Newsmakers of the year 2008

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

By PJH Staff

Jackson Hole, Wyoming - The fact that revising the Comprehensive Plan began in late 2007, and the most complete version of a draft to date is now expected to be unveiled sometime in February, indicates the measures of caution and delicacy officials are taking to lay a roadmap for Jackson Hole over the next decade and beyond.

At least, that’s what most officials will tell you.

But while a few residents have said the process is too long and protracted, making it difficult for the average working citizen to follow, many have also lauded Town and County officials for not rushing forward with a plan rewrite.

One of the most widely acknowledged flaws of the current plan, adopted in 1994, is the discretion it gives elected officials to approve or reject new projects on a case-by-case basis. That lack of predictability has brought emotion to public debates on more than one occasion.

And so, the plan rewrite begs one overarching question: Can the new Comprehensive Plan balance Jackson Hole’s priorities and aspirations while removing much of the community stress and discomfort from future planning?

A heated community discourse
The Comp Plan revision crept forward in 2008 with public workshops and community polling, yet the process has grabbed very few headlines in recent months. Surveying the community earlier this year helped Town and County officials establish the baseline of community priorities – wildlife, open space, a largely rustic character – and also acknowledged the importance of maintaining a viable community through affordable and workforce housing. The tenor of those community meetings, along with much of the written comment on record, does not reflect the element of community divisiveness that also marked – and marred – 2008.

Public discourse hit a low point, according to some, when opposition to the Teton Meadows Ranch proposal to build as many as 500 homes on a pastoral open field in South Park became, at times, an emotionally charged debate. Teton Meadows Ranch, which promised to significantly expand Jackson Hole’s workforce housing supply, was eventually put down by a moratorium on new subdivisions. But some, including county commissioner Andy Schwartz, who voted against the moratorium, said while the emergency measure may be appropriate in light of the unfinished Comp Plan revision, it also denied a decision owed to a developer who dutifully endured his share of expensive and uncomfortable months in the public application process. But whatever role neighboring opposition to Teton Meadows actually played on the decision to include Teton Meadows Ranch in the moratorium is academic at this point. The mounting influence of neighborhood watchdog groups, however, seems less uncertain.

The rise of neighbors
Like South Park Neighbors, the grassroots network that counted a victory when Teton Meadows fell, other neighbor organizations are emerging as a powerful voice of neighborhood preservation. In December, for example, facing strong opposition from a group calling itself the East Jackson Network, the Jackson Hole Community Housing Trust reluctantly decided to pull an application seeking extra density for three future workforce housing projects.

While watchdog neighbor groups are nothing particularly new for Jackson Hole, the Internet has made it easier for residents to mobilize and coordinate against new developments, infrastructure and density increases viewed as threats to the character of a particular neighborhood.

“I call it the Balkanization of Teton County,” Schwartz said, referring to the fragmentation of a geopolitical region or state into smaller regions. While Schwartz did not say it outright, the term often implies a level of hostile protectiveness when it comes to the sovereignty of each sub-region.

“The level of organization for these neighborhood groups has increased, but I don’t know how much clout they have,” Schwarz said. “I’m not saying they’re all wrong; they’re protecting their neighborhood. I expect that, and [as a county commissioner] I weigh the comment based on that perspective.”

Rich Bloom, the South Park resident organizer who has become a de facto leader and unofficial mouthpiece for South Park Neighbors, says what’s different about neighbor groups today is that many residents use the internet not only to receive and share email discussions, but also to have real time access to official staff reports and the like. And with the Comp Plan update underlining much of 2008, Bloom says citizen interest on the part of residents across Teton County is at a new high.

“The debate’s becoming more sophisticated,” said Bloom. “And I think also you see more citizens groups because more people have learned how to better participate.”
In addition to South Park and East Jackson networks, residents in Wilson, north of Jackson and the Cottonwood Park neighborhood have begun forming information networks.

These informal networks – really mass e-mail lists – communicate among one another, and also include contacts within various preservation groups like the Conservation Alliance and the Land Trust, among others. The groups are not formally aligned and do not necessarily share objectives, according to Bloom.
Bloom says some try to paint him and these watchdog networks as “no growthers,” but that the phenomenon emerged, in part, as a reaction to an outmoded plan that has favored developers over public concerns.

“I think the playing field is a little more level now,” he said.

The new plan
On Tuesday, County Planner Jeff Daugherty spoke publicly for the first time about the new Comprehensive Plan draft, saying the new plan should replace the discretionary elements of the ’94 plan, which many officials and residents have acknowledged to be at the root of heated community discourse. Additionally, it divides Jackson and Teton County into sub-areas –13 in town and 12 in the county – that will allow residents of a given area to focus on bite-sized recommendations for future development.

