One of the first of its kind, the Niobrara County Commissioners and the Niobrara Conservation District recently adopted
This item is available in full to subscribers.
To continue reading, you will need to either log in to your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account and connect your subscription to it by clicking here.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active, online-only subscription then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
LUSK – One of the first of its kind, the Niobrara County Commissioners and the Niobrara Conservation District recently adopted a joint Natural Resources Management Plan which is necessary in protecting the land in Niobrara County from federal actions. Y2 Consulting and Falen - Budd Law Office aided the two local government entities in drafting a legally sound document that also includes the custom and culture language from the monumental 1996 Land Use Plan. Due to extenuating circumstance, the draft plan went through two public comment periods which allowed any interested individual to question, comment, and ask for further clarification before it was adopted by both boards.
Both entities had Land Use Plans in place. The Commissioner’s 1996 plan was pivotal in stopping federal action to designate the Lance Creek Fossil Area as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and a National Natural Landmark. The Conservation District, under slightly different rules which require a review every five years, will replace their 2015 Plan with this joint plan. “It only makes sense to do a joint plan. Both entities are statutorily charged with protecting and enhancing all the land and its resources within Niobrara County, and the Commissioners benefit from the conservation district’s rule to review the plan every five years. We work together on natural resource issues, share expertise, and try to stay currant on the laws and issues”, states County Commissioner Pat Wade. “The 1996 plan, drafted for the commissioners by the Niobrara Resources Association, contains the heart and soul of the community’s custom and culture language in the current plan. That document is so important in allowing us to protect what we cherish here” continues Wade.
The three county commissioners, five elected supervisors of the Niobrara Conservation District and three of the 1996 Niobrara Resources Association were on hand at the signing of the resolution to adopt the plan. As soon as the filing is complete, the plan will be available for viewing on the Niobrara County website.
