A Familiar Stretch of the Green River, a New Step for Seedskadee Lands

People come to Fontenelle Reservoir and the Green River to launch a boat, cast a line or settle in for a night of camping. Behind those familiar trips is a land management arrangement that has been in place for decades. 

The Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation reached a key milestone in the proposed Seedskadee withdrawal revocation on Sept. 28, signing a joint environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact. The documents complete the agencies’ review under the National Environmental Policy Act of a proposal involving approximately 163,230 acres in southwest Wyoming. They do not revoke the withdrawal. That decision would require a later Public Land Order approved by the Department of Interior. 

The lands were withdrawn from BLM administration for the Green River Project and later became part of Reclamation’s Seedskadee Project, which was established for purposes including water delivery, flood control, and hydropower. Reclamation has determined that the lands proposed for revocation are no longer needed for Seedskadee Project purposes. Although Reclamation holds jurisdiction over those lands, BLM has managed much of the area through agreements with Reclamation for more than 40 years. If the withdrawal is revoked, administrative jurisdiction over the affected lands would return to BLM. 

For visitors, the environmental assessment anticipates that fishing, boating, camping, hunting and other outdoor activities would remain largely unchanged if the revocation is approved. The area includes Fontenelle Creek, Slate Creek and Weeping Rock campgrounds. BLM would manage recreation on the affected lands under the land use plans for its Kemmerer, Pinedale and Rock Springs field offices. 

The opportunities people already enjoy along the river connect this work to All Americans Outside, the BLM initiative encouraging people to explore and spend time on public lands. The proposed revocation would change how the affected lands are administered, while the outdoor activities that bring people here would continue. 

There is considerable work behind a change visitors may not notice on the ground. BLM and Reclamation staff have been locating records, inspecting existing uses and planning how to handle more than 450 land use authorizations within the proposed revocation area. Those authorizations cover uses ranging from roads and pipelines to research permits and communication facilities. If the revocation is approved, BLM would begin converting applicable Reclamation authorizations through its own processes. 

Next, the BLM will complete a suitability determination and prepare of a Public Land Order for Interior’s consideration. Only a final approved order would enact the revocation. Until then, the agencies will continue their work on the proposal while people continue to enjoy this stretch of the Green River.