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75th Annual Chuckwagon Days July 3 & 4, 2009 (posted 7/2/09)
Big Piney Chuckwagon Days are always held over the 4th of July in Big Piney and Marbleton. The celebration includes an early-morning walk/run, a parade down main street in Big Piney, a free BBQ cookout, a Lil' Buckaroo Rodeo for youngsters up to age 12, WRA-IMPRA rodeo, a street dance, and fireworks on July 4th.
FRIDAY, JULY 3RD
6:00 PM – Lil' Buckaroo Rodeo
For ALL kids 12 and under. Starts at 6:00 PM at the Sublette County Fairgrounds. Free!
Sponsored entirely by EnCana Oil & Gas (USA)
Stickhorse Barrel Racing (ages 4 & Under, 5-7, 8-9)
Goat Tail Tying (ages 5-7, 8-10, 11-13)
Calf Roping (ages 7-9, 10-13)
Mutton Busting (ages 6 & under)
Bareback Riding (ages 7-9, 10-13)
Calf Riding (ages 7-9)
SATURDAY, JULY 4TH
8:00 AM: Chuckwagon Chug 5K and 10K Walk/Run
Before the Big Piney parade. Entry fee. Start & finish at the Big Piney High School parking lot. For more information or to pre-register, contact Gudrid Espenscheid, 307-276-5441. (Editor's Note: We have not confirmed this event taking place for 2009. We have been unable to contact the organizers to confirm this Walk/Run for this year.)
8:30 AM: Parade Line-up at EOG Resources
9:15 AM: Parade Judging
10:00 AM: Chuckwagon Days Parade, down Budd Avenue in Big Piney
Contact the Town of Big Piney Town Hall for parade and entry info, 307-276-3554.
After Parade: Chuckwagon Days BBQ
At the Sublette County Fairgrounds. FREE! (Donations accepted) Everyone welcome.
1:00 PM: Chuckwagon Days Rodeo
Co-Approved IMPRA and WRA
Bull riding
Saddle bronc
Bareback riding
Team roping
Steer wrestling
Tie-down roping
Barrel racing
Breakaway roping
Junior barrels
Calf scramble
Concessions will be available.
Admission $5.00/person, kids 12 & under free.
8:00 PM: Street Dance
On Fish Street in Big Piney. Free! Families encouraged. Town will provide soft drinks and water. DJ will play music for dancing.
Dusk: 4th of July Fireworks
Shot from the Marbleton Hill
For more information see: www.ChuckwagonDays.com
BLM designates public lands for Solar Farms (posted 7/2/09)
24 tracts in six states designated as prime zones for utility-scale solar energy development
Bureau of Land Management
Secretary Salazar, Senator Reid Announce 'Fast-Track' Initiatives for Solar Energy Development on Western Lands
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Under initiatives announced today (June 29, 2009) by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), federal agencies will work with western leaders to designate tracts of U.S. public lands in the West as prime zones for utility-scale solar energy development, fund environmental studies, open new solar energy permitting offices and speed reviews of industry proposals.
"President Obama’s comprehensive energy strategy calls for rapid development of renewable energy, especially on America’s public lands," said Secretary Salazar. "This environmentally-sensitive plan will identify appropriate Interior-managed lands that have excellent solar energy potential and limited conflicts with wildlife, other natural resources or land users. The two dozen areas we are evaluating could generate nearly 100,000 megawatts of solar electricity. With coordinated environmental studies, good land-use planning and zoning and priority processing, we can accelerate responsible solar energy production that will help build a clean-energy economy for the 21st century."
"I want to thank Secretary Salazar for his commitment to renewable energy, and for being here in Nevada today," said Reid. "This is the Secretary's second visit to Nevada to announce key renewable energy initiatives that will help make Nevada the blueprint for everything that’s right about the future of our nation’s energy policy. We’ve got sunny skies, strong winds, and land that when used properly, will allow us to lead the nation’s children into a cleaner, more efficient, and more profitable tomorrow."
Under one initiative, 24 tracts of Bureau of Land Management-administered land located in six western states, known as Solar Energy Study Areas, would be fully evaluated for their environmental and resource suitability for large-scale solar energy production. The objective is to provide landscape-scale planning and zoning for solar projects on BLM lands in the West, allowing a more efficient process for permitting and siting responsible solar development.