“For this plan the community said ‘we want a lot of predictability,” Daugherty said in a Planet JH interview. “The result is a plan that we hope is tightened down sufficiently. And we also think it’s going to be easily and rapidly digestible to the average person.”

A future land use map and plan will outline priorities for each sub-area. But while the top community concern is wildlife, some sub-areas are designated as appropriate areas for more affordable and workforce housing. The plan encourages development in and around existing nodes such as the Town of Jackson, northern South Park along High School Road, the Aspens and Wilson “in order to preserve wildlife and riparian corridors and open space elsewhere,” Daugherty said.
The county planner emphasized that the future land use maps do not prescribe zoning densities.

“The plan suggests how you achieve the community vision; it doesn’t dictate,” he said.

Additionally, planners have proposed a new plan component that asks officials to periodically review the Comp Plan once every few years to examine which strategies are having success. Reviewing and possibly reworking the Comp Plan more often could create a more dynamic plan with greater longevity, potentially avoiding the current situation of a grossly outdated plan requiring a lengthy and costly update, Daugherty said.

Moving forward
While it remains to be seen how the public will respond to the plan draft, planning officials feel confident it sufficiently addresses the range of common community concerns. Following adoption of the plan, expected later this year, Jackson and Teton County will have to address and adopt the land development regulations that give teeth to the Comp Plan’s statement of vision. And, historically, the smaller battles are often the ones that see the most emotion.

“It’s the lot-by-lot zoning that people tend to get the most work up about,” Schwartz said.

And while informal neighbor groups like the ones in South Park and East Jackson have coalesced this year around immediate concerns, it remains to be seen how residents in other areas will react when their own neighborhoods come up in the discussion.

Wilson resident Dave Barrett, who communicates with neighbors and other county residents through e-mail, said he gets a sense many want to see a Comp Plan that reflects the community as a whole.

But he also said Wilson has already received “a great deal of the development and housing in the valley,” and noted the important riparian area rich with wildlife nearby.

Still, there are many who expect the world from a new Comp Plan.

“There won’t be complete consensus and nobody expects that,” Bloom said. “Open government is complex and slow, but people are hopeful the rewrites replace what we have with something better. People want to get on with their lives. Going back into a fight is the last thing anybody wants.”

— Ben Cannon


Part II
The year of 2008 started with snowy-eyed locals and red-eyed WYDOT plow drivers. It saw the growth of no-growthers and death of martyred wildlife. Forest service said “should I stay or should I go,” cultural organizations died and then more snow fell.

Teton Meadows Ranch sparks debate, dies
A 2007 sketch plan for 400 deed-restricted and 100 free-market houses on a 288-acre parcel of pasture and gravel pit had drawn plenty of attention by January of 2008. But the ensuing months of heated, and often one-sided, debate helped temper what has become the valley’s strongest lobby in the public process.
The development was called Teton Meadows Ranch, and most homes would be deed-restricted to local workers, but not price-capped. By keeping second-homeowner demand out of the equation, the houses would have “bridged” the price-gap between traditional price-restricted units and expensive free-market homes.  Other of the TMR homes would be fully deed restricted, and a 100 or so would go on the free-market.

But 500 homes were far too many for neighbors who valued the open fields and gravel pit that may or may not have been a “migratory corridor,” but were largely “open space.” A group known as “South Park Neighbors,” as well as “Save Historic Jackson Hole” threw their weight against the development with attack-ads. The development asked for density bonuses in exchange for a concentration of affordable housing units under a special county development tool. They argued it was not in compliance with county land development regulations.

Teton Meadows Ranch’s deathblow was dealt on March 6 when a county-wide moratorium on development passed 3 to 2 by the County Commission.

The seeds of dissent in the TMR debate would grow into a strong “no-growth lobby” that made its full clout, and advertising revenue, apparent in the weeks leading up to the November 2008 Town and County elections.

Bison slaughter and hippies draw attention,
federal scold incites action, finally
The Yellowstone bison, a symbol of American freedom, try every year to leave the boundaries of Yellowstone national park for greener pastures in Montana. But pastures occupied by cows, and/or owned by a New-Age religious sect, lie in the way of the federally owned land.

Bison are not allowed on those lands because they carry a disease, called brucellosis. If Montana cows become infected (which they were, but elk are suspected) with the disease, then Montana ranchers could collectively lose millions of dollars per year, so when bison leave they are tested for brucellosis and often slaughtered. A group of oft-be-dreadlocked kids, working for the Buffalo Field Campaign, chase the bison away from their would-be captors, and that spectacle has been fodder for dozens of news stories written nationwide.

But the slaughter is not new. To resolve the problem, five government agencies had gathered in the late 90s to 1.) prevent the spread of brucellosis to Montana livestock while 2.) maintaining a free-roaming, genetically viable herd of Yellowstone bison.

