Opponents push officials to decry M-W path

Mayor, commission chair open to taking up the issue.

By Charley Sutherland

GOVERNMENT REPORTER

Joan Anzelmo is on a mission to get the National Park Service to reconsider its decision to build a pathway along the Moose-Wilson Road.

“It’s home to all sorts of creatures, great and small, and we should protect it,” Anzelmo said on a stroll along the Moose-Wilson corridor near Moose on Tuesday. “There’s absolutely no reason to destroy a section of the Moose-Wilson corridor to add a pathway.”

As part of her effort, Anzelmo, who worked for the park service for 35 years as a superintendent and spokesperson, has reconvened a group called Friends of the Moose-Wilson Corridor and is pushing the Jackson Town Council and Teton County Board of County Commissioners to publicly oppose the path.

While neither Jackson Mayor Arne Jorgensen or Teton County Commission Chair Mark Newcomb have nailed down an exact date for a discussion on a letter or resolution opposing the path, both are open to doing so.

In August, Grand Teton National Park announced it would build the controversial path after the Trump administration’s Interior Department decided to revisit its decade-old decision that ruled out a 7.1-mile separated route. That came after President Trump issued an executive order directing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to review rules that “unnecessarily restrict recreation” in national parks. It opened the latest chapter of a long-running debate between wildlife and cycling advocates.

Anzelmo is worried about the wild creatures that call the corridor home.

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She’s also concerned about harming an archaeological site along the corridor and the process the department used to reach its conclusion that she said didn’t consider residents’ input.

She is hoping to tap into the Trump administration’s stated intention to engage with and value input from local communities.

The administration announced it would move Forest Service headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Salt Lake City in March to put land managers closer to the forests they manage and has moved to formalize relationships with neighboring communities, even going so far as to tie superintendents’ performance reviews to engagement with gateway communities.

The National Park Service did not respond to a request for comment for this article. It operates under the purview of the Interior Department,and its officials signed off on the new path.

Writing letters

The town and county served as “cooperating agencies” — government entities that have jurisdiction “by law or special expertise” over an area where the proposed environmental impact is slated to occur — throughout the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, review of the Moose-Wilson corridor concluded in 2016.

In 2016, the County Commission ultimately favored not building the path, though the board was divided. The county did not receive any notification that the Interior Department was revisiting its decision this year.

“We’re quite upset about being left out of this process,” Newcomb said.

Newcomb is skeptical that the county can change anything but has gotten on board with taking a stance.

“I don’t know if it’s too late or not,” he said.

The county is considering sending a letter to Burgum and Wyoming’s Congressional delegation, Newcomb said. It may come up as soon as Monday.

Public Works Project Manager Chris Colligan likely will draft the letter. Members of the public could comment, Newcomb said.

Jorgensen said he believes that town councilors are willing to take up the topic.

The Interior Department made a “political move” and a “top-down dictation,” Jorgensen said.

“It’s wholly unacceptable,” Jorgensen said. “There was no public process, and I just think that is just unacceptable.”

The town does not have a timeframe for passing a resolution but said it is likely the pathway will come up at the Town Council’s next meeting. The council has a special meeting Sept. 28.

The delegation

While town and county officials are open to formally opposing the Moose-Wilson pathway, one of Wyoming’s representatives to Washington D.C. wants to see the path built.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., who has closely followed and advocated for pathways in western Wyoming, said in a statement he is supportive of the pathway.

“I have always supported enhancing public access and visitor safety on the Moose-Wilson Road,” Barrasso said in a statement. “This will make it safer for folks who are biking, running, and walking in the park.” Contact Charley Sutherland at 307-7327066 or county@jhnewsandguide.com.

Cyclists bike through a section of the Moose-Wilson Road in August 2023. Grand Teton National Park announced in August it will build a separated bike path along the road.

BRADLY J. BONER/JACKSON HOLE DAILY FILE

Anzelmo