Those areas selected would be available for projects capable of producing 10 or more megawatts of electricity for distribution to customers through the transmission grid system. Companies that propose projects on that scale in areas already approved for this type of development would be eligible for priority processing. The BLM may also decide to use alternative competitive or non-competitive procedures in processing new solar applications for these areas.
Secretary Salazar and Senator Reid also announced the opening of a new Interior renewable energy coordination office (RECO) in Nevada, the first of four, with the others located inArizona, California, and Wyoming. The offices will help to expedite processing of the increased number of applications for renewable energy projects on U.S. lands.
Currently BLM has received about 470 renewable energy project applications. Those include 158 active solar applications, covering 1.8 million acres, with a projected capacity to generate 97,000 megawatts of electricity. That’s enough to power 29 million homes, the equivalent of 29 percent of the nation’s household electrical consumption. The BLM will continue to process existing renewable energy applications, both within and outside of the solar energy study areas.
Interior also is coordinating with states to expedite permitting for a number of solar power projects nearing approval. The BLM will begin site-specific environmental reviews for two major projects in Nevada that would have a combine capacity of more than 400 megawatts of electricity: the NextLight Silver State South array is planned to produce 267 megawatts; and the NextLight Silver State North would produce about 140 megawatts. Interior continues to work with the Western Governors Association to develop renewable energy zones and transmission corridors.
The Solar Energy Study Areas, located in Nevada, Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah and outlined in maps to be published in the Federal Register Tuesday, encompass about 670,000 acres. Only lands with excellent solar resources, suitable slope, proximity to roads and transmission lines or designated corridors, and containing at least 2,000 acres of BLM-administered public lands were considered for solar energy study areas. Sensitive lands, wilderness and other high-conservation-value lands as well as lands with conflicting uses were excluded.
As part of this initiative, the BLM will segregate the study areas from new mining claims and other actions initiated by third parties under public land laws. This temporary 2-year segregation will give BLM time to complete its environmental review and make a determination on solar energy zones. It will not affect rights established prior to the temporary segregation. The public will have the opportunity to comment on these proposed solar energy study areas during the environmental reviews before any final decisions are made. The evaluation is expected to be completed in late 2010.
An ongoing federally-funded environmental evaluation of potential solar energy development on public lands in 6 Western States, known as the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, or PEIS, will be expanded to include an in-depth analysis of the potential impacts of utility-scale solar energy development on public lands in the 24 Solar Energy Study Areas. This enhancement will be supported by additional federal funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The BLM will continue to process the 158 active solar applications during preparation of the PEIS. The bureau will also continue to accept new applications both within and outside of the Solar Energy Study Areas. However, these applications will be subject to any decisions made from the Solar PEIS.
This expanded evaluation, a collaborative effort with the Department of Energy, will allow the Bureau of Land Management to take a close look at each study area to determine where it makes sense to develop large-scale solar projects in an environmentally responsible way. Companies proposing solar energy projects in designated areas would be able to "tier" to this study, using it as part of their environmental impact studies for site-specific projects, which are required by the National Environmental Policy Act.
Additional information on the BLM’s renewable energy program is available at www.blm.gov.
Related Links:
Links to solar energy study areas in six states
Maps of proposed solar farm locations on BLM-administered lands in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah
treehugger.com Powering 20,000 Homes: The World's Largest PV Solar Farm Opens See photos of 247-acre solar farm in Spain (February, 2008)
Two Youths Overcome by Carbon Monoxide (posted 7/2/09)
Carbon-monoxide concentrations released from boats can be over 150 times higher than exhaust from an ordinary automobile
Two nine-year-old girls from Jackson, Wyoming families suffered carbon-monoxide poisoning while "teak surfing" behind an inboard ski boat on Jackson Lake on Tuesday afternoon, June 30. Teton Interagency Dispatch Center received a 911 call regarding the situation about 4:30 p.m. and park emergency medical providers, along with numerous park personnel from other divisions, responded immediately to the Colter Bay Marina to provide life-saving medical care before transporting the young girls to St. John’s Medical Center. After receiving highly concentrated oxygen treatment, the girls were revived and later released from the hospital.
