Wyoming Framework Water Plan - Living Rivers Home Page

5.0 USE
numbers of people bound for Yellowstone Park pass through the Wind/Bighorn River Basin and
Snake/Salt River Basin each year.
There are also two national monuments in the State: Devil’s Tower and Fossil Butte National
Monument. Devil’s Tower was the first national monument to be declared and is located in the Northeast
Wyoming River Basin. Fossil Butte has some of the world’s best preserved fossils, including fish, plants,
insects, reptiles, birds and mammals. Fossil Butte is located in the Bear River Basin.
Figure 5-9 shows the location of the national parks and monuments.
Table 5 -10 Visitation to National Parks and National Monuments
Park or Monument Visitation 2005 Average Visitation 1996 to 2005
Yellowstone NP 2,836,000 2,945,000
Grand Teton NP 2,463,000 2,575,000
Devils Tower NM 370,000 394,000
Fossil Butte NM 18,000 21,000
Total 5,687,000 5,935,000
Source: National Park Service Annual Visitation Reports - 2006
National Forests
Wyoming is also home to eight national forests and one national grassland. The national forests
are: Ashley, Bighorn, Black Hills, Bridger-Teton, Medicine Bow, Shoshone, Targhee, and Wasatch. The
national grassland is Thunder Basin. Figure 5-9 shows the national forests and national grassland in
Wyoming.
Summary of Recreational Use
In general, the recreational uses of water around the state are nonconsumptive. These uses do,
however, require an adequate supply of water. Golf course irrigation is an exception to the
nonconsumptive claim. However, this use was not accounted for in most of the river basin plans.
5.6 ENVIRONMENTAL WATER USE
5.6.1 Introduction
Previous studies conducted by the WWDC, SEO, and Game and Fish Department have estimated
the amount of water designated for or consumed by various environmental uses. These include, but are
not necessarily limited to, instream flow water rights permitted by the Wyoming State Engineer,
minimum reservoir pools, instream flow bypasses designated to enhance fisheries and wildlife habitat,
wetlands, direct wildlife consumption, evaporation from conservation pools, and maintenance of riparian
areas.
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