Pinedale Updates, What's happening? Pinedale, Wyoming

Friday, May 31, 2002
Downed power line causes short power outage Friday afternoon in Pinedale
Contributed by Jennifer Binning, 5/31/02
At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, parts of Pinedale lost power for several minutes due to a downed power line at the construction site of the new County Jail. Power was restored within 30 minutes.

Thursday, May 30, 2002

2nd Annual Wind River Blues Festival
2nd Annual Wind River Mountains Blues Festival
June 29-30, 2002
We know many of you are wanting the latest update on the 2nd Annual Wind River Mountains Blues Festival, and judging by all the e-mails, the turnout will be fantastic!
   The festival is scheduled to held on Friday and Saturday, June 29th & 30th. The event, again being put on by Moose Productions of Pinedale, will feature 16 locally and nationally known entertainers featured at the two-day festival. Performing artists lined up include Charlie Musselwhite, Indigenous, Rod Piazza, Tab Benoit, Aynsley Lister, Blinddog Smokin' Chris Duarte, Miss Blues, Ford Brothers, Ian Moore, Curtis Selgado, Rory Block, Billy Branch & Sons of Blues, Carl Weathersby, Fatt Cat Freddie, and Zach Parrish.
   The festival will again be held at the Sublette County Sporting Association Rodeo Grounds on the south end of Pinedale. Music will start at 10 am on Saturday and 12 noon on Sunday and run until dark. Tickets for this year's festival are $80 for the two-day weekend pass for adults. Children under 12 are free.
   Camping will be available up at the rodeo grounds by advanced arrangement for tent camping or RVs. Organizers are trying to arrange as much nearby camping space as possible to allow people to stay close to minimize drinking and driving. Commercial RV campgrounds are located on the west end of Pinedale, at Lakeside Lodge on Fremont Lake (4 miles from town), and near the small town of Boulder, approximately 11 miles south of Pinedale. Nearby National Forest campgrounds are located on Fremont Lake (appx. 9 miles) and Half Moon Lake (approx. 15 miles out of town).
   This year's Blues Festival has been somewhat controversial with the many financial problems plaguing the promoters, Moose Productions, who declared bankruptcy earlier this month. There have been many questions raised about unpaid bills from last year's festival, the unclear ticket refund policy for advanced ticket purchases, and some concerns about whether the festival will take place this year as planned. Both local newspapers have written several articles following the financial woes of Moose Productions, with many of these articles available online. (Pinedale Roundup news archive) (Sublette Examiner news archive)
   The promoter, Marty McIntyre, stated Thursday in a letter to the editor in the Pinedale Roundup that the festival will take place "come rain or shine". Last year's festival was terrific, and this year's looks to be even better. Tickets will be available from local businesses and at the gate. See you there!
Local Motels
Campgrounds
RV
Other Businesses

