BTNF supervisors fret workplace

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

By Jake Nichols

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-It was news to employees of the Bridger-Teton National Forest when they received warning from Intermountain Region boss Jack Troyer that HQ was toying with the idea of moving the current trailer park outfit to either Alpine, Pinedale or Afton.

None of the proposed locations would be within or adjacent to the forest BTNF officials are charged with stewarding.

The BTNF offices currently reside on 13.1 acres in north Jackson. The property was under review by the regional headquarters for a possible conveyance of five acres back in January of this year. An auction of the five acres would likely be held online at the USDA Forest Service’s website, according to public relations officer Erin O’Connor, and the proceeds from the sale would build BTNF a new building.

That was the last Mary Cernicek heard of it. Cernicek is the information officer for the BTNF and would be most affected by a move of workplace.

“My husband and I would be most affected because he is in the Jackson Ranger District,” she said. That department would remain in Jackson while Cernicek would have to kiss her husband goodbye every weekday morning and head off to Alpine for the reverse-commute should BTNF supervisor’s offices move there.

The Intermountain Regional spokesperson, Erin O’Connor, insists a move is not imminent.

“This is just an exploration into what future options might be,” she said. “What makes more sense? We have to look at the big picture, the long range. In another 40 years, will we continue to be able to find a workforce that can afford to live in Jackson?”
Headquarters claims housing costs are the foremost reason for considering a change of address.

“The cost of housing in Jackson is phenomenal,” O’Connor said.

Cernicek is reluctant to speculate on the real reason, but points out that over 50 percent of her fellow staffers already own a home in Teton County. Four of approximately 50 forest employees currently commute to Jackson from Star Valley.

Pinedale arguably is experiencing a tighter housing market than Jackson due to its ongoing energy boom, and Afton is just too far away, O’Connor admitted. Alpine would seem the likely choice, but the land the U.S. Forest Service is considering actually borders the Caribou-Targhee National Forest, making Cernicek wonder if existing ties with Grand Teton National Park and other stakeholders wouldn’t be jeopardized.

“We will look at things like who does the BTNF do business with on an ongoing basis and can we meet their needs at another location?” O’Connor insisted. When pressed as to whether strong community partnerships might be cut, O’Connor said the Jackson Ranger District handles most of the local business and most forest users would not notice any change.

“Actually a lot of that coordination would be very different, more difficult,” Cernicek said of the Forest supervisor’s role in interagency wildfires, search and rescue missions, and implementation of things like the new forest off-road vehicle plan. “These coordinations are done at the supervisory level. The Jackson District Ranger is focused on the ground.”

A conveyance of the entire BTNF property would likely fetch many millions of dollars. One industry insider, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said 13 acres bordering downtown Jackson could be worth as much as $40 million to a commercial developer.
The BTNF encompasses 3.4 million acres and was established in 1905. Calls to Regional Forester Jack Troyer in Ogden, Utah, were not returned.

Although the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce has already contacted the USFS, spokesperson Erin O’Connor could not say whether any petitioning of the regional office could in any way sway the final decision, expected before the end of the month.
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BTNF supervisors fret workplace | Planet JH News Article: General Environment

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