Reclamation and Wyoming State Parks announce Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for Buffalo Bill

MILLS, Wyo. ─ The Bureau of Reclamation, along with Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails (SPHST) announced the availability of the final integrated Resource Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (RMP/EA) for Buffalo Bill Reservoir and State Park. This includes a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in establishing the RMP.

The purpose of the RMP/EA is to provide an updated comprehensive planning and management document to guide managing, allocating, and appropriately using Buffalo Bill Reservoir land and water resources; and making decisions regarding the management of recreation resources. SPHST, Reclamation's managing partner, proposes to implement the Master Plan, embedded within the RMP/EA, as a comprehensive plan for the development of outdoor recreation resources and infrastructure at the state park.

The RMP/EA is available at https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/buffalo-bill-master-planor at https://www.usbr.gov/gp/nepa/sopa.html#wyao.

More about the project:

To learn more about the federal RMP and NEPA process, please visit Reclamation's website at: https://www.usbr.gov/gp/nepa/sopa.html#wyao or by contacting Joseph G. Felgenhauer, Outdoor Recreation Planner, Bureau of Reclamation at 406-247-7746 or [email protected].

Media inquiries or general questions about Reclamation should be directed to Elizabeth Smith at 406-591-4761 or [email protected].

For more information on the Buffalo Bill State Park planning process, please contact Carly-Ann Carruthers, Planning Manager, at [email protected] or 307-777-6968. For information on State Park Operations, please contact Dan Marty, Park Superintendent at 307-587-9227 or [email protected].

Buffalo Bill Dam, constructed on the Shoshone River six miles upstream from Cody, was completed in 1910, creating Buffalo Bill Reservoir. Named for famous Wild West showman, promoter, and developer Colonel William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, the dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The dam, power plants, and reservoir lands are owned by Reclamation, which maintains primary jurisdiction of the lands and associated resources within the reservoir area. Much of the area was designated a State Park in 1957, with the last major overhaul of the park completed in the 1990s after modifications to the dam.

The State Park offers fishing, camping, picnicking, and a variety of water sports in settings that range from remote and primitive to moderately developed. The park currently has three boat ramps, nine developed day-use areas, two group shelters and eleven picnic shelters, and one hundred campsites in two campgrounds which can be reserved through the State Parks Reservation System. Shreve Lodge, which hosts up to 200 and has a large kitchen, is also available to rent for day use.