Dear Editor,

To try to express our sorrow over the shortsightedness of three of our county commissioners is futile.

Bousman, Noble, and White caved in to a rich developer from CA. They ignored the unanimous vote from the zoning board, an animal migration route, the historic use and atmosphere of the land, the hard work of conservation groups trying to preserve this open space and wildlife area, and the feelings and opinions of the general citizens of Sublette County. This is an outrageous assault to Sublette County.

They are allowing a traumatized girls’ center to be built on the Rim along the highway to Jackson. They are pretending that this is a “public facility” so that they can allow it – yet is will cost $75,000 or more to attend for a three-month stay and will be strongly guarded to keep people out. They pretend it will fill a need in Sublette County – how many traumatized young girls are there in Sublette County that could come up with that type of money anyway?

This developer, Moyes, already has two other projects that the commissioners allowed that will be developing ranch land into housing developments.  Now they are letting him, backed by members of his “church” and a couple businessmen, override the strong opposition from the zoning board and the true Sublette County citizens that have their hearts and souls wrapped around the county.

I guess one of the reasons the three commissioners did this was out of fear that the developers would sue the county if they did not get their way. Well, maybe the landowners and conservation groups should join hands and sue them for giving the developer his way when it is not within the statutes of a public facility.

For over 100 years, our ranch and family have run cattle on land adjacent to the land that this developer bought, and we herd the cattle back to Big Piney on a four-day drive every fall. This new neighbor is a horrible one. One of the first things he did was padlock the gates between our place and his. We cannot tend to cattle that end up on his land without cutting the fence and then repairing it. They are exploiters and I do not feel like repairing the fence ever again. 

Doug Vickrey and Dave Stevens have the insight, loyalty and backbone that we need to protect Sublette County from the direction that it has been shifting. Sublette County is in deep peril with the other three.  And our intelligent, hardworking zoning board, whom wasted so much time and study to make a legitimate decision, may as well not exist – since a few commissioners have gone rogue anyway. 

These three commissioners are merely monetarily enriching the developer who is a very good actor but is definitely not here to help Sublette County! He is plundering Sublette County right before the commissioners’ eyes. He will forever lessen the open space, wildlife habitat, and atmosphere of Sublette County.  It is very sad that such a poor job is being done of protecting our wildlife-rich, unique, beautiful, wholesome outdoors for future generations.

Sincerely,

Tara Miller, Big Piney

P.S. We are thinking of having a Rainbow Gathering or else a big wild cowboy gathering of some type on our land across the fence from Moyes. It would be far more therapeutic to the public than this center will ever be.