Figure 3.8-1. Recreation Areas Inventoried for the Recreation Resources Study

Figure 3.8-1. Recreation Areas Inventoried for the Recreation Resources Study

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Table 3.8-1. Summary of Recreation Facilities Assessed During the Recreation Resources Study

Recreation Facility Owner/Operator Description

Kortes Reservoir Facilities

Seminoe Dam and Reservoir Overlook Reclamation The site is primarily used for shore angling along the North Platte River near the tailrace of Seminoe Dam. The site is a popular fishing area upstream of the Miracle Mile. The facilities are unstaffed and open year-round. Reclamation The site is used for sightseeing and offers views of Seminoe Dam and tailrace, Seminoe forebay, lower reservoir reaches, and mountains to the south and east. A smaller second overlook offers views of Seminoe State Park and expansive views of Seminoe Reservoir. Facilities are unstaffed and are open yearround with no fees.

Seminoe State Park – North Red Hills Area

Seminoe State Park – South Red Hills Area

Seminoe State Park – Sunshine Beach

Seminoe State Park – Sand Mountain Day Use Area Wyoming State Parks

Wyoming State Parks

Wyoming State Parks

Wyoming State Parks Developed facilities at the site include a concrete boat ramp, campground, playground, and restrooms. The site is also used for angling. The site is open from May 1 to September 30. Reservations are required for overnight camping and fees for overnight camping range from $10 to $18 and fees for parking or day use range from $7 to $12. Developed facilities at the site include a boat launch, campground, playground, and restrooms. The site is used for angling as well. The facility is unstaffed and open from May 1 to September 30. Reservations are required for overnight camping and fees for overnight camping range from $10 to $18 and fees for parking or day use range from $7 to $12. Sunshine Beach contains a developed campground and is also used for angling. The facility is unstaffed and open from May 1 to September 30. Reservations are required for overnight camping and fees for overnight camping range from $10 to $18 and fees for parking or day use range from $7 to $12. The facility contains a developed picnic area and access and parking for the Seminoe Sand Dunes for OHV riding. The Sand Mountain Day Use Area is unstaffed and open year-round and day use fees range from $7 to $12.

Miracle Mile Public Access areas Reclamation The site is a popular fishing area, extending about 5.5 miles from the Kortes Dam to Pathfinder Reservoir.

Source: Recreation Resources Study Report (Appendix H, HDR 2022g).

Amenities

Unpaved road access with signage, parking for ten cars, two picnic tables, one fire pit/ring, one interpretive display, and one ADA-accessible vault restroom.

Unpaved road access, parking area for 16 vehicles (one ADA space), two seating benches, informational signage, and scenic overlooks.

Unpaved road access with signage, parking for seven vehicles (including three ADA spaces), campground with 16 recreational vehicle (RV) sites, 15 tent sites, and one group site (all camp sites have a fire pit/ring and picnic table), boat launch, playground with a basketball court, three restrooms, potable water, an information kiosk and signage, a RV dump site, trash receptacles, short loop trail, and ten ADA-accessible vault restroom stalls. Unpaved road access with signage, parking for several vehicles plus three ADA spaces, campground with 20 tent sites (all camp sites have a fire pit/ring and picnic table), a picnic shelter, six additional day-use picnic tables, two additional fire pits/rings, a playground, an information kiosk, a hard surface boat launch, and eight total restroom stalls (all ADA-accessible).

Unpaved road access with signage, parking for at least 26 vehicles (two ADA spaces), campground with 29 tent sites and two group sites (all camp sites have a fire pit/ring and picnic table), four fishing trails, an informational kiosk, three restrooms, trash receptacles, eight total restroom stalls (all ADAaccessible) Paved road access, parking for ten vehicles (one ADA space), one covered picnic table, three grills, one firepit/ring, and one vault restroom (ADAaccessible). There are several OHV trails available from the facility, but the trails were generally unmarked due to constantly changing conditions from windblown sand.

Numerous dispersed camping sites, five picnic shelters and 57 picnic tables, benches, fire rings and grills, nine vault restrooms, and an ADA-compliant fishing dock. There are several formal and many informal boat launch points. Trails in the area include one ADA-compliant trail with a ramp for viewing the North Platte River.

Condition

The facility was in good condition except signage and displays were noted as weathered and fading.

The site was in good condition, the seating bench at the second overlook needs maintenance as erosion is occurring in front of the bench.

All aspects of the facility were in good condition.

All aspects of the facility were in good condition.

All aspects of the facility were in good condition.

The facility was in good condition, except the road where potholes and a lack of signage were noted.

The facilities were generally in good condition, although ungraveled access roads had some areas of washboarding and rough terrain.

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3.8.1.3 Existing Shoreline Buffer Zones

As the proposed Project is currently unconstructed, the upper reservoir does not currently exist.

