Conversion of ranch lands into 40-acre ranchettes, unauthorized four-wheel and off-highway travel, invasive exotic weeds, over-grazing and the effects of an ongoing drought have combined to threaten a rugged yet ecologically fragile ecosystem north of Casper, called the Sand Hills.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Casper Field Office is developing a travel and transportation plan for the Sand Hills area north and northeast of Soda Lake and 10 miles northeast of Casper.

Eve Bennett, outdoor recreation planner for the BLM, said at a planning meeting Thursday that local landowners approached the BLM, asking for help in developing the plan for the 17,000 acres of BLM property in the Sand Hills.

The private, state and BLM lands in the area used to be dominated by the B.B. Brooks Ranch, but subsequent sales and subdivisions into 40-acre lots have created fragmented ownership, Bennett said. The BLM land is leased to cattle and sheep growers.

She said private roads have been bulldozed out and street signs erected, leading to confusion about public rights of way and public access to BLM lands.

"Right now, there is no legal, reasonable, public access to the area," Bennett said. Consequently, there's an increasing problem with trespassing hunters or off-highway-vehicle riders and the creation of new, unauthorized trails.

Oil and gas activity in the area, as well as the historic Bozeman Trail, need to be factored into the plan, she said.

Doug Cooper, a rancher who lives in the area, said the Sand Hills are slowly moving northeast, driven by winds from the southwest. He said the area's roads followed the ridge lines of the sand dunes.

"It was very difficult to travel across the Sand Hills," Cooper said, because of the size and slopes of some dunes.

Cooper said that before four-wheel-drive vehicles, people stayed out of the area. Now, one four-wheel driver can make a road that others follow, creating an "amazing increase" in unplanned roads, he said.

Bennett said the Sand Hills are a relatively intact ecosystem of vegetated dunes that provide habitat for deer.

"Our goal is to preserve the dunes and the plants," said Bennett, while coming up with a transportation management plan that will designate roads and trails and control off-road travel.

Issues discussed by some 16 citizens at the meeting included overgrazing, oil and gas leases, uranium leases, invasive weed species, stabilization of the sand dunes, fire suppression and walk-in access.

BLM staff will accept public comment until April 29, then work toward having a formal plan ready by this fall.

Submit comments to: Bureau of Land Management; Attention: Eve Bennett; 2987 Prospector Drive; Casper, WY 82604. Or, to: {M7casper_wymail@blm.gov. For information, contact Bennett at 261-7517.