Anglers will gain permanent access to a mile-long stretch of the North Platte River known for its blue-ribbon trout fishing if the U.S. Bureau of Land Management can swing the funding, the director of the Wyoming office of The Conservation Fund said.
The Conservation Fund, BLM and Wyoming Flycasters are working with the Miles Land and Livestock Co. to secure about 400 acres along the west bank of the river a mile immediately north of Government Bridge and about 20 miles southwest of Casper on Wyoming Highway 220, Luke Lynch of The Conservation Fund and Joe Meyer of the BLM's Casper field office told the Natrona County commissioners at a work session last week.
The BLM has developed a comprehensive management plan for the North Platte River to identify areas worthy of public access, Lynch said.
"American Angler rated this the No. 1 big trout fishing [stream] in the United States," Lynch said. "This is right in our back yard."
The ranch has accommodated anglers for years through a year-to-year lease it has had with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, he said.
But that agreement could end at any time, Lynch said.
"This will make it permanent government land," he said.
Lynch and Meyer weren't asking the county for money, only support.
They won the commissioners' approval for a letter to Wyoming's congressional delegation urging them to help the BLM to obtain money from the agency's Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire the land, Meyer said. Money in the fund comes from the sale of BLM lands, with the proceeds used to buy other land that improves recreational opportunities.
While a formal appraisal of the property won't happen for several months, Lynch later said the BLM would need about $3 million to secure the land.
In 2006, The Conservation Fund worked a similar deal to acquire about 1.3 miles of river access near Gray Reef.
The current deal has been in the works for a while, Lynch said.
"The Miles Land and Livestock Co. has been talking with the BLM for the last seen or eight years to work out something beneficial," he said.
Representatives of the company did not return phone calls seeking comment.
The permanent access may be gained in 12 to 18 months, depending on the federal budget process and the BLM's ability to secure the money, Lynch said.
Once acquired, the BLM intends to build a road, restrooms and other improvements to the land, Meyer told commissioners.
However, those improvements probably will not include a campground because the relatively narrow strip of land would place a campground too near the river, he said.
Reach Tom Morton at (307) 266-0592, or at tom.morton@trib.com.