A family of four (mom, dad, son and daughter), along with a young girl and her brother from another family, were out for an afternoon excursion on the lake. The young girls, and their older brothers, were taking turns holding onto a swim platform attached to the back of a 20-foot, 1994 Tige ski boat while being pulled across the water. Because of the close proximity to the boat’s exhaust ports, the two girls and one of the boys were subjected to a high concentration of carbon-monoxide gas. When both girls lost consciousness and slumped down behind the platform, one of the brothers realized something was wrong and quickly pulled them out of the water and onto the platform. The young man also made an emergency call for help on his cell phone. Although the father was operating the ski boat when the girls lost consciousness, his son took over in order to drive to the marina to get emergency care. During this time, the father gave CPR to one of the girls.
An investigation is underway regarding the circumstances of this incident and a citation for operating a vessel while allowing a person to hang onto a swim platform will likely be issued, as well as a citation for failure to provide required personal floatation devices for all boat occupants. Because of its inherently unsafe nature, "teak surfing" is illegal in all national park units—including Grand Teton; it is also illegal in a number of states.
The activity is called "teak surfing" because the swim platforms on boats are often made of teak wood. Swimmers use these transom platforms to body surf on the wake behind a slow moving boat; however the inboard-motor exhaust ports place the swimmers in direct contact with carbon-monoxide gases, leading to potentially deadly exposure. High concentrations of carbon monoxide can cause a rapid loss of consciousness and death. Levels of carbon-monoxide are more dangerous in the boating environment because they can lead to drowning. In addition, carbon-monoxide concentrations released from boats can be over 150 times higher than exhaust from an ordinary automobile.
Carbon monoxide—an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas—is a leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths each year in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 500 people perish annually due to carbon-monoxide poisoning. Symptoms of carbon-monoxide poisoning may include severe headache, dizziness, confusion, nausea, fainting, and death. Low levels can cause shortness of breath, slight nausea, and a mild headache.
"This incident serves as a harsh lesson that a seemingly innocent activity can actually be quite dangerous," said Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott. "We are so relieved that these two young ladies were revived, and that this incident had a positive ending for the families involved."
Related Links:
Grand Teton National Park
Off-Road Vehicle parking areas at Greys River campgrounds (posted 7/1/09)
Bridger-Teton National Forest
District Ranger Jay Dunbar announces that recreation staff on the Greys River Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest is creating off-road vehicle (ORV) parking areas outside campground perimeter fences. The parking areas are an attempt to limit dust, noise and safety concerns in the District’s developed campgrounds.
Many campers choose to stay in dispersed sites outside the fee campgrounds and often drive their ORVs along District roads. Along the way, they may stop at the fee campgrounds to use the toilets or fill up a water bottle. Many off-road vehicles are small, and extremely difficult to see from large recreational campers or pickup trucks towing campers, creating a serious safety concern within the confined roads in the developed campgrounds.
Signs will be placed along the outside perimeters of the campgrounds designating areas where visitors can park their ORVs or trailers. Dispersed campers are still welcome to walk into the campgrounds to use the toilets and get water. Campers in the fee campgrounds will still be able to park a trailer with ORVs within the campground as well, on a limited basis. Sites are designed for one towing vehicle and one trailer, which could be a truck with ORV trailer and space for setting up a tent. A self-contained camper towing an ORV trailer could also meet the space limitations. Alternatively, campers using a truck and recreational camp trailer may park their ORV trailer in an empty site within the campground, but must pay the camp fee for that additional site.
Campgrounds where the parking areas will be designated include Forest Park, Moose Flat, Murphy, Swift Creek and Allred Flats. Cottonwood Lake ORV trailer parking will be provided at the lakeside day-use area. Off-road vehicles are still allowed within Cottonwood Campground in order to access the motorized trailhead on the northeast corner of the campground. Signs will direct motorized recreationists to the east loop, leaving the west loop of that campground, where corrals are provided, for horse-based recreationists.
Ignition interlocks law goes into effect July 1, 2009 (posted 7/1/09)
Mandatory for many drivers convicted of drunken driving
A new law will make ignition interlock devices mandatory for many drivers convicted of drunken driving in Wyoming beginning July 1.