Aronson stays on McIntyre case
Contributed by Cat Urbigkit of the Sublette Examiner, 5/30/02
An effort to have Sublette County Attorney Dale Aronson removed from his role as prosecutor in a lawsuit involving Martin McIntyre failed Wednesday, May 29. McIntyre, through his Moose Productions, is the organizer and promoter of the Wind River Blues Festival, slated for late June.
   Sublette Circuit Court Judge John Crow held a hearing Wednesday afternoon, with Aronson and McIntyre attorney Ken McLaughlin. The purpose of the hearing was to have Crow decide whether Aronson should be disqualified from prosecuting McIntyre for a felony check fraud charge that was filed in March.
   McLaughlin asked the court to disqualify Aronson after an April 19 altercation between Aronson and McIntyre. According to McLaughlin, Aronson entered LaVoie's Brewery at about 10 p.m. and sat down, only to have McIntyre attempt to engage Aronson in a conversation about the lawsuit.
Aronson apparently attempted to avoid the conversation and had the waitress bring him a telephone, which he used to call McLaughlin to advise him of McIntyre's behavior. Reportedly when Aronson was leaving the premises, McIntyre went outside with him.
   "While the parties were outside, matters escalated into a confrontation", McLaughlin wrote in his motion to the court. "While the participants disagree as to who said what, both agree that a threat was uttered by one party toward the other." McLaughlin called the confrontation "quite ugly, involving at least one threat of violence."
   McLaughlin asserted, "Whether Mr. Aronson was the perpetrator or the victim of the threat of violence mentioned above, it seems clear that he must now harbor ill feelings toward the defendant, making it impossible for him to evaluate evidence and make the prosecutorial decisions "with an objective and dispassionate mind."
   McLaughlin was attempting to "bounce the prosecutor", Aronson argued Wednesday, so that a prosecutor that wasn't prepared to handle the case could be found. Aronson said, "This is a politically-charged season", and it would be easy for him to "run away" and let another prosecutor handle it. Another prosecutor could offer an opportunity for a plea agreement, which Aronson has not. "I'm resisting this," Aronson said, adding that his removal is "being propounded for a bad reason."
   McLaughlin said while Aronson takes offense to McLaughlin's arguments, McLaughlin likewise takes offense with Aronson's assertions those arguments are frivolous. McLaughlin said Aronson was unable to point to a single case "that says I'm wrong."
   As the arguments concluded, Crow said he wouldn't call Aronson to testify and denied the motion to disqualify Aronson as well. Crow said as long as he's been involved in the justice system, lawyers have always been mad at each other, but no real animosity exists. Crow said this was just a "run of the mill" case and complimented both attorneys for their professional conduct and setting forth their arguments so clearly.
   McIntyre's check fraud case will now proceed before the court, with a hearing in late June.

For complete coverage of Wednesday's hearing, including details of the arguments set forth by McLaughlin and Aronson, as well as how Judge John Crow reacted to those arguments, see next week's Sublette Examiner, set to hit the newstands June 6, 2002.
This story in the Sublette Examiner News Archive
More Sublette Examiner news

Tuesday, May 28, 2002
Apparent Suicide Victim Found in Cliff Creek area on Saturday
A body found in the Cliff Creek area north of Pinedale on Saturday has been tentatively identified as William Thomas Manhard of Sublette County. Manhard appears to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound last fall.

Sublette County Sheriff's Office News Release:
Saturday afternoon at 2:30, Sheriff's deputies, a detective and a Forest Service officer were called to a campsite 50 miles north of Pinedale. The area is known as Cliff Creek.
   Campers from the Jackson area had been camping in the area for about three weeks and had noticed a pickup truck and a collapsed tent near their campsite. The campers were preparing to leave the area and decided to walk over to the collapsed tent and look inside. Inside they saw a dead body and immediately left to go to the nearest phone and call the Sublette County Sheriff's office.
   Sheriff's deputies arrived and investigated the scene. They found a badly decomposed body tentatively identified as 37 year old William Thomas Manhard who had several addresses. The pickup truck at the camp, a 1995 Ford pickup is registered to Manhard.
   Manhard was not reported missing, but family members stated it was not unusual for him to be gone for long periods of time. He had an active warrant for his arrest out of Sweetwater County, Wyoming, for failure to appear on a misdemeanor. He had a Wyoming driver's license.
   An autopsy is scheduled today on the remains. At that time an official cause of death will be sought. Bill Meyer, Sublette County Coroner, is in possession of the body.
   The body has probably been in that area since last fall as cans of "Copenhagen" snuff dated in October, 2001 were found at the scene. The case remains under investigation and the cause of death and positive identification will be released when it is available.

Fremont Lake is mostly thawed and boaters are already enjoying the water. The paved road is clear of snow all the way through the Fremont Lake Campground. Leaves are beginning to come out on the shrubs in the campground, and the sandy beach invites kids of all ages for a picnic next to the lake! Click on photo for a larger view. Photo by Pinedale Online!

Resident Deer, Elk and Antelope Application Deadline Friday, May 31st at 5 pm
Resident big game hunters are reminded limited quota elk, deer and antelope applications must be received at the Game and Fish Department’s Cheyenne Office by 5 p.m., Friday May 31. Hunters are alerted to eliminate common application mistakes by:

Potential pioneer big game hunters are alerted the application booklet
incorrectly lists pioneer big game qualifications. To qualify, a Wyoming resident must have been born on or before Jan. 1, 1930 and continuously resided in Wyoming for at least 40 years immediately preceding application for a license and is physically able to hunt and pursue his/her own game.

