Welcome to the jungle.

On the perfect cloudless, unofficial last day of summer on Monday, a few other Alcova Boat Club members and friends sat by the dock near the sign memorializing the gentle scold of the wife of the late retired Navy Captain Bob Simons when club members had been partying a wee too much one night:

"'You guys have been in the jungle too long,'" former commodore - club lingo for board president - David Reid said, recalling Marie Simons' comment.

But there's another jungle out there, wilder beyond the nightmarish urban vision of Guns N' Roses or the impaired vision of partying boat clubbers: The Code of Federal Regulation's proposed revision of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's administration of private uses of its public lands including the Alcova Reservoir.

Officially, that's "Part 429 Procedure to Process and Recover the Value of Rights-Of-Use and Administrative Costs Incurred in Permitting Such Use."

Not so officially, it could affect issues about all private uses of the public land including grazing, cabin sites, boat docks, boat clubs and other facilities, according to an Aug. 9 letter from Natrona County Road, Bridge and Parks Superintendent Mike Haigler.

"Succinctly stated, the proposed rule changes could substantially impact the future use of Alcova, Pathfinder and Grey Reef," Haigler wrote to the Alcova Marina, the boat and ski clubs, and those who lease trailer spaces and cabins at the reservoir. "It is imperative that the public realize the importance of providing structured and meaningful comments."

Bluntly stated, the Bureau of Reclamation could end the fun of private uses at Alcova in nine years: no marina, no boat club, no ski club, no cabins, no trailer spaces.

"When authorizations for these uses expire, Reclamation generally will not renew them," according to the federal agency. "Rare exceptions may be authorized and use authorizations issued with the approval of the Commissioner's office."

However, Bureau of Reclamation's Wyoming area manager John Lawson urged patience and caution as people read the proposal.

"I wouldn't jump to any conclusion that the status of folks at Alcova is changing," Lawson said.

He urged the trailer space lessees and other users, as well as the public, to carefully review and comment on the changes before the Oct. 16 deadline, he said.

A complex relationship

Alcova and its hundreds of thousands of visitors have enjoyed the fruit of a somewhat complex relationship.

The Bureau of Reclamation developed the dam and reservoir for irrigation in the 1930s.

It signed a lease - set to expire in 2016 - with Natrona County to manage the federal land surrounding the reservoir. Over time, a number of private uses of the land arose including the marina, the boat and ski clubs, and leasing cabins and trailer spaces.

The county sets fees for these amenities based on market value - a requirement of the Bureau of Reclamation - and applies that money to develop the beaches, picnic areas, restrooms, roads and other public uses of the reservoir.

The fees generated from these private users of the federal land have elevated Alcova from just another irrigation source to a regional recreational destination. This year, Travelocity.com named the lake as the top attraction of its "Local Secret, Big Finds" survey of Wyoming.

The Bureau of Reclamation also requires the county to enforce fire and safety codes, which have come under scrutiny and controversy in the past 18 months.

For example, county workers shut off the electricity to several electric boat lifts because of an electrical code violation in the power distribution system.

A possible way out

Meanwhile, members of the boat club shared their experiences of fixing problems they had in an effort to help the trailer park lessees.

They also hope their experiences can help persuade the Bureau of Reclamation to keep Alcova available for private and public use, Reid said.

"I don't think it's a good idea for them to treat Wyoming like they treat the rest of the country," he said. "People have been good stewards of the land and lake."

The club started in the 1930s on Black Beach, and one winter the members dragged the old clubhouse across the frozen lake to the present location, said Bob Hopkins, another former commodore who was carrying the club minutes dating to March 29, 1938.

However, Reid said the boat club realized it had to fix some serious safety and environmental concerns, and spend a lot of money in the process.

- $40,000 to dig out three leaking underground storage tanks, dispose of contaminated dirt, and build a concrete vault for a new 3,000 gallon fuel tank.

- $80,000 to install a sewer line to Alcova's treatment lagoon.

- At least $200,000 to replace the old redwood docks with new aluminum docks.

Those efforts took time, Reid said.

So will the efforts to repair the issues at the trailer park and marina, as well as present a good face to the Bureau of Reclamation, he said.

Likewise, Alcova Task Force Chairman Rich Jamieson expressed concern about the proposed rule.

The Bureau of Reclamation could say, "'OK, we'll honor all existing contracts, but we won't renew them,'" he said.

Jamieson and Reid both said the private user groups - trailer space lessees, the marina, boat club, ski club, and cabin lessees - at Alcova need to present a united front as well as write coherent comments about the proposed rules.

Jamieson would like the Natrona County Commission to schedule a public comment period for these groups and the general public, he added.

The best outcome would involve the Bureau of Reclamation, the state and the county commissioners, Jamieson said.

The ultimate solution would consist of two parts: create an exception for Alcova with a long-range plan, and the eventual transfer of the reservoir from federal to state or county control, he said.

"It is not doomsday," Jamieson said. "It is a great opportunity to rally to save a fantastic recreational facility for the entire state and region," he said.

Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at Tom.Morton@casperstartribune.net.

The proposed rule can be found at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/frcont07.html.

Comments may be submitted on the Internet, by e-mail or by mail as outlined in the addresses section of the proposed rule.

Comments may be sent to the Denver office of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at P.O. Box 25007, Denver Federal Center, Denver CO 80225-0007; or to the Great Plains Regional Office, P.O. Box 36900, Billings, MT 59107-6900.

For more information, contact the Bureau of Reclamation Wyoming Area Manager John Lawson at (307) 261-5671.]]>