Dear Members and Friends,

You may remember that our Mission Statement is as follows: The Cheyenne-High Plains Audubon Society promotes the conservation and appreciation of birds and wildlife through education, science, advocacy, and habitat stewardship in Southeast Wyoming.

To that end, we wish to inform you about a request for zoning change which we believe will be detrimental to our beloved Wyoming Hereford Ranch (WHR), an Important Bird Area (IBA).  We are against this change and asking for your help.

On Tuesday, September 8^th at 6:00 p.m., the City of Cheyenne Planning Commission will meet to consider changing a parcel of property adjacent to WHR from City AG to City BP (Business Park).  The proposed use for the land is a data center.  This property is approximately 74 acres and is located at the southeast corner of I-80 and Campstool Road. It is the only corner there not currently developed.

We are concerned about heavy machinery, traffic, and later, issues such as air and water quality, noise, and general disruption to the area.  This location is approximately 0.2 miles from the IBA boundaries and residents.

Here is a link to the Staff Report for that request.  You will see a map on the report that clearly delineates the land in question.

We ask that you contact your City Council members, and/or Planning Commission members.  If you are able to attend the meeting on Tuesday, September 8^th, we would welcome your participation. The CHPAS Board will be sending a formal letter stating our opposition to the zoning change to the Mayor, City Council and Planning Commission members.

If you write and/or speak, please focus on your birding experiences at WHR, how these experiences enrich your life and the lives of others, and support our goal of habitat stewardship of the IBA.  We want to keep the focus on birds and their environment – setting ourselves apart from those who are merely frustrated by the data center influx in general.

If you have questions, please contact us at cheyenneaudubon@gmail.com.