Environmentalists plan Watt demonstrations JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — A Jackson environmentalist says demonstrators will greet Interior Secretary James Watt’s appearance at next week’s Western Governor’s Conference here.
Wyoming Wilderness Association member Howie Wolke said Tuesday that environmental groups such as his own and Earth First are planning at least one demonstration to coincide with Watt’s visit Friday. He said he couldn’t predict how many demonstrators would appear.
Many people and groups are getting frustrated with the traditional approach to fighting unpopular federal land use decisions, Wolke said. Unpopular decisions are being made anyway, he said, despite widespread opposition.
The Jack Creek timber sale in Sublette County is one example of a widely unpopular move by the U.S. Forest Service, he said.
Another “poor” federal decision has been signalled by a draft environmental impact statement recommending exploratory drilling in the Cache Creek and Little Granite Creek areas near Jackson, Wolke said.
Wolke said Watt will be a target because of widespread opposition to his policies but he added that those policies are “creating a lot of new environmentalists in the Jackson area.”