,” he said. 

The collaborative has a working group creating a manual defining the process of how to get projects done on federal land. The manual will help with current and future projects.

“Ultimately, we are all at the mercy of the land managers and their ridiculously slow pace and lack of accountability. There is possibly one option to speed things up and that is to hire a private firm to do the NEPA work. That is expensive, and the feds still have to sign off on it,” he said.

The group has scheduled their next meeting June 14 in Cody. For more information: wyooutdoorrecreation.wyo.gov/index.php/outdoor-recreation-collaboratives/park-county-outdoor-recreation-collaborative-pcorc