Local Outfitters & Guides
Lodging:
Motels
Guest Ranches

Elk at feedground in the Wyoming Range this past winter.

Friday, May 24, 2002

Pinedale High Graduation
Pinedale High School commencement ceremonies were held at the Wrangler Gym in Pinedale on Friday, May 24th for 41 Pinedale Seniors. Guest speaker for the ceremony was Bruce Corson of Corson Associates/Architects. The Pinedale High School Concert Band and Concert Choir provided musical entertainment. Class Salutatorian is Katy Neely and Valedictorian is Karly Konicek. Senior Class President is C.P. Saner.

Half Moon Lake is thawed and the resort and marina are open for the season. Click on photo for a larger view. Photo by Pinedale Online!

Members of the American Mountain Men demonstrate a beaver pelt press to area school children last year.

American Mountain Men come to the Museum of the Mountain Man for Living History Days
Members of the American Mountain Men will be on hand at the Museum of the Mountain Man Tuesday, May 21st through Thursday, May 23rd to provide a living history mountain man camp. During this time, over 500 students are expected to participate in the educational opportunity that will show school children from throughout the region many of the ways of the mountain men who lived in the Green River Valley during the early 1800s. During last year's camp, the AMM members demonstrated a working beaver press, how to make rope, firearms, music, making a medicine bag and many other activities of the every day life of the mountain men.
The project was funded in part by a grant from Sublette County School District #1 BOCES. The Museum is now open for their summer hours, 10 am - 5 pm daily. The public is also welcome to attend the Living History Camp, which will run from 10 am - 4 pm during the three days.

Half Moon Lake offers a variety of fun for the whole family
Looking for a great place to spend a day, weekend or week? Half Moon Lake is just 9 miles northeast of Pinedale. Approximately three miles long and 1/2 mile wide, Half Moon Lake is an unspoiled jewel nestled in the trees and mountains. The lake has a National Forest campground on the west end with 19 primitive units for tent and RV camping. The campground has a natural sandy beach that

National Forest campground and sandy beach

offers sunbathing and sand castle fun for the kids. The campground is managed by Half Moon Lake Resort, just down the dirt road from the campground. Cost is $8 per camper unit, with advanced reservations recommended (307-367-6373).
At the end of the scenic dirt road is a National Forest Day Use picnic area along the north side of the lake with another small sandy beach. No overnight camping is allowed at the day use area. The turn-around at the end of the road is usually adequate for trucks pulling horse trailers, as long as not too many other vehicles are parked along the turn-around. This location is the trailhead for the Half Moon trail that accesses the Bridger Wilderness and Fayette Lake area.

Right now, the leaves are just beginning to come onto the bushes around the lake and the aspen trees should be green within another week or two from now. Half Moon Lake Resort is open offering secluded log cabins overlooking the lake, boat rentals, fine restaurant dining (reservations needed), horseback rides (hourly, half day or daily), spot packs and gear drops into the wilderness, and back country fishing and horseback trips.

One of the log cabins available for rent at Half Moon Lake Resort

The log cabins are new or have been recently remodeled and have beautiful views overlooking the lake and trees. These cabins rent for from $105-$170 per night during the peak season. In June you can rent them for $85-$135 per night. Cabins can accommodate small or large groups and offer modern bathrooms, microwaves, refrigerators, inroom coffee and outdoor decks overlooking the lake. These cabins are wonderful places to stay for the honeymooning couple or family retreat.

