Members of the public will have a chance to comment on the Pole Mountain travel Management Project at an open house in Laramie Tuesday evening.

The meeting will run from 6-8 p.m. at Laramie's Lincoln Community Center at 365 W. Grand Ave. A second open house will be held Wednesday in Cheyenne from 6-8 p.m. at the Laramie County Community College Health Science Building, Room 111/113, located at 1400 E. College Dr.

Forest Service officials hope to hear substantive, specific public comments and discussion regarding the environmental assessment and project alternatives released last month.

The project aims to identify a sustainable system of motorized transportation on the Pole Mountain unit in order to provide diverse recreation opportunities for everyone, regardless of transportation. The project would also allow aadequate access for the Forest Service to manage the unit and minimize user conflicts as well as impacts to the environment.

This is the project's second public comment period.

Released last year, the Laramie Ranger District's initial proposed action would have left the majority of Pole Mountain roads in their current open condition. Access and resource concerns would have been addressed by shortening, closing and decommissioning some roads while also adding select unauthorized roads to the system and converting some roads to off-highway vehicle trails.

The draft also called for building new trails for off-highway vehicles and using seasonal closures and designated dispersed camping as management tools.

Recently-released alternative actions are a bit different. They were developed through input from both the public and Laramie Ranger District staff as well as a thorough on-the-ground assessment.

The Forest Service says the proposed actions contained within the environmental assessment are responsive to the goals, objectives and strategies outlined in the 2003 Medicine Bow National Forest Revised Land and Resource Management Plan. Those alternative also conform with applicable federal regulations.

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