Residents, conservation group urge county to press for review and extension of Bear Palmer timber treatment near Jardine

Wendy Thomas, a lifelong Park County resident and member of the Bear Creek Council, told commissioners at their May 5 meeting that the Forest Service's Bear Palmer timber treatment—described in the scoping document as an emergency Environmental Assessment (EA) under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—covers roughly 4,401 acres across the Jardine Basin and includes plans for about 800 acres of clearcut, about 800 acres of commercial thinning and roughly 500 acres of group selection.

"It's being done under an emergency EA, which is a fast‑track scenario where there's little room for public input and comment," Thomas told the commission, and she asked the board to contact Gallatin Forest Service staff and request an extension of the public comment period so residents can access cutting units and make site‑specific comments. "So if if there was any way that you could request an extension till the cutting units were accessible, that would be great," she said.

Why it matters: Thomas said the proposed operations span every tributary of Bear Creek and concern locals because Jardine and nearby Gardiner rely heavily on tourism, recreation and fisheries. Thomas warned that removing riparian shade could raise water temperatures and harm trout spawning beds and that visible clearcuts and increased logging truck traffic could affect businesses that serve Yellowstone visitors.

Thomas also questioned whether removing canopy five miles from town would meet the project's stated purpose of community wildfire protection and warned the first pass would remove about 40% of the forest (with subsequent entries in 30‑year intervals). She said some cutting units will be inaccessible until seasonal gates open, making it difficult for residents to match scoping‑document numbers to on‑the‑ground units unless the comment period is extended.

Michelle Yboraga of the National Parks Conservation Association told the board her organization was "following this issue very closely" and said NPCA "very much agree[s] with the comments" Thomas raised, including doubt that thinning and clearcutting five miles from Jardine meets the stated wildfire‑mitigation need.

Commissioner response and next steps: Commissioners thanked speakers and noted the county's interest in staying "abreast of this project." The chair said members of the Custer‑Gallatin working group and county representatives plan to do a walk‑through of the area. The scoping document was released April 10 and the comment period was described in the scoping materials as closing May 11; residents asked the commission to request an extension until cutting units are accessible to the public.

What the record shows: Residents cited the acreage breakdown and road‑access limitations given in the scoping document, warned of economic and ecological impacts to the Jardine/Gardiner gateway community and requested that county staff contact Forest Service personnel (Wendy Thomas suggested contacting Matt Jedra) to seek extended time for site visits and more detailed maps. The meeting recorded no formal county action to send the request; commissioners discussed a site walk‑through and indicated they would track the project.