An easy trail around the north side of the lake makes for a nice one-1/2 mile day hike that takes you through open sagebrush hills dotted with bright yellow arrowleaf balsam root flowers and shady groves of green aspen trees. Wildlife is often seen along this trail. The Half Moon Lake Resort has a restaurant that offers cool refreshments after a day hike, or a gourmet meal on the deck overlooking the lake.
The resort has a marina with a state of the art dock system which includes 21 slips. A boat dock is located a short distance away from the marina. Boat slips are available for rent by the day, month or season and fuel is available. Cost to rent boats range from $5/hour for a canoe

The Party Barge is available for rent for half or full days

or pedal boat to $175/day for the spacious pontoon boat. Water skis, knee boards, wake boards and tubes are available. The resort also has a 20-foot, 150 hp Monarch Ski Boat available for rent for $175 for half day, $300 full day rate. Boats come with life jackets and the first tank of gas.
Want to go horseback riding? Trail rides are available for $15/hour, $55 for half day or $100 for a full day per person. The horses are picked to accommodate a wide variety of rider experience levels. Overnight packtrips into the wilderness to pristine lakes are available with experienced wranglers.
Guided fishing is also available for $150/person for a half day and $200 per person for a

full day. The lake offers challenging fishing for lake trout, rainbows, browns, cutthroat, golden trout and grayling. Half Moon Resort also offers a private fishing pond for guests and children to fish for monster trout or take a quick refresher course on fly fishing techniques. Bait, lures and flies are available at the bait shop at the Lodge. The 4th Annual Half Moon Lake Resort Fishing Derby will be held on the weekend of June 8th-9th, with a grand prize of $500. Cost to enter is $15 for adults and $10 for children up to age 12. Registration begins at 6:30 am on Saturday morning at the resort office.
For more information about Half Moon Lake Resort, camping at the lake, or the fishing derby, visit the web site at www.halfmoonlake.com or call 307-367-6373.

Pinedale Area Chamber of Commerce Lunch
Tuesday, May 21, noon, McGregor's
The Pinedale Area Chamber of Commerce will be holding a Lunch for members on Tuesday May 21st, 12:00 till 1:00 pm at McGregor's Pub. Guest speaker will be Carmina Oaks, Executive Director of the Latino Resource Center in Jackson. You do not have to be a chamber member to attend the luncheon. Please call Tracy Walker at 367-2242 for more information.

Pinedale FFA Alumni Raffle
Drawing on Thursday, May 30th
The Pinedale FFA is holding an Alumni Raffle for a Polaris 400 4x4 ATV in conjuntion with their Open House & Free BBQ which will be held from 5-8 pm on Thursday, May 30th. Only 275 tickets will be sold for the ATV at a cost of $25 each. The reverse drawing will be held at the Open House, and ticket holders need not be present to win. All proceeds for the raffle will go to the FFA Student Scholarships. Tickets are available from any FFA member or Shawn Jeter at 367-9955. Tickets are also available from Rhonda Swain, Randy Bolgiano, Donna Morss, Marilyn Jensen or Big J's Auto Parts.

Pinedale High School Graduation
Friday, May 24th, 7 pm, Wrangler Gym
Pinedale High School graduation ceremonies will be held at the Wrangler Gym in Pinedale on Friday, May 24th at 7 pm. Graduation rehearsal will be held at 10 am on Friday the 24th in the Wrangler Gym. All seniors are expected to be there for rehearsal, which will last from one to two hours. Before the graduation ceremony, seniors should meet at the elementary school library no later than 6 pm, where they will dress and leave personal belongings. Mr. Cothern and Mr. Haffey will be there to assist seniors and the library will be locked during the graduation ceremony. After the graduation ceremony, there will be a reception line in front of the Wrangler Gym, weather permitting. All seniors are expected to be there and should not leave early. In the event of bad weather, the reception will be moved to the lobby of the Wrangler gym.
   Graduating senior men should wear shirts and ties, dress slacks, dark socks and dress shoes or boots. No sports shoes please. Graduating senior women are asked not to wear long dresses, heels should preferably be white. No sandals, tennis shoes, or boots. NHS hoods and Valedictorian/Salutatorian medals and ribbons will be available at the library on graduation day. NHS hoods must be returned immediately after graduation.
   Seniors will be taking finals on Monday, May 20th and Tuesday, May 21st. Final checkout (for lockers, fines, library, office, etc) will begin at 1:45 pm on Tuesday, May 21st in the gym. All fees and shop bills must be paid and all uniforms, books and equipment must be returned prior to this time. Caps and gowns will be issued when final checkout is completed. Make up day for any assignments or tests missing are due no later than noon on May 23rd.
    Parents of graduating seniors should already have received tickets for reserved family seating in the mail. If more are needed, they are available for free from Mrs. James at the high school. Tickets are for immediate family and special guests only, and seating will be on a first come-first served basis. Tickets must be presented to the ushers to be allowed to sit in the reserve seating area. There is no special seating for elderly or handicapped family members. The school will not have anyone video taping the ceremony, so families need to make those arrangements themselves if they want to video record the ceremony.
   The non-alcoholic Senior Class Party will be held at the Pinedale Entertainment Center following graduation from 9 pm until ?

