# Meeting in the WInds



## sweetgoatmama (Dec 10, 2008)

I'll write more later after I recover a bit but first of all want to thank the crew who braved the storm and 8 hour drive to get there yesterday. The weather was bad and some people just couldn't make it. But, we had 5 people at the meeting, Charlie Jennings, myself, Dave Suisse, Gregg Shedd and Josh Leavitt.

We were very well recieved and I think these people would like to see our suggestions implemented. We have been asked to provide further information on how we would proceed with a volunteer program and to provide maps on places we would like to be able to continue to go. This is a big step as they could have simply listened politely and sent us on our way. We got thanked for our reasonableness and approach of offering solutions rather than wading in and "setting them straight."

The fact that Gregg and Josh, both having professional knowledge of this area and the subject, could speak to them specifically about the issues and areas of sheep dieoff was very helpful and probably tipped things in our favor more than anything Charlie and I would have known to say.

Now, the bad news: Anything we propose will have to be signed off on by FIsh and Game which is another breed of cat. They already have their minds made up and so will have to be persuaded by the very guys we talked to yesterday. That these guys now have something concrete to offer is helpful but may not tip the scales in our favor. We'll see.

So, we have till the end of Feb to present our plan. More about this later. We were shown a stack of letters and I think they were surprised to have gotten them but pleased with the overall tone of them. Please keep writing, it does make a big difference. The more public they think is involved the harder it is to say no. The FS is the interface between the public and these other agencies, so that they are will to listen is a big deal. GIve them something to listen to.

Joe Alexander
USFS
808 Meadow Lane
Cody, Wyoming 82414

We are working on a volunteer progam for this area. Much of it will be done on line but we can use some volunteers to come and hike and obbserve.


It;s entirely possible that if we get this program on board that volunters could come from neighboring states as well. It;s a very short season (maybe 8 weeks max) that we are talking about and we could conceivably have actual volunteers in the back country for a few days at a time for that season.

One trip to the Winds for 8 groups would cover that. Not that we need someone up there very second but you can see this is doable.

So, if you are interested in a trip, even for a weekend, there you could indicate a willingness to volunteer, even if you don't live right there. I'll start working on the actual program as soon as I get caught up around here.

Gregg is right. THis is looking really contagious so our willingness to help, even if we get restrictions, will spread elsewhere.


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## ali pearson (Aug 12, 2009)

Thanks Caroline, Charlie, et all for doing this on the behalf of goat packers everywhere. We are so lucky to have people like you that have the skill sets to deal with this kind of thing. 

Ali


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