Commissioners discuss proposed wilderness area in Fall River County and plan letter of opposition

Fall River County commissioners discussed a proposed wilderness-area designation that the board said would include roughly 5,400 acres in an area described as south of Bill Miller’s property and possibly stretching eight-plus miles southeast or southwest from an identified point.

Commissioners and attendees said the proposal could reduce permitted grazing levels, complicate local land management, and alter how the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies manage the lands while the designation is being considered. Commissioners recalled previous examples where proposed federal designations were initially handled as nonmandatory guidance but later resulted in management restrictions; they discussed the need to involve cooperating agencies and the county’s congressional delegation.

Several commissioners urged a formal, written response. One commissioner said the county should prepare a letter to the cooperating-agency group and to elected representatives; another commissioner offered to locate a prior legislative resolution the county used to oppose wilderness expansions in the past and to bring a draft for consideration at the next meeting. Commissioners discussed inviting the federal project liaison or the contractor preparing the proposal to brief the county and proposed appointing a commissioner or two to attend cooperating-agency meetings to monitor the project.

No formal vote to adopt a particular resolution was recorded in the meeting; instead, commissioners directed staff to draft materials (a letter or resolution) and return with a report at the next meeting. The board identified local stakeholders to engage, including state-level elected officials and local county partners in neighboring counties.