Ignition interlocks prevent a vehicle from starting unless the driver first passes a breath test. The 2009 Legislature made the devices mandatory for six months for anyone convicted of a first driving under the influence offense in which their blood alcohol content is .15 percent or greater. A BAC of .08 is considered drunk under Wyoming law.
Conviction on a second DUI offense at any BAC level will make the device mandatory for a year, and a third offense will bring a two-year requirement.
A fourth conviction carries a lifetime ignition interlock requirement, but the driver is allowed to petition the court to have the device removed after five years.
Wyoming began a voluntary ignition interlock program in 2006 that has resulted in about 520 drivers having the monitoring devices installed on their vehicles.
The new mandatory ignition interlock law could result in a 10-fold increase in the number of devices on Wyoming vehicles.
"If you look at current statistics, the number of people convicted of DUI where their BAC is over .15 or of second, third and fourth offenses in Wyoming could very easily be close to 5,000 mandatory ignition interlock drivers in a year to a year and a half," WYDOT Support Services Administrator Tom Loftin said.
Another new law taking effect July 1 creates an administrative process for suspending the driver license of anyone with unpaid child support in excess of $5,000 who hasn’t made any payment in 90 days or more.
In the past it was up to the parent with custody to get a court order to suspend the other parent’s license. Because of the time and expense involved in the court process, the department received only a few of those suspension orders in recent years. The new administrative procedure gives the debtor parent the option of appealing the suspension in court.
"With this new approach, we’re just not sure exactly how many people it’s going to affect, but there are several thousand in the state who essentially meet this basic criteria of owing more than $5,000 and not making any payment for 90 days," Loftin said.
Also beginning July1, the potential fine for commercial trucks traveling more than 5 mph above the speed limit will increase to $300 from the current $100.
"I do hope this provides a deterrent for the drivers of those types of vehicles to say, ‘In Wyoming we need to pay attention to our speed,’" Patrol Col. Sam Powell said. "If we end up not writing a single ticket for this because all the commercial vehicles are traveling at a safe speed then the law has done what we hoped it would do."
The higher fine only applies to large commercial trucks, not delivery vans, recreational vehicles or pickups pulling trailers. The large trucks can weigh 80,000 pounds or more and can’t stop or maneuver as quickly as other vehicles on the highways. "We need to do everything we can to impress upon the drivers of these vehicles that they need to hold their speed down to the legal limit and keep it safe for everybody out there," Powell said.
DJ Tabler (left) fires off his rocket with the help of instructor Matthew Shafer. Photo by Pam McCulloch.
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Sublette Examiner stories – June 30, 2009 (posted 6/30/09)
3…2…1…Blast off!
Shootout could make comeback at Rendezvous
Fourth is a dangerous driving holiday
Ultra cited for air-quality violations
Public Notices
EPA proposes stronger air quality standards for Nitrogen Dioxide (posted 6/29/09)
The agency aims to reduce respiratory illness including asthma
Environmental Protection Agency
For the first time in more than 35 years, EPA has proposed to strengthen the nation’s nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air quality standard that protects public health. The proposed changes reflect the latest science on the health effects of exposure to NO2, which is formed by emissions from cars, trucks, buses, power plants, and industrial facilities and can lead to respiratory disease.
"We’re updating these standards to build on the latest scientific data and meet changing health protection needs," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "In addition to limiting annual average concentrations, we’re preventing high NO2 levels for shorter periods of time and adding stronger monitoring in areas near roadways, where the highest levels of NO2 are often found. This will fill gaps in the current standard and provide important additional protections where they are needed most."
EPA’s proposed revisions apply to the primary NO2 standard and would:
• establish, for the first time, a one-hour NO2 standard at a level between 80 – 100 parts per billion (ppb),
• retain the current annual average NO2 standard of 53 ppb,
• add NO2 monitoring within 50 meters of major roads in cities with at least 350,000 residents, and
• continue monitoring "area-wide" NO2 concentrations in cities with at least 1 million residents.
These proposed standards and additional monitoring requirements would protect public health by reducing people’s exposure to high, short-term concentrations of NO2, which generally occur near roadways. The proposal would also ensure that area-wide NO2 concentrations remain below levels that can cause public health problems.
