Representatives from Grand Teton National Park, the National Elk Refuge and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department told regional Forest Service officials they would like to cooperate on housing solutions to keep the forest supervisor’s office in Jackson Hole.

The so-called cooperating agencies made the comments at a series of meetings Thursday to discuss the possible relocation of the Bridger-Teton forest supervisor’s office and the sale of some or all of the 15-acre parcel on North Cache Street. The high cost of housing is one of the reasons regional officials said they would consider moving the office out of Jackson.

The land is expected to be worth up to $50 million. At the meetings, regional officials said any money from the sale was not guaranteed to stay with the Bridger-Teton.

At the Nov. 29 meetings, Cathy Beaty, Forest Service deputy regional director, said the Intermountain Region would hold public meetings on the proposal. She said the regional office hopes to make a decision on the plan by late winter.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin and U.S. Sens. Mike Enzi and John Barrasso had criticized the agency, saying it appeared the Forest Service had made up its mind about the move without engaging the public.

Regional Forester Harv Forsgren wrote the delegation Tuesday saying the Forest Service will not make a decision “until we have had an opportunity to hear from the affected publics and evaluate other social and economic information.”

He said a “conveyance proposal” sent to Washington is “merely a process,” required by law. “It should not be interpreted as a decision to relocate the supervisor’s office and other facilities.”

That changed the delegation’s tune to praise later that day.

“We are encouraged by the Forest Service announcement that public listening sessions will be scheduled in Jackson, Afton and Alpine in the coming weeks,” the delegates said in a statement. “We received a letter in response to our repeated calls for an open, public process to choose a location for the Bridger-Teton Forest Supervisor’s Office.

Bridger-Teton is not alone

“Public involvement is the most powerful tool for effective management of our nation’s public lands,” the statement continued. “We are pleased that the Forest Service has decided to consult the public, and we encourage all interested Wyoming residents to make their voices heard over the coming weeks.”

Representatives from Grand Teton National Park, the National Elk Refuge and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department pointed to their own housing crunch during meetings with the federal agency.

“We have the same challenges as far as housing,” said Grand Teton National Park superintendent Mary Gibson Scott. “Perhaps we ought to be talking about an interagency solution.”

Refuge manager Steve Kallin said the state and federal agencies should work together to find a solution to the housing crunch.

“All our issues are interrelated,” he said. “We have common problems. I would certainly like to see an interagency approach to [the high cost of housing] before I would see one of our key partners relocate.”

Bernie Holz, regional wildlife supervisor for Game and Fish, said, “We look, in the long term, to develop additional housing ... to accommodate the personnel that work in Jackson. We would like to be considered in a partnership if that were a possibility.”

Finding ways to make it work

Bridger-Teton forest supervisor Kniffy Hamilton said that, so far, high housing prices haven’t stopped employees of the supervisor’s office from living in Jackson.

“Employees are figuring out ways to buy... here,” she said. “A lot of people stay here a long time. They love Jackson. They love the quality of life here.”

Later that day, Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce representative T.R. Pierce said the Forest Service should figure out a way to use the administrative land it has in the area, roughly 100 acres, to provide more housing for employees.

“You guys have the majority of the land in the county,” he said. “When you go into the national park, they have employee housing there. [It] is an issue for everyone, but it seems like you guys have a hand up.”

The various agency representatives were insistent that the supervisor’s office should stay in Jackson for better interagency communication. Holz called moving the supervisor’s office a “very big mistake” because people in the area have strong opinions about the area’s public lands and wildlife.

Game and Fish just decided to add a new Jackson district, cutting Holz’s in half, in acknowledgement of the complex issues that span the region between Pinedale and Jackson.

“Jackson is really unique,” Holz said. “Any sort of topic in Jackson has eight sides to the argument.”

The day after the Jackson meetings, representatives from Afton and Alpine told Forest Service officials they would welcome the supervisor’s office in their respective towns.

John Woodward, planning director for Lincoln County, called the potential office move an interesting opportunity for economic development.

“I think everybody is pretty positive about it,” he said. “The towns of Alpine and Afton seem to be very receptive.”

Alpine is 35 miles from Star Valley Medical Center, the nearest full-service hospital, Woodward noted.

 Alpine also has no schools, but relies on elementary, middle and high schools in Etna, Thayne and Afton.