Half Moon Lake invites boaters and fishermen to take to the water and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Temperatures reached near 80 on Saturday. Half Moon Resort has the deck ready for patrons and the marina is open for boaters. Cabin rentals are at the spring rates for another month, then peak season prices begin. This is a great time to enjoy the lake as spring makes the landscape come alive.

The warm weather has made green leaves start to appear everywhere, at least on the shrubs. Trees are still looking pretty bare, but won't be too far behind. Tulip leaves are up several inches and some folks even have daffodills blooming in protected, sunny garden locations.

Memorial Services for Betty Post
Sunday, May 26, 5 pm
Memorial services will be held Sunday, May 26th, for Betty Post at the Chapel of the Pines in Hudson's Funeral Home in Pinedale.

Placer Creek Fire still burning in the Snake River Canyon
3 acres in size, 15 fire fighters working on the fire 25 miles south of Jackson
The Placer Creek fire in the Snake River Canyon continues to burn on the south side of the Snake River, across from Cottonwood Creek, approximately twenty-five miles south of the town of Jackson. There are no structures, campgrounds or businesses threatened by this fire and highway and boating traffic remains unaffected. A crew of fifteen fire fighters is working on the fire at this time. Star Valley Search and Rescue out of Afton is currently assisting the Forest Service fire fighters by providing the use of their jet boat and operators to ferry the firefighters and equipment across the river. Fire investigators are currently on location with the fire and will hopefully have determined what caused the fire to ignite within the next few days. The fire is presently burning three acres of stumps and grasses on the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Proposed Pipeline Right of Way (update with map)

Proposed Right of Way map. Click for larger version.

The Bureau of Land Management Pinedale Field Office is asking the public to participate in the scoping process for a proposed pipeline right-of-way project. Williams Gas Processing is proposing to construct a combination eight and ten-inch buried natural gas pipeline on public, private, and state lands in Sublette County. The Pinedale Field Office will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) on the project.
    The project would consist of 50-foot wide by 168,600-foot long (approximately 32 miles) right-of-way, of which 123,590 feet (app. 23 miles) would be located on public lands. The southern end of the proposed pipeline would tie into the existing Billy Canyon pipeline along Highway 189 approximately seven miles north of Big Piney, Wyoming. The pipeline route would parallel Highway 189 north for approximately nine miles and then proceed northwest along two- track roads to the Ryegrass Road. From this point the project would parallel the North Ryegrass Road for approximately four miles and then proceed north, crossing Highway 354, 6.5 miles east of Merna, Wyoming, and then proceed north for another seven miles into the Cow Gulch area. Those portions of the project occurring on private and state lands are not subject to BLM authorization. Williams Gas Processing will contact individual landowners for access permission.
   The public is asked to identify issues which should be analyzed in the EA. Known resource values in the project area include: rural subdivisions, visual resources, crucial big game winter range, raptor nesting habitat, greater sage-grouse nesting habitat and leks, cultural resources, wetland/riparian habitat, and recreational uses. The proposed project would cross Cottonwood, Horse, and South Beaver Creeks.
    Comments about the proposed project should be sent to the Pinedale Field Office, P.O. Box 768, Pinedale, WY 82941. Comments are due by close of business June 10, 2002. Comments, including the name and address of the commenter, will be available for public review. Those wishing to withhold their name and/or street address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, must state this prominently at the beginning of their written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. For more information about the proposed project, contact Bill Wadsworth at (307) 367-5341.

