Rock Creek Roadless Area

Rock Creek Roadless Area
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Location	Bighorn Mountains, north of Buffalo, WY, Johnson County, north eastern Wyoming.
Nearest city	Saddlestring, Wyoming
Governing body	USFS

{{Photo =

photo_caption = Harvey's Peak in the Rock Creek Roadless Area

}}

Roadless Area Definition

A roadless area is the designation for backcountry, undeveloped lands having wilderness attributes as specified in the Wilderness Act of 1964 and that could be considered for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System. The Rock Creek area was inventoried in the Roadless Area Review and Evaluation process (RARE II) and managed under the land management plans of the US Forest Service. On Jan. 12, 2001, the Roadless Area Conservation Rule was established. This rule set national guidelines limiting backcountry timber harvest and road construction and reconstruction with a goal of upholding the roadless characteristics found on millions of acres of inventoried roadless areas. It allowed reasonable exceptions for management activities like fire suppression and other public health safety measures, and permitted projects, such as grazing and mining, with valid existing rights to proceed.[1] At the same time, the national roadless rule attempted to conserve fish and wildlife habitat while not closing any existing access to these lands. [2] The state of Wyoming and the Colorado Mining Association is currently involved with a lawsuit with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on the basis that the 2001 federal rule banning construction of new roads on National Forest land violates the law. [3]

Rock Creek Roadless area

The "Rock Creek Roadless Area" is located north east of Buffalo, Wyoming in the Bighorn National Forest and comprises roughly 34,000 acres of forested timberlands, mountain parks, rugged canyons, and stunning rock formations. This area represent the entire spectrum of environments found in the Bighorn National Forest and encompasses prairie land to high alpine peaks. The area is flanked on the eastern side by the Bud Love Big Game Winter Range and the HF Bar dude ranch. On the southern side the roadless area is surrounded by the Paradise Guest Ranch. The roadless area is home to elk, moose, mountain lion, pine marten, blue grouse, ruffled grouse, and raptors. The Rock Creek area is the largest area of quality elk security habitat in the Bighorns and would provide an important corridor from the high country to the Bud Love Habitat Management Unit.[4] The Rock Creek roadless area is dominated by lodgepole pine, some ponderosa, and aspen stands with low growing juniper in the undergrowth. The area has not been opened to roads due to the ruggedness of the landscape and the high costs of implementation. In the 1990's three holes were drilled and abandoned north, south, and east of Rock Creek to asses the area for oil and gas production. The area has a very low potential for natural resource and mineral exploitation.

Wilderness Designation

The Rock Creek roadless area was the last area to be removed from the 1984 Wyoming Wilderness Act, which Dick Cheney has been quoted saying "

the Wyoming Wilderness Act was one of my proudest achievements as a member of congress... We set aside a part of Wyoming, nearly a million acres of wilderness that ought to be separate and not developed. We think that was important."

." [5]

The USFS recommended the Rock Creek area for wilderness designation in its 2005 Revised Land & Resource Management Plan. Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis toured the area in 2009 and when asked about her position regarding the recommendation for designating the Rock Creek roadless area as wilderness, she stated she would support the decisions of the local Johnson County Commissioners. The Johnson County Commissioners are still debating the designation of the Rock Creek roadless area as wilderness.

Criticism

Criticism is common place in preservation and conservation movements. Criticism of wilderness designation is often not based in fact but rather political ideas and false accusations. Critics of wilderness designation often believe that the land will become off limits to forest users after designation or activites will be limited such as hunting due to the designation.

Timber

Timber harvest is not economicall feasible in the Rock Creek Roadless Area due to the lack of roads and infrastructure. Most lodgepole found in the RCRA is unmarketable due to its small size and very costly to harvest.

""Hunting"" Hunting would continue if the Rock Creek Roadless Area was designated wilderness. However out of state hunters would be required to hire a licensed outfitter or go hunting with a resident hunter when entering Wilderness. [6]

""Grazing" Grazing would continue if the Rock Creek Roadless Area was designated wilderness and permitted leases would continue. [7]

""Fire and Insect Damage"" The Wilderness Act allows measures to be taken, as necessary, in wilderness areas to control issues suh as fire, insects, and diseases. [8]

References

^ Federal Register, Final Rule, Part VI, PDF document p.11

[2] ^ A Short History of Inventoried Roadless Areas. [3] http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article_25b7a657-b2ed-51b3-8f0f-fa371da3984e.html?mode=story [4] Trout Unlimted, Where the Wild Lands Are: Wyoming, http://www.tu.org/atf/cf/%7BED0023C4-EA23-4396-9371-8509DC5B4953%7D/+Roadless_WYO_f.pdf [5] www.wildwyo.org [6]http://gf.state.wy.us/ [7] House report 96-617 on the Colorado Wilderness Act [8] Section 4(d)(1) Wilderness Act

http://gf.state.wy.us/