Spring and early summer were “colder and wetter than ever before, a record setting year,” says the top Forest Service officer in the area.

But the word to cabin owners in the Wapiti District of the Shoshone National Forest is ominously the same: Be cautious.

Sue Stresser,  district ranger for the Shoshone’s Wapiti, Greybull and Clark’s Fork districts, spoke to Wapiti cabin owners at a Saturday breakfast sponsored by the Forest Cabin Permitees Association at the Horse Creek Picnic Area on the North Fork. The FCPA hosts an annual get-together to communicate shared interests with the Forest Service; Dave Wilkerson of Lovell is president of the association.

The mountain moisture of 2019 has contributed to grass and brush growth that becomes fire fuel as temperatures heat up and conditions dry.

Cabin owners were advised to keep grass mowed as a fire proofing measure around cabins.

Stresser said the Forest Service plans a fuels project in 2020 to assess the amount of grass, brush and fuel wood accumulation around cabins and potential mitigation.

Budget cuts could impact how the Shoshone National Forest deals with recreation permits, Wapiti cabin owners were told. Kate Miller, special use permit administrator at the Forest Service office in Cody, has about 300 permit applications annually for projects ranging from construction to water systems and roads.

“I’m the only one working on those permits,” she said.  “It could cause delays.”

A caution that bears “may be out in force” this coming fall was also related to cabin owners. Because of all the spring moisture, chokecherries and other berry bushes are expected to be loaded and a prime source of bear food.

The reminder was also given that food is not the only attractant to bears.

“It’s not just food: Anything that has an odor can draw bears,” said Miller. “Make sure to put candles and sprays inside the cabin.”

— By Dave Bonner