JACKSON, Wyo. — Town Council voted unanimously on Monday, Oct. 19, to send a letter to the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Doug Burgum supporting the Teton County commissioners’ concerns about an amendment to the Moose-Wilson Corridor Comprehensive Management Plan.
The vote was not about whether or not to build a multi-use pathway in Grand Teton National Park, but rather about how the decision was made. The DOI amended the 2016 Moose-Wilson Corridor decision to direct construction of the pathway without consulting local officials or requesting input from the public.
In 2016, after years of review and public comment, the park decided against a separated pathway along the Moose-Wilson corridor, which changed this August, when the amendment was signed to direct construction of the pathway.
On Monday, public comment centered around the lack of public process.
Conservation Director for the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance Catherine Hughes supported the letter. She also asked council to request further environmental analysis using recent wildlife, traffic and visitor data.
“We fully support the town in sending whether it’s a cover letter or the cover letter in addition to the county’s letter or something similar to Secretary Burgum,” Hughes said.
“We are particularly disappointed by the process through which this change was made,” the County letter reads. “The County was an active participant as a Cooperating Agency in the 2016 [Record of Decision], but we were not invited to take part in the 2026 reevaluation and did not have a meaningful opportunity to discuss the proposed change prior to the decision.”
Joan Anselmo, speaking for Friends of the Moose-Wilson Corridor, urged officials to push for a pause.
“I have never seen a single time where a final [environmental impact statement] that went through the thorough review and the incredible public process be simply ignored,” she said.
Representatives of the National Parks Conservation Association and Wyoming Wildlife Advocates also supported the letter. Public commenters raised concerns about wildlife impacts, the pace of the amendment and the absence of additional public input.
The motion directs staff to draft a cover letter for the mayor’s signature that affirms the commissioners’ letter and notes the Town’s status as a cooperating agency. It does not ask for a supplemental environmental impact statement or call for the project to stop.
