Buffalo Bill Reservoir and State Park Embarking on Planning Process
Wyoming State Parks, in partnership with the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), is embarking on a resource management planning process for Buffalo Bill Reservoir and State Park near Cody, Wyoming. Ayres Associates has been selected to facilitate the planning process.
The Buffalo Bill Reservoir and State Park Resource Management Plan is intended to be a 20-year plan for the park, providing the foundation for decision-making to accommodate recreation and visitor amenities in balance with the preservation of recreation setting and natural and cultural resources. The final Resource Management Plan will be subject to a federal Environmental Assessment.
Wyoming State Parks and Reclamation are interested in receiving input from the public on what they enjoy about the Park and improvements or changes they would like to see. Over the next year, the team will be collecting information, feedback, and ideas about ways to both enhance the visitor experience at the park and preserve its resources for future generations to enjoy. The public is invited to complete an initial survey about the park and planning process, and to sign up to receive more information at https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/news-updates-buffalo.
Buffalo Bill Dam, constructed on the Shoshone River six miles upstream from Cody, was completed in 1910, creating Buffalo Bill Reservoir. Named for famous Wild West showman, promoter, and developer Colonel William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the dam is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Shoshone Power Plant is located near the base of Buffalo Bill Dam; the dam, power plant, and reservoir lands are owned by Reclamation, which maintains primary jurisdiction of the lands and associated resources within the reservoir area. Much of the area was designated a State Park in 1957 with the last major overhaul of the park completed in the 1990s.
The Park offers fishing, camping, picnicking, and a variety of water sports in settings which range from remote and primitive to moderately developed. The park currently has three boat ramps, nine developed day use areas, two group shelters and eleven picnic shelters, and one hundred campsites in two campgrounds which can be reserved through the State Parks Reservation System. Shreve Lodge, which hosts up to 200 and has a large kitchen, is also available to rent for day use.
For more information and to stay up to date with events and amenities at Buffalo Bill State Park, please visit wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/
Our first public meeting will be held November 14, 2022 in the Grizzly Room at the Park County Library in Cody, Wyoming from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm.
