Forest Special Order 02-02-01-25-02 West Tensleep Corridor

Associated Documents

Forest Order

Order Number: 02-02-01-25-02

U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service 

Bighorn National Forest

Powder River Ranger District

Occupancy and Use Prohibitions West Tensleep Corridor

 

PROHIBITIONS

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50 (b), the following are prohibited on the National Forest System (NFS) lands in the Powder River Ranger District, Bighorn National Forest, described below and shown on the attached map incorporated into this Order as Exhibit A (the “Described Area”):

1. Camping in the Described Area. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(e)
2. Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire outside the metal fire rings provided by and installed by the Forest Service in the Described Area. 36 C.F.R. § 261.52(a)
3. Camping with more than eight people in the Described Area. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(f)
4. Hitching, tethering, restraining, or hobbling a horse or other saddle or pack animal in violation of posted instructions in the Described Area. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(aa)
5. Depositing solid human waste outside of a leak-proof portable toilet or other self-contained receptacle in the Described Area and leaving it on National Forest System lands. 36 C.F.R. § 261.53(e)

EXEMPTIONS

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:

1. Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order or a written determination by a Forest Service authorized officer that a permit is not required under 36 C.F.R. § 251.50(e)(1) or (2).
2. Any Federal, State, or Local Officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting resource in the performance of an official duty.

DESCRIBED AREA

Beginning at Tyrrell Ranger Station on both sides of Forest System Road 27 in the West and Middle Tensleep drainages and extending north northeast to the Cloud Peak Wilderness boundary as shown on the map in Exhibit A. Developed Forest Service Campgrounds are excluded from the Described Area. 

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Order is to protect human health and safety and limit people’s exposure to human waste in West Tensleep Corridor by designating camping sites, limiting the number of people at each site, and prohibiting the depositing of solid human waste.

IMPLEMENTATION

1. This Order shall be in effect from June 23, 2025 at 12:00 a.m. through December 31, 2029 at 11:59 p.m. unless rescinded.
2. A map identifying the Described Area is attached and made part of this Order as Exhibit A. For a digital version of this Order and Exhibit A, go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/bighorn/alerts
3. Unless otherwise expressly defined in this Order, the terms used in this Order are defined by the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture, 36 C.F.R. Chapter II, Parts 200-299. If there are terms in this Order that are not expressly defined in the Order or 36 C.F.R. Chapter II, Parts 200-299, their meaning shall be determined by their plain language definitions.
4. A violation of the above prohibitions is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. 16 U.S.C. § 551; 18 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571, and 3581.
5. Contact the Powder River Ranger District in Buffalo, WY (307) 684-7806, and Bighorn National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Sheridan, WY (307) 674-2600, for more information about this Order.
6. This Order supersedes Order BNF-2019-02 prohibiting the same or similar acts in the same Described Area.

Signed and issued on June 23, 2025.

/s/ Andrew K. Johnson

Andrew K. Johnson
Forest Supervisor
Bighorn National Forest