The Fremont County Board of Commissioners heard an extended briefing from Bureau of Land Management field staff on federal priorities and local projects, including mineral activity, invasive-vegetation control and travel-management measures.

BLM field manager Rick Miller and resource managers told the commission the Department of Interior is consolidating wildland fire, fuels and aviation functions under Interior but said that on-the-ground fire response in the Lander Field Office would operate much as it has for the coming fire season. Brian Truax, acting assistant field manager for resources, described ongoing energy and mineral work in the area: Lost Soldier Energy has two wells and holds some 40 leases in Green Mountain, with a connected pipeline approved for Crooks Gap and a pending permit-to-drill; uranium exploration continues in Copper Mountain and North Hatzal notices, where drilling and permitted hole counts were reported.

BLM also updated the commission on the Muddy Ridge matter. Staff said Bureau of Reclamation is preparing to revoke about 56,000 acres from a larger BOR withdrawal; cadastral resurvey and legal-description work were completed and a Federal Register notice will open a public-comment period and lead into NEPA analysis.

On vegetation, BLM said it is coordinating with Fremont County on a multiyear aerial herbicide treatment to control cheatgrass on Lander Slope and Government Draw to reduce wildfire risk and improve habitat. BLM described early planning to identify treatment units and coordinate across multiple landowners and agencies.

The Nature Conservancy’s virtual-livestock-fencing proposal in Red Canyon remains under technical review, Truax said, with tower siting and visual-resource sensitivity guiding placement. BLM also reported multiple livestock-water proposals from grazing permit holders, including new wells and solar-pump retrofits; staff outlined the application and NEPA steps and said categorical exclusions often apply to routine well work but timelines vary from months to a year depending on complexity and cultural-resource needs.

Commissioners pressed for follow-up on several points: details on the Muddy Ridge public-notice timeline, a schedule for cheatgrass treatment planning, and grading for heavily used recreation roads in Green Mountain. BLM offered to return with supplemental information and to coordinate with county operations on road priorities and with the Worland Field Office on postfire rehabilitation updates.

The presentation closed with a reminder that seasonal restrictions are in place for access to Whiskey Mountain to protect bighorn-sheep winter range (roughly Dec. 1–June 1), and BLM said longer-term travel-management work would continue as staffing and resources allow.