Forest Service forest product permits available May 15th
Permits for firewood gathering, harvesting post and poles, digging transplants or harvesting other forest products on the Bridger-Teton National Forest will be available beginning Wednesday, May 15th from the Pinedale and Big Piney Ranger Districts. Contact the District Office for the permits, product information, and permit prices. Pinedale: 307-367-4326, 29 East Fremont Lake Road. Big Piney: 307-276-3375, 315 S Front Street.

Happy 90th Birthday Pinedale! Laurie Hartwig and Millie Pape cut birthday cake and pour punch for visitors at the birthday celebration at the Museum of the Mountain Man on Thursday. Local Historian Ann Noble gave a presentation on the area history. A display of early Pinedale photos will be on exhibit downstairs in the museum throughout the summer season. A brochure and web site have more information

What do the lakes and streams look like now? Most of the lower lakes and streams are clear of ice now. The road to Green River Lakes is mostly open with some patches of snow in places. Skyline Drive to Elkhart Park and trailhead is still snowed in. Below are pictures from last weekend.

Power outage hits Sublette County for 4 hours Saturday night
Sublette County residents got a reminder that winter has not completely lost its grip when a power outage placed the county in darkness for approximately four hours on Saturday night. According to David Eskelsen, Media Spokesman for Pacific Power out of Salt Lake City, heavy snows from the snowstorm caused several spans of line to go down in a rural area near Big Piney. Power went out around 9:30 pm Saturday evening and was out until approximately 1:30 am as crews did emergency line repair. The outage affected 3,291 Pacific Power customers in Big Piney, Marbleton, Cora, Daniel, LaBarge and Pinedale. The Big Piney area got between 8-10" of snow on Saturday according to some local residents, while Pinedale was less hard hit with just a couple of inches. Most of the snow quickly melted off with temperatures that reached into the 50s and 60s for the rest of the weekend.

The new sign is being erected in the Camp of the Pines park next to the First National Bank of Pinedale. The lot is where the old Camp of the Pines motel used to be located. The park has picnic tables under the large trees and provides additional parking for the bank.

Spring Storms Keep Green River Basin Above 85% of Average
Recent snowstorms have kept the overall Green River area at more than 85% basin-wide percent of average. As of Sunday, May 5th, individual drainages range from 75% at Snider Basin to over 90% at Gros Ventre Summit, Kendall Ranger Station and Triple Peak. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) maintains a wealth of current snowpack and water information on the University of Wyoming web site as a joint effort between the NRCS and the Water Resources Data System (WRDS) for the State of Wyoming. For the past several years our snowpack has been significantly below average and area reservoirs and lakes are way down. Area ranchers and water watchers are hoping the weather stays cool to keep the snowpack in the mountains as long as possible for this year's growing season. Below is snow precipitation information for the Upper Green River Basin as of Sunday, May 5th.

Hunting Drawing for Moose, Sheep and Mountain Goat, Bison Priority List Held May 1st
The Wyoming Game & Fish Department held the license drawing for bighorn sheep, moose and mountain goat licenses on May 1. The bison priority list drawing was also held May 1. Licenses, refund checks and preference point and bison ranking letters will be mailed by May 8. License draw results were posted on the Game and Fish Department Web site May 3.
   The chance to hunt a moose attracted 12, 589 resident applicants for 1,165 licenses. Last year 12,167 residents applied. One thousand and twenty nonresidents vied for 165 moose licenses this year. There were 4,996 resident bighorn sheep applicants competing for the 187 licenses. For the 62 nonresident licenses, demand totaled 1,687 applicants. All hunters drawing a moose or bighorn sheep license will not be eligible to apply again for five years.
   In the third year offered, buying a preference point in lieu of applying for a license increased in popularity, reports Tom Rowe, G&F license draw manager. The option enticed 4,951 residents and 11,257 nonresidents.
   The lucky nine residents hunting mountain goats this year in the Beartooth Mountains beat out 2,043 other hunters. The area near Alpine drew 738 applicants for the three resident licenses, an increase of nearly 100 applicants. “With hunters knowing the outcome of this drawing in early May, they will have plenty of time to decide their elk, deer and antelope plans before the May 31 limited quota deadline for those species,” Rowe said. The bull bison priority list garnered applications from 1,373 residents and 468 nonresidents. The cow list tallied 285 residents and 23 nonresidents. Hunters are called from the top of the list as bison are available to hunt.
   All four sheep drawings were toughest in area 10 near Dubois, commonly known as Whiskey Mountain. The percentage of the preference point drawing was 3.9 residents and 4.9 nonresidents. Random drawing percentages were .42 residents and .26 nonresidents.
   Rowe reminds unsuccessful moose and bighorn sheep applicants to look at their refund check stub to make sure the number of preference points listed is correct. Hunters who opted to buy a preference point will receive a letter in May listing their point total. If hunters think the preference point statement is incorrect, they should call the G&F at (307) 777-4600.