Current scientific evidence links short-term NO2 exposures, ranging from 30 minutes to 24 hours, with increased respiratory effects, especially in people with asthma. These effects can lead to increased visits to emergency departments and hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses, particularly in at-risk populations such as children, the elderly, and asthmatics.
EPA first set standards for NO2 in 1971, establishing both a primary standard to protect health and a secondary standard to protect the public welfare at 53 ppb, averaged annually. Annual average NO2 concentrations have decreased by more than 40 percent since 1980. All areas in the United States are well below the current (1971) NO2 standards with annual averages ranging from approximately 10 – 20 ppb.
EPA will accept public comments for 60 days after the proposal is published in the Federal Register. The agency will hold two public hearings in August 2009: one in Los Angeles and one in the Washington, D.C. area. EPA will provide details on the public hearings in a separate notice issued later this summer. EPA must issue a final decision on the NO2 standard by Jan. 22, 2010.
Details about the proposal: http://www.epa.gov/air/nitrogenoxides
Flood of 911 Calls Communications officer Patricia Keiser works the keyboard, the phones and the three computer monitors in the dispatch area at the sheriff’s office. She and her fellow dispatchers are the first point of contact for all emergency calls and alarms — even the false ones. Photo by Stephen Crane, Pinedale Roundup.
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Pinedale Roundup stories – June 26, 2009 (posted 6/26/09)
Rain Brings Flood of 911 Calls
Weather-related alarms ‘a little bit odd’
Town buys corner lot for parking
County hoping for summer tourist arrival
Obituary - Betty June Lanning
Swine flu cases increase in Wyoming (posted 6/26/09)
Wyoming Department of Health
The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of swine flu (novel H1N1) virus in Wyoming residents has gone up to 72, as of June 24, 2009.
To date, the Wyoming Department of Health has confirmed cases in eight counties. Of the lab-confirmed infections, 50 are from Laramie County, eight are from Sweetwater County, six are from Lincoln County, there are two each in Fremont, Natrona and Uinta counties, and there is one each in Campbell and Johnson counties.
Counts provided by the department only reflect cases confirmed by the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory. The department expects the number of actual infections around the state to be higher because many ill persons do not seek medical care or are not tested specifically for the swine flu strain. Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches and fatigue. Some patients have also reported diarrhea and vomiting.
Steps recommended to help prevent the spread of illness include:
• Staying home from work, school or travel while ill with flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat and body aches. Those who are severely ill (such as having trouble breathing) should seek medical care.
• Frequent hand washing with soap and water or the use of an alcohol-based hand gel.
• Covering noses and mouths with a tissue or sleeve when coughing or sneezing, and throwing used tissues in a trash can.
• Avoiding contact with ill persons.
• Persons at high risk for complications from influenza (such as persons 65 years or older, children younger than five years, pregnant women, and persons with chronic medical conditions) should consider avoiding crowded or large gatherings if ill persons may be present.
The First Place winner is Joanne Panizzera from Sebastopol, California for her photo entitled "Reflections," taken at the Flying A Ranch.
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USA Today Photo Contest features Pinedale area photo - June 26 edition (posted 6/25/09)
Joanne Panizzera photo of Flying A Ranch horses wins 1st Place
Dawn Ballou, Pinedale Online!
Grab a copy of the Friday, June 26th USA Today newspaper and look for the Picture America photo contest. The First Place winner is Joanne Panizzera from Sebastopol, California for her photo entitled "Reflections." The photo shows galloping horses from the Flying A Guest Ranch dramatically reflected in a pond of water with glowing sunset light. The photo contest was done by USA Today in collaboration with DiscoverAmerica.com.
"I’m an annual visitor to Pinedale and the Flying A Guest Ranch," Panizzera said. "It’s one of my favorite places on this planet. I’ve been visiting the Flying A and Pinedale for almost 10 years now. We always spend a couple of days in Pinedale on our visits," she said.
Panizzera said she mostly does underwater photography. Lately she’s been doing more wildlife and outdoor photography. More of her work can be found at www.galleryoffriends.com (click on her name on the left sidebar.)
Related Links:
Flying A Ranch
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