SWEETWATER COUNTY — With the public comment period for the Bureau of Land Management’s draft Rock Springs Resource Management Plan extended to January, the state and the University of Wyoming are using the opportunity to inform residents about the RMP and help them participate in the BLM’s public process.

Gov. Mark Gordon’s office announced public meetings will take place in Rock Springs, Green River, and Farson Nov. 17-18. Two meetings will take place in Rock Springs on Nov. 17, with the first being from 2-4 p.m. and focused on industry and livestock. The second is from 5-7 p.m. and deals with tourism, recreation, wildlife, and conservation. Both will be hosted at Western Wyoming Community College in Room 3650. In Green River, a meeting will take place at Western’s Green River Campus in the John Wesley Powell Room from 9-11 a.m. Nov. 18 and focus on all topics. A fourth meeting is set at the Eden Valley Community Center Nov. 18 from 2-4 p.m. and focuses on all topics.

The meetings are hosted by the Ruckelshaus Institute, UW Extension, and UW School of Energy Resources.

“It is clear that the draft Rock Springs RMP is critical for the economy and lifeblood of southwestern Wyoming,” Governor Gordon said. “Significant effort must be put into making the final plan work for the people and industries of Wyoming.”

These initial public meetings will inform a governor-appointed stakeholder task force composed of leaders of various user groups including recreation, industry, conservation, agriculture, local governments and others. The task force will develop recommendations incorporating public input from the interactive workshops, which they will deliver to the Governor and BLM in January.