Comment deadline extended for Sublette mule deer plan

by Staff November 29, 2012September 22, 2021

Comment deadline extended for Sublette mule deer plan

The deadline has been extended from Nov. 30 to Dec. 14 for public comment on a joint proposal to improve the quantity and quality of habitat in the Sublette Mule Deer Herd Unit, which has suffered losses in recent years. The proposal is a joint effort between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Pinedale Anticline Project Office (PAPO) and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

“Given the current level of interest, extending the formal comment period will help us gather the best information possible to maximize the likelihood of success if we implement this project in the field,” PAPO coordinator Eric Decker said in a press release.

The “10-Year Sublette Mule Deer Mitigation Plan” proposal is in response to the decline of mule deer on the Mesa winter range and focuses on habitat in the Ryegrass, Soapholes and Mesa areas. Click here for a link to the plan. An environmental assessment will be prepared to analyze the proposal, including recommendations for invasive plant species reduction, herbicide applications, reseeding, mechanical treatments, prescribed burning, and post-treatment management. The majority of proposed vegetation treatments are located in arid sagebrush communities, with some occurring in aspen, mixed mountain shrub and riparian communities.

The BLM is seeking constructive public comments to help identify additional treatment locations, options, potential issues, concerns, ideas, alternatives, or other mitigation options which can help meet the goals of increasing sagebrush and other mountain shrub productivity while enhancing forb and grass composition and diversity. In addition, a few projects are targeted at improving habitat which may influence Greater Sage-Grouse productivity.

Comments should be mailed or delivered to Eric Decker, PAPO, 1625 W. Pine St., P.O. Box 768, Pinedale, WY 82941; faxed to 307-367-5329; or emailed to egdecker@blm.gov with “Sublette Mule Deer Mitigation” in the subject line by 4:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 14.

BLM officials advise that before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment – including your personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask BLM in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, the agency cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.

For further information, contact Decker at 307-367-5386.

WyoFile's goal is to provide readers with information and ideas that foster constructive conversations about the issues and opportunities our communities face. One small piece of how we do that is by offering a space below each story for readers to share perspectives, experiences and insights. For this to work, we need your help.

What we're looking for:

Your real name — first and last.
Direct responses to the article. Tell us how your experience relates to the story.
The truth. Share factual information that adds context to the reporting.
Thoughtful answers to questions raised by the reporting or other commenters.
Tips that could advance our reporting on the topic.
No more than three comments per story, including replies.

What we block from our comments section, when we see it:

Pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish, and we expect commenters to do the same by using their real name.
Comments that are not directly relevant to the article.
Demonstrably false claims, what-about-isms, references to debunked lines of rhetoric, professional political talking points or links to sites trafficking in misinformation.
Personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats.
Arguments with other commenters.

Other important things to know:

Appearing in WyoFile’s comments section is a privilege, not a right or entitlement.
We’re a small team and our first priority is reporting. Depending on what’s going on, comments may be moderated 24 to 48 hours from when they’re submitted — or even later. If you comment in the evening or on the weekend, please be patient. We’ll get to it when we’re back in the office.
We’re not interested in managing squeaky wheels, and even if we wanted to, we don't have time to address every single commenter’s grievance.
Try as we might, we will make mistakes. We’ll fail to catch aliases, mistakenly allow folks to exceed the comment limit and occasionally miss false statements. If that’s going to upset you, it’s probably best to just stick with our journalism and avoid the comments section.
We don’t mediate disputes between commenters. If you have concerns about another commenter, please don’t bring them to us.

The bottom line:

If you repeatedly push the boundaries, make unreasonable demands, get caught lying or generally cause trouble, we will stop approving your comments — maybe forever. Such moderation decisions are not negotiable or subject to explanation. If civil and constructive conversation is not your goal, then our comments section is not for you.