Sublette County School District Web Site
www.pinedaleschools.org
Sublette County School District #1 is now online with a new web site. Several years in the planning, the new web site has information about each of the schools, three calendars (events, school calendar, and sports calendar), pool news and lunch menu. The site also includes a list of the District teachers and staff, and hot links to their e-mails. Other information on the site includes WyCAS testing data, School Board members and meeting dates, and links to school forms. The school lunch menu information is updated monthly, and the pool news, schedule and the events calendar are updated weekly.
The web site was the collaborative effort of many of the school staff including Network Administrator Greg Anderson, Superintendent Peggy Sanders, Food Service Manager Gail Wilkerson, Pool Manager JJ Huntley, and Administrative Assistant Sharron Ziegler. The web site was designed by Dawn Svalberg and Clint Gilchrist of Wind River Web Services in Pinedale (who also do this Pinedale Online web site). The web site has custom interfaces that were programmed by Mr. Gilchrist that allow the school staff to update some of the information on the site themselves. In the future, the school hopes to integrate the web site with the school grading system to allow parents access their child's grades and progress information, as well as allowing teachers to create pages for their own classes, homework assignments, and additional class resources. To access the web site, visit: www.pinedaleschools.org.

Road Construction Begins
Construction on US 191 with delays possible, also in Jackson Hole and Snake River Canyon
US Hwy 191: As temperatures warm, the Wyoming Department of Transportation will begin their road construction schedule for the summer season. Work slated for this year includes construction on three bridges on US Hwy 191 in the Hoback Canyon between Pinedale and Jackson Hole. Highway restrictions will include overweight loads and vehicles over 10-feet wide. Daily delays of five to 30 minutes are possible, stemming from one-lane traffic in construction areas.
   Snake River Canyon: Construction will also be taking place again this year in the Snake River Canyon. Twenty-minute traffic delays are expected between 7:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with the speed reduced to 35 mph. Typically, no traffic delays are expected during commuter hours. However, excavation work may continue into the evening commuter hours with brief delays for motorists. A pilot car will guide traffic through the work zone. Work will continue all summer. Current construction includes excavation, pipe installation, some blasting and the building of a retaining wall, an essential support for this narrow highway.
   Teton Pass: Rockfall mitigation work is planned on Teton Pass near the Phillips Canyon turnout with a work completion date of June 15. Details concerning the start of this work will be available as scheduling is confirmed. Road striping and other maintenance is also planned for late summer on Highway 22, with minor delays possible.
   Current road information in the northwest Wyoming area is available by listening to WYDOT'S Highway Advisory Radio at 1590 for the Jackson and Teton Pass areas, and 1610 for the Snake River Canyon and by visiting WYDOT'S homepage on the World Wide Web at: www.wyoroadinfo.com.

Pinedale Elections
Tuesday, May 7th, polls open 8 am-7 pm, Pinedale Town Hall
The Pinedale Municipal elections will be held on Tuesday, May 7th, with four positions being vied for. Incumbent Rose Skinner runs unopposed for the 2-year Mayor position. Three Council seats are open, two being four-year seats and one a two-year seat. Past-Mayor Miriam Carlson and incumbent Margaret Holman filed for the four-year seats, while Gary Heuck filed for the two-year seat. Council members Randy Reed and Jeffrey Reising did not file to run for their seats again. The polls will be open from 8 am until 7 pm on Tuesday at the Pinedale Town Hall. Voting is open to people living within the Pinedale city limits.