The Project will be operated in a way that minimally affects the levels of Seminoe Reservoir and, therefore, is anticipated to have indiscernible impacts on recreational uses of the shoreline. Proposed Project operations are discussed in Exhibit B of this license application. Potential effects to water resources of Seminoe Reservoir are discussed in Section 3.4, Water Resources.

3.8.1.4 Other Recreation Uses and Recreation Needs Hunting and Fishing in the Project Vicinity

Terrestrial recreation use in the Project vicinity is generally focused on big-game hunting.20 In addition to recreational hunting, commercial hunting is available where Special Recreation Permits have been authorized by the BLM for Big Game Hunting and Trophy Game Hunting. These commercial permits provide an income for licensed outfitters who guide clients in this area between December and February for mostly deer, elk, big horn sheep, and mountain lion (BLM 2022a). No hunting is permitted within Seminoe State Park (Wyoming State Parks 2022b).

Non-consumptive recreation use in the area includes angling, bird watching, and photography. Bighorn sheep photography is especially popular in the area as there are favorable public access points for photographing wildlife.

While WGFD has designated 11 walk-in hunting areas in Carbon County, none are in the Project vicinity (WGFD 2021d). These are areas of private or inaccessible land on which WGFD has leased rights for public access to hunt or fish.

The Miracle Mile is a popular fishing destination due to its remote setting, grand scenery, and large-sized Trout (Travel Wyoming 2014). Seminoe Reservoir is stocked annually with Cutthroat Trout, while the Miracle Mile is stocked annually with Rainbow Trout (Reclamation 2021). Available species for anglers in Seminoe Reservoir also include Walleye and Brown Trout. State record Walleye have been caught in Seminoe Reservoir in years past (WY Parks 2020). Ice fishing is also popular on Seminoe Reservoir, with good numbers of small Walleye (approximately 13 inches) and plenty of mid-size Rainbow Trout (approximately 16 inches) (WGFD 2021d).

Winter Recreation in the Project Vicinity

Seminoe Reservoir is used for ice fishing (WGFD 2021e) and Seminoe State Park is open year-round, accommodating campers during the winter (Wyoming Parks 2022a). However, Seminoe State Park does not explicitly offer winter activities (Wyoming State Parks 2020),

20 Personal communication with A. Mahoney, WGFD, December 15, 2021.

but winter recreation opportunities are available within Carbon County (Carbon County undated-a),

Winter recreation, including Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, dog sledding, and snowmobiling is available in southern Carbon County (Carbon County undated-a). Designated snowmobiling areas include the Snowy Range, Sierra Madres, and Shirley Mountain (Carbon County undated-b). Over 500 miles of groomed and ungroomed trails are available in Carbon County, mainly in the central-southern portion of the County. Nordic skiing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and dog sledding are mostly concentrated in the Medicine Bow National Forest administered by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), south of the Project vicinity (Carbon County undated-c; USFS undated). There are also opportunities for backcountry skiing and snowboarding as well as developed ski areas such as Snowy Ridge Ski Area.

Ice Fishing

To further understand winter recreation use in the Project vicinity, Black Canyon, conducted phone interviews with state and local stakeholders familiar with ice fishing on Seminoe Reservoir. Between September 19 and October 7, 2022, HDR made 21 phone inquiries and one email inquiry, resulting in six phone interviews. Interviews were conducted with representatives from Wyoming Game and Fish, Seminoe State Park, Seminoe Boat Club, and Rocky Mountain Discount Sports. Stakeholders were asked questions related to ice formation, temporal and spatial information, and the popularity of the Reservoir. Additional information was collected related to nearby facilities, fish species, and ice fishing reports and studies.

The interviews indicated that when people ice fish is largely dependent on weather conditions. Assuming weather conditions are favorable (minimal wind and snow), weekends are busier than weekdays and holiday periods are slightly busier than nonholidays. Similarly, there are no clear trends on the most popular times of day for ice fishing at Seminoe Reservoir. Stakeholders have observed people fishing during all hours of the day and night, noting that there are usually more daytime anglers than nighttime anglers. Locals will do day trips, while others will do multi-day fishing excursions and fish at different hours. On average, anglers will spend 6 to 8 hours per day ice fishing.

Stakeholders identified four access points: 1) Seminoe State Park – North Red Hills, 2) Seminoe State Park – South Red Hills, 3) Seminoe Boat Club, and 4) WGFD Boat Launch at Medicine Bow Arm (Figure 3.8-2). The two Seminoe State Park access points receive the most visitors followed by the Seminoe Boat Club access point near Coal Creek Bay. Most stakeholders agreed that where people fish on the Reservoir is directly tied to the access locations, with most anglers staying within a few hundred feet of the shoreline, but the entire lake does receive some use.

The number of people ice fishing on Seminoe Reservoir is dependent on weather conditions. Stakeholder responses ranged in the average number of people ice fishing from 20 to 50 people during busy times and under 10 people during non-busy times.