BIGHORN AUDUBON SOCIETY
Serving the Bighorn Mountains Region Since 1970
Summary of the February 1, 2025, public meeting on the Buffalo Greenbelt Wetlands from Phil Gonzales in a letter to Buffalo (WY) City Leadership:
Sorry you did not attend the Buffalo Greenbelt Wetland Program, especially since the community’s interest in the Buffalo wetlands is significant.
We learned that there are 163 different bird species using the wetlands [and along Clear Creek Trial], documented by Bighorn Audubon. We learned that there are many wetland amphibians that are residents of the wetlands: frogs, turtles, snakes, the most famous one, the Chorus Frog. These bird and amphibian species are dependent on the supply of moisture in the wetlands.
We learned the importance of early spring and later fall cell water filling is to the life cycle and overwintering of various species and the overall health of the wetlands. This was an important component for wetland development and wildlife habitat in the Corps of Engineers permit to the City of Buffalo.
Those who were present received the short version of the land that the wetland footprint is on from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on the Recreation and Public Purpose Act (R&PP). Corps of Engineers (COE) and permit with the city, Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and the importance of these wetlands ecologically and socially.
We heard from other groups and agencies working to keep these lands free from invasives. We also offered alternatives to chemical treatments to pests, i.e. mosquitos and weeds, using an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach.
There were 50 plus members of the community in attendance, along with the speakers. We heard the importance of these wetlands socially, ecologically, and economically to our community.
The take-home question was where do we go from here?
This note to city leadership is to also document learned management principles and needs for updating land and Corps permit plans:
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There are some maintenances of permit with BLM, as builds for activities on lands, updates, education needs for the city on the green belt land, per the Recreation and Public Purpose Act (R&PP).
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This agreement is 30+ years old; we learned has some need for discussion and updates.
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The city has slipped on their Corps of Engineers requirements for operation of said mitigation plan. This mitigation plan was fought for by the city leadership during negotiations of where wetlands are located and needs to be maintained per the management plan agreed to. All components of the plan need to be implemented which include filling of the cells early spring and again in the fall, as well as the over land flows on the south westerly system of the mitigation lands.
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This agreement is 30+ years old and needs to be updated to reflect today’s needs, the COE would entertain this, but present plan needs to be implemented as agreed to.
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There is an outlet pipe off the Shiloh trail that is flowing water, speculating this is from the subdivision. Researching, this will be a need to permit with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and with BLM on allowing discharge in the R&PP land. There may be need to talk to the Board of Control, water rights, bringing subsurface water to surface, water rights?
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The Buffalo wetlands are an important component to the community’s quality of life and are critical to many wildlife species and should not be referred to by city officials negatively as “the mosquito ponds”. We offered at the program a tool used for mosquito management. The concept uses an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach, including larvicide. IPM is a management approach that uses a variety of tools for pest management using safer biological methods first, and chemicals last. Weed and Pest has offered training in using IPM larvicide.
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“Fogging” technique that the city is using is expensive and has risks for humans and wildlife.
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IPM Larvicide costs less and low or no risk to the person doing application (and the public) compared to fogging with the applicator in a pickup and fogger behind them.
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Larvicide does not impact pollinators, bees, butterflies and birds, as fogging does.
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Chemical used in fogging label say it has little effect on birds and bees, not that it has “No Effect”. The label recommends that fogging occur at night, dark. There were 50+ residents at the program all would attest that fogging is occurring at dusk (at a time when many birds are active, and people are outside). At a minimum most attendees asked if the city would fog by neighborhood and let the residents know when they will be fogging so they can close their houses off, and offer a no spray corridor. Another request is that the city make the human health risks associated with fogging available to the public.
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Tie Hack Reservoir being the project that engaged the mitigation wetlands, and water for Buffalo, has a responsibility to the BLM and Corps permits. We would like to suggest that the city work with public works to staff a wetland coordinator, that would have two three duties:
1. Manage the water for the wetlands.
2. Run a larvicide IPM plan for mosquitoes.
3. Communicate with the community
This should be part of the cost of our utility water bill and should have been built in with the financial budget of Tie Hack and water utility bills.
Please find two clips of the program:
Part 1: BLM; COE https://youtu.be/GIX98gLuWIQ
Part 2: Weed & Pest; Wyoming Game & Fish https://youtu.be/_OndzGr1P0s
WETLANDS and BIRDS
One of the best known functions of wetlands is to provide a habitat for birds.
Birds use them for breeding, nesting, and rearing young. Birds also use wetlands as a source of drinking water and for feeding, resting, shelter, and social interactions.
About one-third of North American bird species use wetlands for food, shelter, and (or) breeding (Kroodsma, 1979). Wetlands on breeding, migratory, or wintering areas are all important to sustain bird populations.
Birds that need functional access to a wetland or wetland products during their life cycle, especially during the breeding season, can be called "wetland dependent".
Many migratory birds are wetland dependent, using wetlands during their migration and breeding seasons.
Some birds depend on wetlands almost totally for breeding, nesting, feeding, or shelter during their breeding cycles. For most wetland-dependent birds, habitat loss in breeding areas translates directly into population losses.
As the wetland habitats in these areas are drained or altered, the ability of these areas to sustain bird populations decreases. Thus, widespread draining and altering of wetlands has affected bird populations.
Wetland loss due to draining, filling, or altering of surface-water and ground-water flow is a concern to many people. Wetland degradation also has a substantial effect on birds. Degradation can take many forms such as altered amounts and periodicity of water supplies.
Source: Technical Aspects of Wetlands, Wetlands as Bird Habitat
By Robert E. Stewart, Jr. National Biological Service
National Water Summary on Wetland Resources, USGS Water Supply Paper 2425
Buffalo Greenbelt Wetlands Bird Watching and Birding Economics
Bird watching is a big activity along Clear Creek Trail and the wetlands.
The Buffalo wetlands are pretty phenomenal but need proper maintaining. As most people know, bird populations are declining due to loss of habitat, and in part due to the use of pesticides.
Of the 310 bird species documented in Johnson County, more than half of them (about 163) have been seen along Clear Creek Trail and the wetlands.
(Clear Creek Bird Checklist is linked to button at the bottom of this page.)
Birders contribute enormous amounts of scientific data on bird populations, distribution, migration, breeding, etc.
Birders support local economies and may travel long distances to see rare birds.
Per a 2022 USFWS report, around 96 million people in the U.S. closely observed, fed, or photographed birds; visited public parks to view birds; or maintained plantings and natural areas around the home for the benefit of birds in 2022. That’s more than 35% of the nation’s population aged 16 and over.
The USFWS survey also shows that birding is big business. More than six out of every 10 dollars spent in 2022 on wildlife-related recreation (which also includes hunting and fishing) came from wildlife watching, with birds cited as the greatest focus for wildlife watchers. Altogether, wildlife watchers spent more than $250 billion last year to engage in their hobby—including more than $24 billion on equipment such as binoculars, cameras, and bird food—for an average of $2,188 per person.
Birders spent an estimated $14 billion on their trips and $93 billion on equipment and land in 2022.
For trip expenditures, 49 percent was food and lodging, 36 percent was transportation, and 15 percent was other costs
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: participatory-science programs, like the Merlin Bird ID app and eBird, also reflect the heightened interest in avian affairs. For example, as of March 2023 there were more than 1.5 million active Merlin users in the U.S., a fivefold increase from the 300,000 Merlin users in March 2020. Likewise, eBird monthly checklist submissions have doubled, from 600,000 checklists in March 2020 to 1.3 million by May 2023.