The expectation by many for Monday night’s planning meeting was to hear what Buffalo Bill State Park management envisions for the next two decades. Instead, the park offered no plans — there wasn’t even an opening speech — and concentrated solely on what the park’s local users want.

The Buffalo Bill Reservoir and State Park Resource Management Plan is intended to be a 20-year plan for the park, providing the foundation for decision-making to accommodate recreation and visitor amenities in balance with the preservation of recreation, setting, and natural and cultural resources. Attendees moved through a series of displays manned by park employees and were allowed to make suggestions on the direction of the park.

The suggestions didn’t fall on deaf ears. Instead, each suggestion was written directly on detailed maps of the park which is on Bureau of Reclamation land but managed by the state for recreation.

“While the great ideas are going to come from the citizens, the community and  stakeholders, our job is to put them all together in a package that can stand the test of time, and hopefully be implemented long term,” said Matt Ashby, vice president of Ayres Associates Development Services Division.

Ayres Associates has been selected to facilitate the planning process. It’s a multidisciplinary company that includes planning and engineering, community development and resource planning. It’s been involved in a number of different Wyoming State Parks and Historical Sites Department projects, including the Sinks Canyon Master Plan recently, and bridge inspections along backcountry trails.

“We are really excited to be involved in planning the future of Buffalo Bill,” Ashby said as the meeting kicked off.

Over the next year, the Ayres and the state park team will be collecting information, feedback, and ideas about ways to both enhance the visitor experience at the park and “preserve its resources for future generations to enjoy.” 

“This is the first step,” Ashby said. “It’s going be a long process. It’ll be about two years, wrapping up 2024.” 

The final Resource Management Plan will be subject to a federal environmental assessment, but the first part of the process is identifying the community’s vision for the park and coming up with the view for the future.  

“This is a great way to involve people,” said Wes Allen, co-owner of Sunlight Sports and steering committee member of the Park County Outdoor Recreation Committee. “Having an open ended, kind of a sandbox for people to come in and give their ideas like this is the perfect way to start the process.”

Buffalo Bill Dam, constructed on the Shoshone River 6 miles upstream from Cody, was completed in 1910, creating Buffalo Bill Reservoir. The dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.  

Much of the area was designated a state park in 1957. The park offers fishing, camping, picnicking and a variety of water sports. The last major overhaul of the park was in the 1990s.  

The park currently has three boat ramps, nine developed day use areas, two group shelters and 11 picnic shelters, and 100 campsites in two campgrounds which can be reserved through the State Parks Reservation System. Shreve Lodge, which hosts up to 200 and has a large kitchen, is also available to rent for day use. 

Community attendees discussed hiking, lodging, parking and facilities, as well as uses for available land that could offer a more broad list of recreational activities. 

“I think that one of the biggest opportunities here is for the state and other land managers to kind of partner up to make sure that the recreational experience is a little bit more cohesive and a little bit better supported,” Allen said.

Park supervisor Dan Marty said his priority for the park is how it serves the local communities. Marty has spent his entire career working for or leading Buffalo Bill and Boysen state parks. He graduated from Cody High School and spent two years at Northwest College in Powell before finishing his studies at the University of Wyoming. He started in the park as a seasonal employee in 1982 and became the assistant superintendent in 1999. He became the Buffalo Bill State Park superintendent in 2016.

“As everybody knows, the North Fork Highway is a gateway to Yellowstone. So we get a lot of tourists. I lean towards local folks, so I’m trying to advocate things for the community,” Marty said.

The public is invited to complete an initial survey about the park and planning process, and to sign up to receive more information at wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/news-updates-Buffalo.

For more information and to stay up to date with events and amenities at Buffalo Bill State Park: wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/buffalo-bill or  or call Superintendent Dan Marty at 307-587-9227.