Bighorn River Blueway public meeting Thursday

The Bighorn River Blueway Committee is hosting four public meetings to discuss the Bighorn River Blueway trail.

The committee hopes to create and promote a blueway trail that would allow river enthusiasts to travel the length of the Bighorn River from the Wedding of the Waters to Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

Work on the trail would be done in phases and the group is aware there will be some challenges.

The committee invites the public to share their thoughts on challenges, ideas about new access points, and bring ideas for solutions to make this trail a reality.

The meeting in Thermopolis will be held at the Thermopolis Fire Hall on Thursday, March 31 from 6-8 p.m.

The meeting will be an open house meeting. At 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. a short introduction to the project will be given. There will be several stations set up at each meeting so that people can talk one-on-one or in small groups with members of the committee. The public is invited to come when they are able.

The Bighorn River runs 95 miles from the Wedding of the Waters to the North Kane Boat Ramp on the south end of the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. There are currently 16 access points. It is not a challenging whitewater river and is attractive to boaters and recreationalists with a wide range of experience levels.

The river meanders through cottonwood riparian areas, agricultural lands, municipalities, industries, and badlands.

Scenic highlights along the river area the canyons where the river dissects the Sheep Mountain Anticline and Little Sheep Mountain.

The meetings began last week held in Lovell, Basin, Tuesday in Worland with the final meeting in Thermopolis.

The Bighorn River Blueway Trail Committee also encourages members of the public to complete a 10-minute survey to provide additional information that will be of value to the project. The survey can be viewed at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/bighornblueway.