BLM Asks Public to Review Gas Pipeline Right of Way Project
The Bureau of Land Management Pinedale Field Office is asking the public to participate in the scoping process for a proposed pipeline right-of-way project. Williams Gas Processing is proposing to construct a combination eight and ten-inch buried natural gas pipeline on public, private, and state lands in Sublette County. The Pinedale Field Office will prepare an environmental assessment (EA) on the project.
   The project would consist of 50-foot wide by 168,600-foot long (approximately 32 miles) right-of-way, of which 123,590 feet (app. 23 miles) would be located on public lands. The southern end of the proposed pipeline would tie into the existing Billy Canyon pipeline along Highway 189 approximately seven miles north of Big Piney, Wyoming. The pipeline route would parallel Highway 189 north for approximately nine miles and then proceed northwest along two- track roads to the Ryegrass Road. From this point the project would parallel the North Ryegrass Road for approximately four miles and then proceed north, crossing Highway 354, 6.5 miles east of Merna, Wyoming, and then proceed north for another seven miles into the Cow Gulch area. Those portions of the project occurring on private and state lands are not subject to BLM authorization. Williams Gas Processing will contact individual landowners for access permission.
   The public is asked to identify issues which should be analyzed in the EA. Known resource values in the project area include: rural subdivisions, visual resources, crucial big game winter range, raptor nesting habitat, greater sage-grouse nesting habitat and leks, cultural resources, wetland/riparian habitat, and recreational uses. The proposed project would cross Cottonwood, Horse, and South Beaver Creeks.
   Comments about the proposed project should be sent to the Pinedale Field Office, P.O. Box 768, Pinedale, WY 82941. Comments are due by close of business June 10, 2002. Comments, including the name and address of the commenter, will be available for public review. Those wishing to withhold their name and/or street address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, must state this prominently at the beginning of their written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. For more information about the proposed project, contact Bill Wadsworth at (307) 367-5341.

May 15 Deadline for Landowner Antelope, Elk and Deer Applications
Wyoming Game & Fish
Resident landowners who hunt deer, elk or antelope are alerted that applications for landowner licenses must be submitted to your local game warden by May 15. To qualify for a landowner license, at least 160 contiguous acres must be owned. The land must have provided 2,000 days of use in 2001 for the species being hunted. Landowners should contact their local game warden for more information. Resident landowners who miss the May 15 deadline can have their applications entered in the regular drawing if they apply by May 31. The deer, elk and antelope application deadline for the general public is May 31. Applications are available at license agents and G&F offices.

More Snow on the Way (which will probably hide the spectacular planet alignment)

This snowstorm on Wednesday dumped 6 inches on Pinedale just a day after beautiful 60 degree weather.

We're definitely in our spring weather cycle: one day is 60 degrees with blue sky and sunshine, then the next might bring a cold wind and dusting of snow. Last week we had two beautiful days early on, then got socked by 6" of heavy snow that made traveling anywhere a mucky mess. Saturday was absolutely gorgeous with kids outside riding bikes and some adventurous folks starting lawnmowers in an attempt to convince Mother Nature to make spring stay. But that's not to be. By Sunday the wind was howling 20-30 miles an hour and temperatures are expected to drop to the 20s and 30s with snow Monday through Wednesday.
While it doesn't look like the clouds will open enough to let us see this, there's a spectacular grouping of planets in the western sky aligning in the next day or two. The five planets visible to the naked eye have lined up in the sky. Astronomers say the rare grouping of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn may not be seen again for a century. And if you're out there looking at the planets, get out the binoculars and look at Jupiter -- the little pinpricks of light that you can see with binoculars are Jupiter's Gallilean moons. All four should be visible tonight; tomorrow night, only two (the remaining two will be occluded by Jupiter).