The “adaptive management plan” model used by the agencies was supposed to reach “step 2,” which would allow a few bison on the Royal Teton Ranch (RTR) each year, in 2002. But a couple of million dollars required to get cows off the RTR land, owned by the Church Universal and Triumphant, just wasn’t delivered. And five years of balking ensued.

A March 2008 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said that the five agencies failed, and this December, 2008 deal was finally made between the Royal Teton Ranch and the Montana Department of Fish and Wildlife. It would allow 25 bison per year to roam through their land to federal lands in Montana. If the first run goes well, the number could increase to 100, and continue to grow.

The plan’s success depends on how much damage the bison do to the land, and the threat they pose to the people that use that ranch, spokespeople for the ranch said.
But conservation organizations, including the Buffalo Field Campaign, say the plan is a hurried non-solution meant to appease the GAO and concerned citizens.

Pieces of Jackson’s cultural fiber disintegrate
As crucial capital evaporated on the East and West coasts, two major cultural institutions – first the JH Film Fest and then the Alpinist magazine – shuttered their doors this summer and fall with relatively little warning.

The JH Film Fest lost its backing after five years of growth that culminated in a three-day film fervor in the halls of the Center for the Arts this summer – perhaps the most lively three days the building has ever seen.
I
t was still losing money, and had not found a major sponsor, so a private investor, Jerry Doros, pulled his money out.

The Alpinist magazine, a glossy that recounted epic outdoor feats in a scholarly style, lost its backing after stock market crashes left its principal supporter unsure of how much money he could really drop on what has been called one of the finest publications in the world.

Forest Service stays, somewhere in Jackson,
will maybe still Cache in
The forest service owns prime real estate on North Cache Street, an area targeted for redevelopment by speculators and town officials alike. Their property houses the Bridger-Teton National Forest supervisor’s office, Jackson district offices and several employee-housing units. The property is worth tens of millions of dollars.
An act of Congress gave the Forest Service a window of opportunity to sell their land on N. Cache to raise funds for new offices. The buildings were outdated, and a strapped-for-cash NFS couldn’t pony up funds for new ones, so B-T made moves to sell the property, and take the offices elsewhere – perhaps to Alpine, Wyo.

Bridger-Teton employees and Jackson residents spoke out against plans to move the offices from Jackson, and on March 20, regional Forester Harv Forsgren said that because of those local voices, and a number of other reasons, the offices would stay in Jackson. But some, or all, of the N. Cache property would be sold to fund new offices and employee housing to be built somewhere in Jackson, he then said.

It is still up in the air where the offices will go, and how much property on N. Cache Street will be sold, but probably not all of it. Some forest service property near the popular Putt-putt trailhead is now being eyed for new employee housing development, causing a stir in its own right.

Wolves are off-again, killed, on-again with endangered list
The Northern Rockies’ population of Gray Wolves was removed from the endangered species list in mid-March, 2008.

That meant that a Wolf in Wyoming could be killed by any means, by anyone, at any time in most parts of Wyoming – as long as the kill was reported within 10 days. A “trophy area,” in northwestern Wyoming, close to Yellowstone National Park (and encompassing most of Jackson Hole) would have set limits on wolf kills during a  tentative wolf hunting season, but Wyoming was never able to administer the season.

A dozen wolves were killed in the first month-and-a-half of state management. During that time, national news stories that ran in papers like the LA Times painted a picture of bloodthirsty hunters traveling from god-knows-where to snowmobile around Sublette county, Wyo. and kill a wolf.

Wildlife advocates cried “albatross” about the state’s management plan, which allowed for any means of hunting, including poisoning or bludgeoning, and they said would greatly reduce the wolves viable habitat, and thus their genetic diversity. Online wildlife forums proposed a boycott of Wyoming, an effort that got traction in regional and national publications, including The New York Times.
Eventually Montana judge Donald Malloy issued an injunction that re-listed wolves on July 18.

Wyoming state legislators are now hoping to rewrite the state management plan with terms that can keep wolf-lovers happy but keep federal agencies out of the state’s wildlife management efforts.

— Henry Sweets



PART III
Singular Salad
A professional party-thrower with a penchant for the “finer” things in life is German-born Alex von Salad.

This year von Salad opened the Ital-meets NYC-eatery Café Ponza and the Pie Club.

The addition of the flashy dressed von Salad, will hopefully translate into a bona fide pizza-by-the-slice joint (one of his dining blueprints).

“Most of the time there is decent pizza available in the U.S., but not in Jackson,” von Salad told Planet JH in March.

He also wants to color new tones to JH’s slightly monochromatic music scene. “I think this town needs some rock and some blues and some jazz,” von Salad mused.

“And it needs some house music.

“People are dying for something new and I want to give it to them.”


It must be the ‘stache
Around these parts, an iconic Western symbol is mustached Sherriff Bob Zimmer. And after 33 years of public servitude, much to the disappointment of townies and repeat tourists alike, Zimmer announced his retirement this year.

Zimmer unraveled bad cop stigmas with his willingness to not only serve the community but also create amicable dynamics between the populace and the force. “I’d rather do the real positive promoting our community, promoting law enforcement and treating people with respect,” Zimmer told Planet JH in November.

When folks would inquire about firewood or a good trout dinner, Zimmer said he would take them to his place.

The moustache has embodied an era of distinguished law enforcement in Jackson Hole.

Regards, Sherriff Zimmer…

The call of nature
Known to hike in the nude during his days of youth, Franz Camenzind has a close relationship with nature.

The head of the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance announced his retirement this year, turning naturalist heads all over the valley.

Camenzind was a champion of causes and conservation during his 12-year tenure. He challenged Targhee when they jeopardized open space and lobbied for the wolves in Cheyenne.

Often, Camenzind went up against forces larger than he could conquer.

“It’s a tough organization to belong to,” Camenzind told Planet JH in August. “We will inevitably be up against our friends. In a small town that’s a very difficult situation to be in.”

Undoubtedly, Camenzind’s passionate nature determined triumphs at the Alliance. “If I fall over and die out there, that’s where I would want to be.”

No growth candidate
If you’ve lived in Jackson Hole since 1963, you’ve witnessed exponential growth, development and population boosts. But if you are acclimated to this old, substantially less developed, less populated JH, you may not take a liking to growth.

Cue the platform of 2008’s write-in candidate for mayor, Mike Lance.
Although he told Planet JH in October, “We have to grow,” he added, “South Park, the Porter Estate is really the only place to go.”

It was during this same interview that Lance recalled when his wife told him perhaps running for mayor was “an opportunity God’s opening up for you.”
But with 44 percent of the votes on Election Day, Lance’s divine intervention didn’t pan out.

Trice a charm
When the Tetons are essentially your jungle gym, you have a background in gymnastics, and enormous talent, you might just become the best snowboarder in the world; a title often used to refer to Travis Rice.

The 24-year-old is always going bigger with fresh tricks and mind-bending lines.
This year he premiered That’s it That’s All with co-producer Curt Morgan, employing stunning aerial shots via helicopters and intimate point-of-view perspectives. And then there’s Rice, debuting the double cork 10, willing to huck himself off anything largely insane, and always, stomping it.

“It’s epic snowboarding meets Planet Earth,” Morgan told Planet JH in September.
The film wielded gasps and incessant “whhaaats!” from critics, pros and audiences across the globe, particularly during its hometown screening at the Center for the Arts.

Cranky campaigners Cynthia Lummis (R) and Gary Trauner (D)
The battle for Wyoming’s seat in the House of Representatives was nasty. Attack, attack, attack was the slimy campaign mantras of these two, particularly Cynthia Lummis. And often, the babyish banter made us wonder if we were witnessing a crusade for Washington or for naptime.

“It’s hard to run a campaign and tell people how you want to solve the issues of the day when the other side is making stuff up about you and pulling dirty tricks,’’ Trauner told Planet JH in November. The victorious Lummis also wanted Wyomingites to “Consider the effect of having an Obama presidency.” Consider it done.

The kids are talking
Political newcomer Claire Fuller has promise. The 24-year-old, third-generation Jacksonite who ran for County Commissioner appealed to young voters, running on the platform that in the valley, “there is no youthful input,” Fuller told Planet JH in November.

She also wanted to provide more workforce housing and reached JH audiences with her interests in wildlife and open space preservation. 
Although she didn’t gain a seat on the Commission – a traditionally tough board to unseat incumbents on – we have our eye on Fuller’s ambitious political future.

Grand skiing
Bill Briggs paved the way for droves of alpine enthusiasts as the first to summit and ski the 13,770-foot Grand in 1971. Involved in a free-hanging rappel, Briggs shot down a 165-foot face and then skied down. 

Briggs was also first to descend Moran, Owen, the South Teton and the Middle. And on April 4, he was inducted into the National Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. His recognition by the Committee was a landmark event, as Briggs, a mountaineer and extreme skier, is in the company of traditional champion skiers. Co-founder of the JH Hootenanny and the Stagecoach Band, Briggs’ story was told in the captivating ski-pioneer documentary, Steep.

— Robyn Vincent

Illustration by Nate Bennett. Photos for Planet Jackson Hole covers: Alex Von Salad by Derek Diluzio, Bob Zimmer Jonathan Adams and Mike Lance by Heather Erson.


PERMALINK:
Newsmakers of the year 2008 | Planet JH News Article: Cover Stories

Leave a Comment